PRIMER: CanWNT ready to tackle 1st Concacaf W Gold Cup with experimental but competitive mindset
A busy 2024 begins for the Canadian women's national team this week, as the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup gets set to kick off in the United States.
There, eight Concacaf sides and four Conmebol guests will battle to bring home the W Gold Cup trophy for the first time, as they look to finish on top of the mountain at Concacaf’s newest marquee tournament. It promises to be a special tournament for many reasons, from the novelty of the spectacle to the level of competition – along with whatas at stake at the end of the road, of course.
This isn’t the first women’s tournament that Concacaf has organized. Those familiar with the region will have seen the Concacaf Championships, Olympic qualifiers and more over the years. But when compared to those tournaments, the W Gold Cup promises to be special for one specific reason: This is truly a battle for supremacy.
Often, the Concacaf Championships and Olympic Qualifiers also served as qualifiers for other tournaments, meaning that the trophy at the end was usually seen as a bonus for teams, not the primary objective. The W Gold Cup is the main prize here. Anything but a victory at the end will feel like a failure. There will be no sweeteners to help soften the blow of a second or third-place finish.
For a region whose tournaments aren't usually short of entertainment, that should add another layer of drama to proceedings, and ramp up the excitement factor. Even if teams enter with different objectives – Canada, the United States, Colombia and Brazil will be preparing to participate in the Olympics later this year while other teams will be setting their sights on preparing for the 2027 World Cup – that desire to win should fuel each team’s motivations unilaterally.
Speaking of, that’s why this tournament could be so important for Canada. The No Official Nicknames will be champing at the bit for some Concacaf success, having last won a major tournament in the region back in 2010.
Touching down in Houston!#CANWNT’s W Gold Cup journey begins on Feb 22nd against ๐ธ๐ป pic.twitter.com/sxloOTMEmo
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) February 19, 2024
Despite doing well at finding success internationally, such as when they won Olympic gold in 2021, they haven’t been able to replicate that in their home region and will be eager to change that this year. As they get set to defend that gold medal this summer, it could provide them with a huge boost, as they could show that they’re not going to mess around in Paris later this year.
Before looking too far ahead, however, here’s a look at everything you need to know about Canada’s participation in this tournament, as they now get set to chase that goal.
The format: What to expect from W Gold Cup
To begin, it’s important to dive into what this new tournament will look like, in the first place.
Consisting of 12 teams, eight from Concacaf and four from Conmebol, qualification occurred over the past two years to help decide the teams that would make up this inaugural tournament.
First, there was the 2022 Concacaf Championships, where the winners, the US, earned the first spot at this Gold Cup with that tournament victory.
Then, that same summer, the four Conmebol teams were decided, even if they didn’t know it at the time, as the 2022 Copa América was held, with it then being decided in January of 2023 that the top four finishers from that competition would earn an invite to this Gold Cup, which were Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay.
Soon after, Canada became the second Concacaf nation to earn their spot, as they beat Jamaica in their Olympic playoff in September of 2023, allowing them to skip qualifiers.
Speaking of those qualifiers, they were then played in October and November of that year, in which Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica earned their spots after winning their respective League A groups (Gold Cup qualifiers were combined with an inaugural Nations League group stage), while the runner-ups in their League A groups and the three League B group winners were paired off in a trio of play-in games for the last spot.
In the meantime, the draw was conducted late last year, in which the 12 teams (each play-in game was given a spot) were drawn into three groups of four.
Lastly, those play-in games were finally played just this past weekend, as the Dominican Republic beat Guyana, Puerto Rico beat Haiti and El Salvador beat Guatemala to round off the field of teams at this inaugural tournament.
The list is complete ๐คฉ pic.twitter.com/UsuGqsoPeE
— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) February 18, 2024
So now, the tournament is set, with Group A consisting of the US, Mexico, Argentina and the Dominican Republic, Group B consisting of Brazil, Panama, Colombia and Puerto Rico, and Group C consisting of Canada, Costa Rica, Paraguay and El Salvador.
As for the competition itself, it’s worth noting the format is pretty straightforward, although there are a few tweaks. To begin, as expected, the top two teams from each group will qualify, as will the top two third-place teams, making it eight teams that will advance to the quarter-finals.
Where things get interesting, however, is at that stage - there, instead of specific group pairings, as is customary, teams will instead be ranked from #1 to #8 based on their points from the group stage, and then will be paired off based on that - #1 will play #8, #2 will play #7, #3 will play #6 and #4 will play #5.
Then, in the semi-finals, the winner of #1 vs #8 will play the winner of #4 vs #5, leaving the winners of #2 vs #7 and #3 vs #6 to play against each other.
Through that tweak, it could incentivize group stage performance, as sometimes teams could be tempted to rest players in the final game if they had the top spot in their group locked up, whereas now there will be a reward for finishing with as many points as possible, incentivizing teams to aim to get all nine points.
