Canada WNT to face Brazil in late March

Canada will face Brazil in a Women’s International Friendly match this 24 March 2012 in Foxborough, MA, USA, just south of Boston. The match will take place at Gillette Stadium, a 2003 venue for the FIFA Women’s World Cup which also serves as home of Major League Soccer’s (men) New England Revolution.

The Canada-Brazil match will be one of two international matches in late March for the Canadian team. Canada also faces Sweden on 31 March in Malmö, Sweden. Along with an upcoming home Women’s International Friendly match against China PR on 24 May, Canada is facing three different FIFA Women’s World Cup silver medalists in the span of just over two months (China PR finished second in 1999, Sweden finished second in 2003, and Brazil finished second in 2007).

Canada and Brazil have posted draws in each of their last five encounters dating back to 10 July 2008 (a 1:1 draw in Toronto). Two of the five draws, however, have been followed by trophy celebrations for the Canadian team: in December 2010 at the II Torneio Internacional in São Paulo, BRA (Canada won the tournament based on goal differential) and in October 2011 at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, MEX (Canada won gold after winning 4-3 on kicks from the penalty mark).

As for the venue, Canada posted two wins and one loss at Gillette Stadium from 2000 to 2003. At the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003, Canada posted an important 3:1 win over Japan in the group phase of the tournament (Homare Sawa scored for Japan before Christine Latham, Christine Sinclair and Kara Lang responded for Canada).

So far this 2012 season, Canada has posted seven wins and two losses. In January, Canada qualified for the London 2012 Olympics after finishing second at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament; in March, Canada finished second at the annual Cyprus Women’s Cup.