Canada finished in second place at the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship after an 0:2 loss to hosts USA. Canada kept the reigning world champions at bay for just over 50 minutes, but then Lindsey Horan and Tobin Heath scored just eight minutes apart in the 53rd and 61st minutes.

The Sunday 21 February CONCACAF Grand Final was played at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX, USA. It marked USA’s 11th CONCACAF title.

For Canada, two-time CONCACAF champions (1998 and 2010), it marked the seventh time that they finished runners up in a CONCACAF championship match. Canada also finished second in 1991, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2008, and  2012.

From the first half, the match opened with both sides shifting their weight, but with no goals scored for a full 45 minutes.

The best chance came midway through the first half after a Meghan Klingenberg cross from the left side. The ball passed everyone to  Carli Lloyd, but the American captain was behind Canada’s Allysha Chapman and could not place her header on target.

In the second half, the first of two goals was scored in the 53rd minute when Horan broke the deadlock. From a Canada clearance, Becky Sauerbrunn delivered a ball back into the box to which Horan leapt and headed for the goal. Labbé had come out to meet the attack, but Horan just managed to beat her to the punch.

USA doubled their lead in the 61st minute on the Heath left-footed blast. Mallory Pugh drove the attack down the left side and centered the ball into the box. The ball moved past Carli Lloyd in the centre and over to Heath on the right side. Heath teed up and blasted her one-time shot for the 2-0 lead.

In the 71st minute, Chapman did well to control the ball down the left side and serve a cross to the back post for Melissa Tancredi. The Tancredi header, however, was stopped at close range by goalkeeper Hope Solo.

In the 75th minute, substitute Sinclair delivered a wonderful cross into the box which was called offside, although Tancredi’s connecting shot drifted just wide.

In the 88th minute, a USA cross to Heath was surely heading for goal, but she was stopped this time by Canada’s perfectly positioned  Chapman at the back.

It proved to be the last serious threat by either side as USA won the clock to a 2:0 victory.

After the match, Canada collected the silver medal while USA took home the gold. From the tournament’s Best XI, Canadians Kadeisha Buchanan, Allysha Chapman, and Ashley Lawrence all made the list.

Just two nights earlier, Canada qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after a 3:1 win over Costa Rica in the CONCACAF semi-final. Canada has qualified for three successive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.

On this final day of the competition, referee ‎Quetzalli Alvarado booked both Josée Bélanger of Canada and Mallory Pugh of USA. Attendance for the CONCACAF Grand Final was 9,363.

LINEUPS:

Canada’s starting XI featured Stephanie Labbé in goal, Rhian Wilkinson at right back, Kadeisha Buchanan and Shelina Zadorsky at centre back, Allysha Chapman at left back, and Rebecca Quinn, Desiree Scott, Josée Bélanger, Ashley Lawrence, Nichelle Prince, and Melissa Tancredi from the midfield up through to the attack.

In the second half, coach John Herdman replaced Quinn with Diana Matheson (58’), Wilkinson with Sophie Schmidt (58’), and Prince with Christine Sinclair (62’).

USA’s starting XI featured Hope Solo in goal, Kelley O’Hara at right back, Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston at centre back, Meghan Klingenberg at left back, and Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Lindsey Horan, Morgan Brian, and Mallory Pugh from the midfield up through to the attack.

In the second half, coach Jill Ellis replaced Morgan with Christen Press (72’), Horan with Crystal Dunn (83’), and Pugh with Emily Sonnett (90’).