So for Canada, that’s something to watch, as they’ve got a group they’re expected to do quite well in, as Costa Rica’s ranked fifth in Concacaf in the FIFA Rankings and El Salvador is ranked 13th, while Paraguay is ranked fifth in Conmebol. Compared to some of the other teams they could’ve drawn, they’ve ended up in a good spot and are favourites in every game, something that could help them end up with a better quarter-final match-up.
Group C Preview: Canada's journey
Speaking of Canada’s group, however, here’s a look at what to expect from the three teams that they’ll get to play as they chase that quarter-final spot.
COSTA RICA (FIFA Ranking #43):
Expected to be Canada’s main threat at the top of the group, Costa Rica will be looking to have a big tournament, as they continue their rise as a program.
Having qualified for just their second World Cup in their history last summer, they weren’t quite able to make as much of a mark as they would’ve liked to at that tournament, losing all three games to keep them without a World Cup win in their history, but they showed well despite being in a tough group with eventual champions Spain, as well as Japan and Zambia.
Esta es la lista de jugadoras seleccionadas para la Copa Oro femenina de Concacaf 2024 ๐โจ. ¡Vamos con todo Sele! ¡Vamooos que #UnidasBrillamosMás! โฝ๏ธ๐ช๐ป๐จ๐ท#FCRF #LaSeleFemenina pic.twitter.com/I0PcVlyv5e
— FCRF ๐จ๐ท (@fedefutbolcrc) February 8, 2024
Then, they built off what they learned in the qualifiers for this tournament, winning their group with three wins and one loss in four games, doing well to finish in front of a dangerous Haiti side on goal difference.
Because of that, they’ll be hoping to build off that in this tournament, one where they’ll want to push for a top-four finish, with eyes on trying to grab more.
Armed with a roster filled with domestic talent, with 14 of their 23 players playing their trade in Costa Rica, along with some names who are playing in Mexico and the US, the main of which being Angel City’s Raquel Rodriguez, they feel that they can be competitive against most teams.
As for a style of play, expect them to want to hold onto possession a decent amount - at the World Cup, other than an (expected) struggle vs Spain, where they only had 22% possession, they had 48% possession against Japan and 57% against Zambia, which shows their ability to hold onto the ball. And, interestingly, their main source of offence that tournament came from positional attacks, and not so much off the counter-attack, further solidifying that point.
And given that they spent 41% of the last year in a 4-2-3-1, and 20% in a 4-1-4-1, that further leads to that idea, as they want to go toe-to-toe with their opponents instead of sitting deep, something Canada will have to watch out for.
For a Canadian team that thrives defensively when they get behind the ball, they’ll feel comfortable with that idea, but it could be something that catches them by surprise, especially if they experiment with their defensive set-up in any sort of way.
PARAGUAY (FIFA Ranking #50):
Arguably the wild cards of this group, it’s hard to tell what to expect from Paraguay in this tournament, who are on a bit of a rise as of late.
Having only finished top four at a Copa América once in their history, back in 2006 when they finished fourth, they matched that in 2022, finishing fourth once again.
๐๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐ต๐พ
— Selección Paraguaya (@Albirroja) February 7, 2024
๐ Ellas son las convocadas por el DT Carlos Bona para representar a Paraguay en la @GoldCup W de @Concacaf 2024.
Los detalles: https://t.co/3ev77LJBPW
¡A representar con orgullo a nuestro país, chicas! ๐#AlbirrojaFEM โช๐ด#VamosParaguay ๐ช pic.twitter.com/xmEJVtM2YM
As a result, they’ll believe that they can try and make some history in 2027, where they’ll look to qualify for their first-ever World Cup, having yet to qualify for one.
Because of that, they’ll view a tournament like this Gold Cup as a chance to prove their credentials, as they start building towards that goal.
Filled with a squad that has a strong base of players who have moved outside of Paraguay to places like Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Portugal, they’ve grown a lot as a team over the last year thanks to that.
A strong defensive team, they’ll look to do that by frustrating their opponents, as over the last year, they’ve conceded an average of just 0.75 goals per game, and just 1.08 xG, doing well to keep games low-event. They’re not the most proficient offensive team, averaging just 0.63 goals on 1.11 xG, but their defence gives them a chance to make things happen, and that’s always dangerous.
As a result, expect them to want to hold less of the ball, and try to hit on the counter-attack more, as they averaged around 40% of possession in games last year. Otherwise, they can be strong on corners, something that Canada will look to watch, even if they’ve got some good set-piece weapons of their own.
Playing usually in a 4-3-3, they’ll want to keep space compact, before springing forward the other way whenever possible, which could be something to watch for a Canadian team that will have aggressive wing backs in their 3-4-2-1.
