HOUSTON, Texas — Four nations begin their quest to win the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup as Group C gets underway on Thursday at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, United States.
Costa Rica and Paraguay will play in the first of two matches on the evening. Canada and El Salvador will feature in the nightcap.
Who will come out of Group C?
— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) February 18, 2024
Book your stay with @Hilton #HiltonForTheStay pic.twitter.com/TbKgLOtXyt
Costa Rica vs. Paraguay
With a 3-0-1 record in Road to W Gold Cup qualification, Costa Rica qualified directly by finishing in first place of League A Group C. Paraguay gained its invitation by placing fourth in the CONMEBOL’s 2022 Copa América Femenina.
Costa Rica and Paraguay last faced off in the fifth-place match at the Chile 2023 Pan American Games, a 3-1 victory for the South Americans, last October. Las Ticas last defeated Paraguay in the Bronze Medal match at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
Daniela Solera was the goalkeeper with the most saves in the group stage (28) at the 2023 FIFA World Cup Australia/New Zealand, which makes her one of the players to watch in the tournament, not just for Costa Rica. María Paula Salas, Raquel Rodríguez, and Melissa Herrera all stood out in goalscoring during RTWGC 2024 and will be the names to keep note of.
Jessica Martinez shined for Paraguay in the CONMEBOL Copa América Colombia 2022, where she placed Best XI with three goals in five appearances, and at the Chile 2023 Pan American Games with four goals in as many games. Lice Chamorro and Rebeca Fernandez will also players to keep note of, as will goalkeeper Alicia Bobadilla.
Match Officials Costa Rica vs Paraguay
REF: ODETTE HAMILTON (Jamaica)
AR1: STEPHANIE-DALE YEE SING (Jamaica)
AR2: CARISSA DOUGLAS (Trinidad and Tobago)
4TH: CRYSTAL SOBERS (Trinidad and Tobago)
VAR: EKATERINA KOROLEVA (USA)
VAR1: DIANA PEREZ (Mexico)
Canada vs. El Salvador
Canada and El Salvador will meet for the first time at a senior level in a Concacaf competition. The Canadians qualified directly to the tournament by virtue of their Concacaf Olympic play-off victory.
The Canadians enter a new era following the retirement of iconic goalscorer Christine Sinclair. The likes of Adriana Leon, Nichelle Prince, and Jordyn Huitema give the team plenty of confidence in attack, with the support of two exceptional midfielders in Jessie Fleming and Julia Grosso.
El Salvador went a perfect 6-0-0 in League B Group B of RTWGC to advance to the preliminaries. A hat-trick from Brenda Cerén led La Selecta to a 3-1 victory over Guatemala last Saturday.
Goalkeeper Idalia Serrano also shined in the preliminaries with six saves against Guatemala. El Salvador’s squad features several key pieces of its qualification process including defender Priscila Ortiz, midfielders Danielle Fuentes and Danya Gutiérrez, and forward Samaria Gómez.
Match Officials Canada vs El Salvador
REF: MELISSA BORJAS PASTRANA (Honduras)
AR1: SHIRLEY PERELLO (Honduras)
AR2: LOURDES NORIEGA (Honduras)
4TH: PRISCILA PEREZ (Mexico)
VAR: DANEON PARCHMENT (Jamaica)
VAR1: RICARDO MONTERO (Costa Rica)
