Canadian women step up in class in taking on top-ranked U.S. in Washington, D.C

Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 2:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

After struggling to corral No. 43 Costa Rica earlier pouring successful 4 precocious goals successful a 4-1 win, Canada steps up successful people Wednesday erstwhile it faces the top-ranked U.S. successful Washington, D.C.

Eighth-ranked Canada is 4-53-9 all-time against the U.S. successful a rivalry that dates backmost to 1986 erstwhile the Canadian women's programme was established. The Canadians person not won connected American ungraded since Nov. 11, 2000.

"It's a bully trial for us. But it's 1 I deliberation we should beryllium looking guardant to," Canada manager Casey Stoney, a erstwhile England captain, told a quality league Tuesday. "There'll beryllium nary fearfulness successful our dressing room. We're going to spell retired determination and person a go."

In their astir caller meeting, past April astatine the SheBelieves Cup successful Columbus, Ohio, the 2 teams played to a 2-2 gully earlier the U.S. won a punishment shootout 5-4. The Americans besides won by punishment shootout successful the crippled earlier that, the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinal successful March 2024.

Canada's past triumph implicit the U.S. was a 1-0 determination successful the Tokyo Olympic semifinal successful August 2021. That was the Americans' archetypal nonaccomplishment to their bluish neighbours since March 2001, successful the radical signifier of the Algarve Cup.

Friday's triumph implicit Costa Rica improved Stoney's grounds astatine the helm to 6-1-1 with the lone nonaccomplishment a 1-0 setback April 8 astatine the hands of No. 32 Argentina successful Langford, B.C. — "a crippled we should ne'er lose," said Stoney.

Stoney says Wednesday's contention should amusement "what grit and determination and resilience and content we've got."

"We're playing against the satellite No. 1. We cognize the rivalry is there. It's been determination for galore years. And we privation to person a go. I deliberation we're coming present to spot what we're made of. Also for maine to analyse however overmuch enactment determination is to do, the areas we request to amended and our cardinal strengths that we support developing."

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Emma Hayes' grounds arsenic U.S. manager is 20-2-2 since her debut connected the sidelines successful June 2024, with 2-1 losses earlier this twelvemonth to No. 4 Brazil and No. 7 Japan.

The American women are coming disconnected back-to-back 4-0 wins implicit No. 25 Ireland, with the 2nd triumph Sunday counting arsenic the team's 600th successful the 40th twelvemonth of the U.S. women's program.

Hayes fielded wholly antithetic lineups successful the 2 wins implicit Ireland with skipper Lynn Biyendolo the lone subordinate with much than 10 caps successful the 2nd game. The 10 different starters — including 2 debutantes successful midfielder Sam Meza and near backmost Izzy Rodriguez and 2 teenagers successful 19-year-old Olivia Moultrie and 18-year-old Jordyn Bugg — averaged conscionable 4.1 caps per player.

Stoney and Hayes, a chap Brit, person history.

"I played evidently against Emma arsenic a player, coached against her (Hayes with Chelsea) astatine Manchester United, albeit we had precise antithetic budgets backmost then," said Stoney. "And present I'm truly looking guardant to playing against her team. I deliberation she's done a large occupation present successful the U.S.

"Success successful specified a abbreviated abstraction of clip is simply a testament to her arsenic a manager and arsenic a person and what she's done successful the game. So a immense magnitude of respect for Emma and what she's achieved. But it volition astir what we bash arsenic Canada (on Wednesday)."

Canada is missing the injured Kadeisha Buchanan, Sydney Collins, Cloe Lacasse, Jayde Riviere, Olivia Smith and Lysianne Proulx.

The crippled against the U.S., a gathering of the past 2 Olympic champions, is dubbed the Allstate Continental Clasico.

The Continental Clasico is an yearly lawsuit that has seen U.S. Soccer hosting a top-tier hostile from North, Central oregon South America. The erstwhile 2 Clasico matches featured the U.S. men's team.

"I consciousness the rivalry. I consciousness the strength of the game," Stoney said. "But we conscionable play the game. We don't request to play the occasion. We're playing against a bully team. We're going to person to beryllium precise bully connected our time to win, which we tin be. But yes, there's decidedly an borderline to this crippled for sure."

The forecast for Wednesday evening astatine Audi Field calls for 27 C and the accidental of a shower.