Canada will face group opponent Cuba on Friday at the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship. The match will be broadcast live via CONCACAF.com starting at 15.00 ET / 12.00 PT. The match will be Canada’s second of the 2010 competition following a 1:0 victory over Costa Rica on Wednesday.



In training today, national coach Carolina Morace addressed the players in advance of the Friday match. She noted that with first match out of the way, Canada should look to improve its performance in matches against Cuba on Friday and host Guatemala on Sunday. Still, she recognized that Wednesday opponent Costa Rica was likely to be the toughest opponent from the group phase.



"It was important to win our first game," said coach Morace. "All teams deserve the proper respect, but we knew that Costa Rica was the best team in our group."



After the opening day, Guatemala and Canada both have three points and a +1 goal differential. Guatemala is in first place with two goals scored. Cuba (0 points, -1, one goal) and Costa Rica (0 points, -1, no goals) are in third and fourth places, respectively.



In group B action, USA opened in first place with a big 6:0 victory over Jamaica. Mexico, meanwhile, is in second place after a 2:1 victory over Trinidad and Tobago.



Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners, is the reigning champion from the last CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship. The top-three teams from this year’s competition will qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010.



BY THE NUMBERS:

Canada’s all-time record at the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship is 15 wins and one loss. Its 1:0 victory over Costa Rica was just the second 1:0 victory at this tournament, following the championship victory over USA in 2008. That 2008 win clinched Canada’s second confederation title at the women’s youth level.



This Friday’s Canada-Cuba match will be the first-ever meeting between the two women’s programs. Two years ago, Cuba finished eighth at the 2008 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, its first-ever participation in the final round of the tournament. Cuba’s head coach is Rufino Sotolongo Reyes.



From Wednesday’s match against Costa Rica, goal scorer Adriana Leon became the 21st player to score for Canada at the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship. Team captain Chelsea Stewart is the only other active player on this team to have scored a goal, having scored twice in 2008. Stewart hit the post on Wednesday against Costa Rica.