The quarterfinals of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup will see a rematch of Group C’s finale.
Canada and Costa Rica face each other once again on Saturday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles (kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT). With a place in the semis on the line, both Les Rouges and Las Ticas must start this match with a clean slate, leaving behind what happened in the first round and directing energy toward the task at hand.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Canada’s quarterfinal match.
Road to the knockouts: Canada
Canada placed first in Group C with three wins and a tournament-high 13 goals. Adriana Leon, the top scorer of the group stage, bagged five goals, while goalkeeping duo Kailen Sheridan and Sabrina D’Angelo secured three clean sheets combined.
The reigning Olympic champions started their tournament with a 6-0 thrashing of El Salvador. Arsenal forward Cloé Lacasse led a relentless attack that consisted of long crosses and cuts into the box. Next up, Canada continued its attacking prowess with a 4-0 win over Paraguay. This time, Aston Villa winger Leon stole the spotlight with a hat trick, her largest contribution since she scored four times in Canada’s 11-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis in 2020. On Wednesday, Bev Priestman’s side won 3-0 over Costa Rica to stay perfect in the group stage. Set pieces and aerial strength — notably from veteran Shelina Zadorsky, who scored a brace and had one of the best performances of her career — earned Les Rouges the win.
Road to the knockouts: Costa Rica
Costa Rica finished third in Group C with one win and two losses. At the end of the first round, Puerto Rico (Group B) and Las Ticas were completely level according to the competition’s tie-breaking criteria (points, goal difference, goals scored and yellow/red cards). After a live draw, Costa Rica advanced to the quarters as one of the two best third-place nations.
Costa Rica began its group stage with a 1-0 loss to Paraguay. Despite mainstay goalkeeper Daniela Solera’s valiant effort, Lice Chamorro’s crafty deflection was too quick to save, and Paraguay’s back line was too tough for José Benito Rubio’s squad to penetrate. However, a lethal Priscila Chinchilla brace lifted Costa Rica over El Salvador 2-0 in its second match of the competition. Both goals came from through balls, which Canada shut down in the third match of the group stage.
Canadian talking point
Over the past few years, the Canadian women’s national team has been criticized for not scoring goals despite boasting a slew of attacking specialists. As demonstrated at last summer’s World Cup, Canada has historically struggled to break into opponents’ penalty areas while maintaining momentum and ruthlessness for the whole 90 minutes.
This tournament, however, has seen a welcome change from Priestman’s side. Instead of playing sluggish, hesitant soccer, Canada was confident, relentless, cohesive and smart. Despite not being tested at the Gold Cup so far, Canada must maintain its winning mentality in the quarterfinals. It would be a massive blow to the program to not at least reach the semifinals after a show-stopping group stage, and it would also hinder momentum ahead of April’s SheBelieves Cup and this summer’s Paris Olympics.
“We want to be No. 1 in this tournament. We’re sitting there now but we know the challenges are going to get greater and greater. And we have to get our standards higher and higher,” Priestman said after Wednesday’s match.
What particularly stood out (and should be replicated) against Las Ticas was Canada’s possession and aerial presence. All three of Canada’s goals against Costa Rica were scored on headers, which have been surprisingly absent for Les Rouges since the Tokyo Olympics. The aggression in the air — and from set pieces, thanks to Ashley Lawrence and Olivia Smith’s spot-on deliveries into the box — shows Canada is entering a post-Sinclair era with renewed belief and commitment to success. The challenge now will be to maintain that aggression against tougher teams, or when teams manage to figure out Canada’s gameplan. Costa Rica is surely reviewing footage from Wednesday and will try its luck at shutting down Zadorsky, Leon and Huitema. If that happens, Canada will have to be ready to pivot.
Will Costa Rica change its formation?
Costa Rica is in the privileged position of having nothing to lose. Truthfully, Las Ticas made the quarterfinals on sheer luck, but now has an opportunity to prove what it can do against top teams.
Last time out, Canada dominated the first half with nearly 75 per cent possession. Costa Rica also did not record a single shot on target in the first 45. Could this have something to do with Rubido’s 4-5-1 formation? While most of Costa Rica’s players are defending its goal, there’s hardly anyone ready to push up the pitch on a break. Chinchilla is known to be Las Ticas’ goal-scorer, but if she’s playing midfield in a game mostly in Costa Rica’s final third, there leaves little opportunity for her to shine — and if she does, she has to go through Canada’s strong backline.
A 4-4-2 formation might provide the extra attacking presence Costa Rica missed against Canada on Wednesday. Moreover, Chinchilla started on the bench last time out, being substituted in just after an hour. Expect her to start Saturday’s game, with linkup play from veteran Rocky Rodriguez taking full effect.
Priestman’s selection dilemma
Who will Priestman choose for her starting 11? In the group stage, we saw the 37-year-old rotate her squad and get some fresh, younger faces into the starting lineup with Olivia Smith and Jade Rose. However, we also saw veterans Zadorsky and Leon produce some of the best matches of their careers, while mainstays Jessie Fleming, Vanessa Gilles, Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan put in solid efforts. Huitema and Lacasse also rose to the occasion, helping with their aerial presence and transition play, respectively.
Considering this, whoever Priestman selects should give Canada an easy win. The majority of the team has started this tournament strong and adjusted to playing with different teammates, which is a manager’s dream. That said, Canada should likely stick with its tried-and-true 3-4-3 formation, as it’s been successful for Les Rouges as of late.
