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FIFA.com
There were precious few surprises at the weekend as the second round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ drew to a close in North, Central America and the Caribbean. The USA, Mexico, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago – the region’sentatives at the last world finals in Germany in 2006 – all moved on to the first group stage.
There was little mystery heading into the USA’s second leg against Barbados in Bridgetown on Sunday. Having amassed an 8-0 edge in Los Angeles a week earlier, the return fixture was a foregone conclusion and allowed coach Bob Bradley to experiment with youngsers like Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela and Sacha Kljestan.
Canada’s women’s national team had another succesful run at the Peace Queen Cup, but again the team finished second behind the top-ranked United States. In what was the fourth 2008 contest between the two sides, Canada lost 0:1 after Angela Hucles scored off a free kick in the 90th minute.
“It was a good game, a fast-paced game, and a game with a lot of drama,” says coach Even Pellerud. “It was very good from the get-go because you had two teams that wanted to attack.”
L’équipe nationale canadienne féminine senior a réussi un nouveau parcours impressionnant à l’édition 2008 de la Peace Queen Cup, mais a une fois de plus dû se contenter de la seconde place derrière les États-Unis, classés premiers à l’échelle mondiale. Au cours de ce quatrième match opposant les deux équipes, le Canada s’est incliné sur le score de 0 à 1, suite à un coup franc signé Angela Hucles à la 90e minute de la rencontre.
Selon l’entraîneur-chef de la sélection nationale canadienne féminine senior, Even Pellerud : « Le match était très bon, un match rapide, un match avec beaucoup de rebondissements. C’était un bon match dès le début, puisque les deux sélections ont voulu jouer très offensivement. »
Canada is moving on to Stage III of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers. Canada won both games in its two-match series with Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, first on the road in Kingstown on 15 June (3:0 win) and then at home tonight in Montréal, QC (4:1 win).
Canada will now face Mexico, Jamaica and Honduras in the CONCACAF semi-final (group 2) from August to November. Canada will play three games at home and three games on the road (two matches against each opponent).
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Canada’s men’s national team completed its second day of training today in Montréal, QC under the watchful eye of head coach Dale Mitchell. Mitchell wants another win to close out Stage II of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers. Most importantly, he wants a win in front of the home crowd at Stade Saputo this Friday 20 June.
“There is always pressure,” says coach Dale Mitchell. “There are two games and you have to get it right or it’s done. For all the teams, it is a difficult task. Anything can happen in a two-game series. There is always pressure and expectations. As players and coaches, you deal with it.”
After its third win in three matches, Canada is heading back to the Peace Queen Cup final for a likely rematch with the United States. Canada’s women’s national team posted a 2:0 victory today over New Zealand to finish first in Group A with a perfect 3-0-0 record (9 points). Canada will be heading to the final just as it did at the inaugural Peace Queen Cup in 2006.
The United States is expected to finish first in Group B after Thursday’s matches. After wins against Australia and Brazil, the United States can clinch a spot in the 21 June final with either a win or a draw against Italy. The United States has six points while Australia and Brazil (who meet in the other Thursday match) are tied with three points each.
Après avoir enregistré sa troisième victoire en trois matchs, l’équipe nationale canadienne féminine senior s’est qualifiée pour la finale de la Peace Queen Cup en République de Corée, où elle affrontera probablement les États-Unis. Le Canada a battu la Nouvelle-Zélande sur le score de 2 à 0, aujourd’hui, pour s’emparer de la première place du Groupe A. Le Canada affiche un bilan parfait de 3-0-0 et a enregistré 9 points. Tout comme lors de l’édition inaugurale de la Peace Queen Cup en 2006, le Canada s’est qualifié pour la finale du tournoi.
On attend également la présence de la sélection américaine en finale. Elle devrait terminer à la première place du Groupe B après les matchs de jeudi. Ayant déjà battu l’Australie et le Brésil, les États-Unis peuvent se qualifier pour la finale, qui aura lieu le 21 juin, en battant ou en faisant match nul face à l’Italie. Les États-Unis comptent six points, alors que l’Australie et le Brésil, qui s’affronteront également jeudi, se retrouvent à égalité avec trois points.
Canada’s men’s national team arrived home early Tuesday morning after a long day’s travel from Kingstown, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. The Canucks were returning from a 3:0 win over the Saint Vincy Heat in match one of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers. The two sides will meet this Friday 20 June for the second leg at Stade Saputo in Montréal, QC.
In light of the team’s arrival, coach Dale Mitchell cancelled the team’s morning practice at Stade Claude-Robillard. The team is scheduled to train Wednesday and Thursday at Stade Saputo. Canada has a three-goal lead on its opponent and is in a good position to advance this Friday to Stage III.
The Impact de Montréal pulled away with a 2:0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps tonight, scoring two goals in the second part of the first half. Severino Jefferson and Joey Gjertsen scored the two Impact goals as the home side earned its first victory in the 2008 Nutrilite Canadian Championship.
Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan posted the clean sheet, stopping 12 shots in the win.
