Canada vs. Mexico
International Friendly
June 1, 2024 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
Stade Saputo in Montreal, Quebec
Watch Live: OneSoccer
The Canadian women’s national team hosts Mexico for the first of two Summer Send-Off Series matches on Saturday afternoon, at Stade Saputo in Montreal. One of the final international windows ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in France, this series is a final chance for fans to watch their team play on Canadian soil before they try to defend their gold medal won three years ago at the Tokyo 2020 games. The two sides will also meet on Tuesday at BMO Field in Toronto, with both matches available to watch live on OneSoccer in Canada. This camp is as much about figuring out which players will be on the Olympic roster as it is about the results on the pitch — although team play will be evaluated too as Canada looks to create more opportunities from open play in attack, and continue to build on the defensive solidity that carried them to the top of the Olympic podium in Japan. With just 18 players (and a few alternates) able to head to the Olympics, competition will be intense for whatever spots have not already been locked in.
RELATED: 5 CanWNT players that need to have a big June window
Mexico aren’t going to the Olympics, but these matches are an opportunity for them as well to try and build on a successful few months for their program. In 2023 they won the gold medals at both the Pan American Games and Central American and Caribbean Games, winning every single one of their matches in both competitions. Their Pan Am Games triumph was their first gold medal in that competition. After then qualifying for the Concacaf W Gold Cup, Mexico progressed all the way to the semifinals, where they lost to Brazil. In that tournament, they went undefeated in the group stage, drawing Argentina 0-0 before beating the Dominican Republic 8-0, and their rivals to the north from the United States 2-0 to win the group. They beat Paraguay 3-2 in the quarter-finals, before falling 3-0 to eventual silver medallists Brazil in the semis. Mexico will also play the United States before the Olympics, in New Jersey at Red Bull Arena on July 13. They didn’t qualify for the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean they can turn some heads and pick up some big results against the teams that are heading to Paris. It’ll be a tough two-game series for Canada, who will be tested by the speed and physicality of a strengthening Mexican side.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
-
Don’t underestimate Mexico: It has been a long time since Canada and Mexico played against each other, and Canada will be hoping that this series on home soil goes very differently from the previous time they met. The most recent games between these sides came in November 2021, when Les Rouges headed south for a pair of friendlies in Mexico City. The hosts won the first game 2-1 and the second fixture was a scoreless draw — a frustrating pair of matches for a Canadian side months removed from standing atop the Olympic podium. As Canada ramps up its preparation for Paris 2024, they will be hoping to pick up a couple of positive results, but they won’t come easy. Mexico went to the semifinals of the Concacaf W Gold Cup in February and March, along the way beating the eventual champion United States 2-0 in the group stage. El Tri Femenil are quickly becoming the third best team in the region if they aren’t already, and will be a difficult test for Canada.
-
Local players among those hoping to make strong impression: This camp is a massive opportunity for several national team players to prove that they should be in Bev Priestman’s Olympic team, and for several players they have the added motivation of playing close to home. For the first leg, Gabrielle Carle and Evelyne Viens are among the Quebec-born players that are looking to squeeze their way onto the Olympic roster, while Lysianne Proulx could make her first senior national team appearance in this camp after spending the last year or so as the third goalkeeper in the squad. The Ontario-based players will get their shot to play at home again on Tuesday when BMO Field hosts the second match of the two-game Summer Send-Off Series.
-
How much experimenting will Bev Priestman do?: As mentioned, this international window is an audition for many players in the Canadian setup, but head coach Bev Priestman and her squad will also want to pick up two wins in front of their home fans before they turn their attention to the Olympic Games. Some rotation is expected as several players look to claim a roster spot for Paris 2024 and Priestman looks to evaluate them, but it would also be a shock if the likes of Jessie Fleming, Kadeisha Buchanan, and Kailen Sheridan — seemingly locks to make the team — don’t play.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Canada wins: 22 || Mexico wins: 2 || Draws: 3
Last meeting:
November 30, 2021 – Mexico 0-0 Canada