Canada U20 CONCACAF team huddles before match - The Canadian Press
Alajuela – Montserrat Saldivar scored twice on Monday to help defending champion Mexico defeat Canada 4-2 and finish at the top of Group B in a weather-interrupted match at the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship.
Both teams had already secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 World Cup by guaranteeing a top-two finish in the group with victories over Panama and Nicaragua. However, finishing first in the group likely means avoiding seven-time champion U.S. in the semifinal.
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Monday’s game, which began under a torrential downpour, was tied 1-1 in the 30th minute when American referee Alyssa Nichols halted play and directed the drenched players off the pitch at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.
The game resumed approximately two hours and forty minutes later. Although the heavy rain had stopped, some water remained on the pitch, making distribution challenging.
Maria Gonzalez scored for Mexico, which also benefited from an own goal by Janet Okeke.
Teegan Melenhorst and Annabelle Chukwu responded for Canada, which outshot Mexico 20-12, including a 5-4 edge in shots on target.
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The eight-team CONCACAF tournament, which continues through Sunday, will qualify four CONCACAF teams for the 24-team FIFA U-20 World Cup, set to take place in September 2026 in Poland.
The U.S., already qualified for the CONCACAF semifinals with a 2-0-0 record, will conclude Group A play on Tuesday against Costa Rica (1-0-1), while Puerto Rico (0-1-1) takes on Guyana (0-2-0).
The Americans have lost only three of their 64 all-time matches in the tournament.
Trailing 3-1 at halftime, Canada brought on Chukwu, who had already scored three goals in the tournament’s first two matches. The 18-year-old from Ottawa made an immediate impact, narrowing the deficit to 3-2 in the 59th minute with a header from a Melenhorst cross after a Canadian corner.
Chukwu, who scored three goals in Canada’s opening two wins, has added to her Canadian youth international scoring record, surpassing the previous mark set by Christine Sinclair. She now has 38 goals in 40 games across the under-15 to under-20 levels.
Chukwu, a collegiate soccer player at Notre Dame, has been called into camp by the Canadian senior team but has not yet made an appearance.
Mexico added an insurance goal in the 84th minute when Saldivar beat Canadian goalkeeper Noelle Henning after a pass from Michel Fong split the Canadian defence.
The wet conditions caused some early handling issues, and Canada took the lead in the 18th minute after a mistake by Mexico goalkeeper Mariangela Medina, a collegiate player at UCLA. The ball fell to Melenhorst, who lofted a shot over Medina to score.
Mexico pulled even in the 26th minute when Alice Soto’s low corner struck Okeke at the near post and deflected in past Henning.
After the weather delay, Gonzalez put Mexico ahead in the 37th minute after Henning had punched away a Mexico corner. The ball came out to a Mexican player whose shot bounced off a Canadian defender to Gonzalez, who found the target.
Mexico extended their lead in first-half stoppage time on a lightning-quick counterattack. A long pass found Saldivar, who outmuscled Sienna Gibson, the last defender, before dodging an onrushing Henning and firing the ball into the unattended goal.
Canada had 52 percent possession and outshot Mexico 9-8 in the first half, but Mexico held a 3-2 advantage in shots on target.
Canada has participated in nine of the last 11 editions of the FIFA U-20 tournament, missing only the 2010 and 2018 editions. At last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, the Canadians were eliminated in the round of 16 after a 2-1 loss to Spain.
Canada coach Cindy Tye made five changes to her starting 11, including one forced by the suspension of Ines Nourani, who was sent off against Nicaragua. Mexico’s lineup remained unchanged.
Canada secured its place in the CONCACAF tournament by comfortably winning its qualifying group in February. The Canadians dominated their opponents, outscoring them 43-0 overall, with victories over Dominica 22-0, Bermuda 9-0, and host Trinidad and Tobago 12-0.
The U.S. and Mexico, as the top-ranked countries in CONCACAF, skipped the qualifying round and were given direct entry to the CONCACAF championship. Canada and 23 other teams had to win their way there, with Costa Rica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, and Puerto Rico also topping their groups.
Canada won the CONCACAF tournament in 2004 and 2008 and was runner-up to the U.S. in 2002, when the age group was under-19. The Americans are looking for their eighth title, having last won in 2020 and 2022.
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