Canada ready for Pan American Games

Canada : Uruguay (match tracker)



Canada’s women’s national team will take on Uruguay in their opening game of the XV Pan American Games Rio 2007. The national team arrived in Brasil earlier this week and begin their four-game round-robin action on 14 July (11.15) at the Miécimo da Silva.



This will be Canada’s first match against Uruguay. Their other robin-robin games are against Ecuador (16 July), Jamaica (18 July) and Brasil (20 July). Canada’s goal is to advance to the semi-final (23 July) and then gold-medal match (26 July).



Canada’s 18-player roster includes six returning players from the XIV Pan American Games Santo Domingo 2003. Canada won a silver medal in 2003 after a 1:2 a.e.t. loss to Brasil. Kristina Kiss, serving as team captain, scored Canada’s lone goal in the final. Other returning players from the 2003 squad are Tanya Dennis, Robyn Gayle, Taryn Swiatek, Katie Thorlakson and Rhian Wilkinson.



Four years earlier, Canada finished fourth at the XIII Pan American Games Winnipeg 1999.



Unlike in 1999 and 2003 when Canada took a younger roster to the Pan American Games, Canadian coach Even Pellerud has taken his senior roster to Brasil. The XV Pan American Games Rio 2007 are Canada’s last major tournament before the FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007.