Houston hosts W Gold Cup play at Shell Energy Stadium
(image via concacaf.com)
February 20th to March 10th is a monumental step forward for Women’s football in the CONCACAF region and CONMEBOL invitees. The inaugural W Gold Cup is being played in the US in Carson, Los Angeles, San Diego and most importantly Houston.
Houston has become a center for international football for multiple tournaments. Houston has the privilege of hosting all matches for the W Gold Cup’s Group C which includes Canada, Paraguay, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.
Canada are the big favorites to win the group. They won the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and still have their core group of players after a disappointing World Cup in 2023.
Paraguay is coming off their best run in Copa America Femenil in 2022, finishing in fourth place. They look like a team that could get far in this tournament.
Costa Rica come into this Gold Cup off their second appearance at the World Cup in 2023. They have the players and dynamic to shock teams, like they did to Spain at the 2015 World Cup.
Lastly, El Salvador is the underdog team in this group. They are looking to prove themselves in their first major tournament in the women’s history. They also come into Houston having the huge home-field advantage from the local crowd at Shell Energy Stadium.
We got the chance to attend Matchday Two of the Group Stage as the teams jockey for positioning in the standings. Let’s dive into the results:
Paraguay 0-4 Canada
It was clear dominance for Canada against Paraguay in the opening match. Canada dictated the game and did not allow Paraguay time to recover or have clear possession of the ball. Early goals from Adriana Leon and Olivia Smith killed Paraguay’s confidence to get back into this game. Leon completed her hat trick early the second half to seal off the game and advance Canada to the next round as the clear group winners.
El Salvador 0-1 Costa Rica
Despite having huge support from the home crowd, El Salvador fell behind early after a stunning run and finish from Priscilla Chinchilla. El Salvador tried their best to get back in the game and fight for possession. Unfortunately, Costa Rica got a second goal from Chinchilla to solidify their lead. The win moves Costa Rica to second place in the group on goal differential ahead of a meeting with Canada on Wednesday as they push for the knockout stage.
The final table after Matchday Two:
Canada – 6 points
Costa Rica – 3 points (+1 goal difference)
Paraguay – 3 points (-3 goal difference)
El Salvador – 0 points
Canada is atop the table and have qualified for the quarterfinals. Costa Rica and Paraguay will fight for second place in the group and the automatic passage to the next round. El Salvador are not out just yet as a win in their last match could move them to third (their -10 goal difference is probably too much to overcome to get into second place). The two best third place teams from the group stage will also advance to the quarterfinal round. The final Matchday of the group stage will be on Wednesday at Shell Energy Stadium with Canada vs Costa Rica kicking off at 5 PM and then Paraguay vs El Salvador to follow at 8 PM.