Because of that, this could be Canada’s potential bogey team in the group stage. Stylistically, teams that can get behind the ball and spring forward always seem to cause Canada problems, as seen at last year’s World Cup, so look for Paraguay to emulate some of the things that Australia, Ireland and Nigeria were able to do to frustrate Canada in that tournament.
EL SALVADOR (FIFA Ranking #104):
For the first time, El Salvador will get to play in a competitive Concacaf tournament, having never participated in the Concacaf Championships or the final tournament of Olympic qualifiers in their history.
Because of that, they’ll be an exciting team to watch, as they look to show well in their first opportunity to play on a stage like this.
สแดแดสแด แด สแด๐ด แดฬษดษขแดสแด๐ด โ โ๏ธ๐บ๐ธ โฝ๏ธ
— La Selecta (@LaSelecta_SLV) February 13, 2024
๐๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข ๐ฐ๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด๐ฑ๐ถ๐ต๐ข๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข ๐๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ข ๐๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ข ๐#ElSalvador #LaSelectaFemenina pic.twitter.com/n0bkfg4pnK
For the first time, El Salvador will get to play in a competitive Concacaf tournament, having never participated in the Concacaf Championships or the final tournament of Olympic qualifiers in their history.
Because of that, they’ll be an exciting team to watch, as they look to show well in their first opportunity to play on a stage like this.
Having qualified in dramatic fashion this past weekend, upsetting Guatemala in a 3-1 win after topping their League B group with ease with six wins from six, El Salvador will feel that they’re trending in the right direction heading into this tournament.
No doubt, they’ll head in as massive underdogs, as just drawing a game will be seen as a big feat, but they’ll feel that this is a group where they can have a chance at finding that, whereas their odds might’ve been longer in other ones.
At the same time, they’ll know their expectations heading into this tournament, so they’ll look to battle for results, and try to grind out games.
It’ll make for a different look than what they showed in qualifiers, where they steamrolled their opposition offensively, but they might be in tough to replicate that against the opposition that awaits them here, which will be different from League B play.
One thing that won’t change, however, is their shape, as they’ve stuck with a 4-4-2 throughout qualifiers, and will probably stay in that, especially if they’re planning on doing more defending in this tournament.
Plus, they can be boosted by the fact that they’ve got a solid squad, one that has done well to recruit dual-nationals as of late, and has a good chunk of players playing in El Salvador, Mexico and the US.
As a result, they’ll look to make the most of this historic qualification, and use it as a building block for what’s to come, as they chase their first-ever World Cup qualification in 2027.
What to expect from Canada:
As for Canada, however, this should be an interesting couple of weeks for them.
With the Olympics rapidly approaching, their priority will be to prepare for that, and they’ve made no secret of that - they’ve noted that they want to use this environment to prepare players for the congested schedules of tournaments, and want to use these games as auditions for players.
Knowing that the Olympic squad will only have 18 players on it after it was temporarily expanded to 22 at the last tournament, they’ve got to figure out how to whittle down their squad to that number of 16 outfielders and two goalkeepers, as they’ve got around 25 players who could reasonably expect to make that team.
As a result, head coach Bev Priestman wants to see which players on this team can play in multiple positions, which would make them more valuable in a smaller squad, one that doesn’t have as much room for specialists.
Because of that, expect some different looks from Canada, especially in terms of the personnel that they employ, as they could try out some players in different positions in the 3-4-2-1 they’ve begun to use.
Especially in these group-stage games, where Canada will be expected to win, they’ll want to take advantage of these opportunities to prepare, before then going for more of an “A-team” group by the knockout stages, whatever that may look like after the group stages.
With that in mind, however, this will make for a good tournament to keep an eye out for some different faces on this Canadian team. Of course, it’s been well-advertised how crucial the likes of Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles, Ashley Lawrence, Quinn, Jessie Fleming, Nichelle Prince, Adriana Leon and Cloé Lacasse have been over the last year, as well as newer faces such as Jade Rose, but this could be a chance for players like Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Clarissa Larisey, Simi Awujo and Gabrielle Carle to get a good look, or for others like Evelyne Viens and Julia Grosso to claim bigger roles.
Be it in new positions, or in roles we’re already used to seeing them play, we should get a pretty good look at most of the 23 that Priestman brought in, and that’s exciting, giving a good gauge of where things are at for Canada ahead of the Olympics.
So while Canada will also look to chase that Gold Cup crown, knowing how important that could be for their confidence, look for them to not waste a single minute of preparation time, especially during the group stage.
Our 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Roster!#CANWNT x @CIBC pic.twitter.com/HdXkFySL0C
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) February 7, 2024
(Since the CanWNT released this graphic, Marie-Yasmine Alidou and Bianca St-Georges have replaced Jayde Riviere and Sydney Collins on the roster).
Schedule:
Who will come out of Group C?
— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) February 18, 2024
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