CANCUN, Mexico -- With tickets for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup finals already secured, Canada will meet Mexico for the CONCACAF title tomorrow in the championship match of Women's World Cup qualifying in the nightcap of a doubleheader. In the opener at Estadio Andres Quintana Roo, the USA faces Costa Rica for third place and the right to face Italy in a two-legged playoff for the last finals spot.
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USA vs. Costa Rica, 6 p.m. ET
The winner of this game advances to a two-leg home-and-away series with Italy for the last of 16 berths to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. The first leg is scheduled to be played on November 20 in Padova, Italy. The return leg would take place on November 27.
This will be the first time the USA has played a third-place match in a CONCACAF tournament, having won every CONCACAF event in which it had previously competed.
The United States and Costa Rica have met three times before in the finals of a CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup qualifying competition. The Americans won each game by a combined score of 19-0.
Their most recent meeting was on November 1 in Group B play, a 4-0 win for the USA. Abby Wambach (32' pk), Lauren Cheyney (69'), Yael Averbuch (73') and Alex Morgan (81') scored the goals.
The United States is 6-0-0 all-time against Costa Rica, outscoring the Central Americans 31-0 (this will be the third time they have met on Mexican soil).
The USA has a successful history in third-place matches, having won a third-place game at the 1995, 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments. In 1995, the USA defeated China, 2-0, in 2003 the USA defeated Canada, 3-1, and in 2007 the USA beat Norway, 4-1.
After not conceding a goal in its previous four World Cup qualifying games (including two Central American qualifying games played in April), Costa Rica has allowed eight in its last two.
The Ticas are have lost all eight of its games against North American opposition in the finals of a CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup qualifying competition, having been outscored 33-3.
Previous meetings in WWCQ only:
November 6, 2002: USA 7, Costa Rica 0 at Seattle, Washington, USA
November 1, 2010: USA 4, Costa Rica 0 at Cancun, Mexico
Canada vs. Mexico,9:00 p.m. ET
The winner of this game will become the champion of CONCACAF. Canada lifted the trophy in 1998, defeating Mexico 1-0 in the final. Mexico has never won the title.
Canada is 5-0-0 against Mexico in the finals of a CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup qualifying competition (16 goals for, 3 goals against). In four World Cup qualifying games between them, Canada is 4-0-0 (12 goals for, 0 goals against).
Canada has not conceded a goal in four CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying games in Cancun.
Christine Sinclair (5) and Jonelle Filigno (4) have combined to score nine of the Maple Leafs 16 goals in the competition.
The Tricolor is unbeaten in 9 of its last ten games at home in World Cup qualifying matches (including FIFA Playoffs).
Mexico's Maribel Dominguez is tied with the USA's Abby Wambach as the Finals' leading scorer with six goals.
Mexico's seven-game losing streak against North American opposition in World Cup qualifying only came to an end in the 2-1 semifinal win against the USA (2 goals for, 36 goals against).
Previous meetings in WWCQ only:
August 15, 1994: Canada 6, Mexico 0 at Montreal
September 6, 1998: Canada 1, Mexico 0 at Toronto, Canada
November 11, 2002: Canada 2, Mexico 0 at Seattle, Washington, USA
November 2, 2010: Mexico 0, Canada 3 at Cancun, Mexico
Did You Know?
Mexico's Maribel Dominguez has scored 19 career CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying goals.
And furthermore
CONCACAF Women's Champions
1991 - USA
1993 - USA (non-World Cup Qualifying tournament)
1994 - USA
1998 - Canada
2000 - USA (non-World Cup Qualifying tournament)
2002 - USA
2006 - USA
Results CONCACAF Women's Championship/World Cup Finals
1991 - USA 5, Canada 0 at Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1993 - no final
1994 - no final
1998 - Canada 1, Mexico 0 at Etobicoke, Canada
2000 - Brazil 0, USA 1 at Foxboro, Massachsetts, USA
2002 - USA 2, Canada 1 (aet) at Pasadena, California, USA
2006 - USA 2, Canada 1 (aet) at Carson, California, USA
