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The Women’s World Cup is coming up in July, so why not revisit one of the biggest rivalries in the sport: Canada versus the US. The US team is easily the best team in the game. They’re the current title holders at the World Cup, and they have four of them. But the Americans have long been challenged by Team Canada, and at times, the rivalry has turned heated. No doubt we’ll meet again on the pitch this summer, so let’s look at some of the highlights.
The Origins in Minnesota
The Canadian and American women’s soccer teams have been meeting each other on the pitch since 1986, where they first played at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, on July 7. We lost, 2–0. The teams played again two days later, this time winning 2–1. Here, a rivalry was born.
The 2002 Women’s World Championship
The Canadian U-19s (the tournament was only changed to U-20 later) battled the Americans in Edmonton in 2002. At the gold-medal game, the crowd was a record 47,000 people, making the game a big one for women’s soccer. They went into extra time and ultimately fell to the Americans, but this group consisted of a number of future superstars, including Christine Sinclair, strikers Kara Lang and Brittany Timko, goaltender Erin McLeod, and defenders Candace Chapman and Carmelina Moscato. Of course, many of these women play on professional teams in the US, with their American rivals as teammates, presumably leading to some tension. For example, Sinclair plays in Portland, McLeod spent time in Houston and Orlando and played in New York, Boston, and Washington.
The 2012 Summer Olympics Debacle
The women met during the 2012 Olympics for a chance at playing in the gold-medal game. Christine Sinclair put up a valiant effort, scoring three goals. Sadly, US player Abby Wambach whined to the referee about Canadian goaltender Erin McLeod holding the ball too long, and the referee called a foul against McLeod. This ultimately allowed the US to tie up the game and eventually win in overtime. In the aftermath, Sinclair had harsh words for the referee and was suspended for four games. That particular referee has never been selected to referee a major international tournament again. Canada would go on to win bronze.
Christine Sinclair’s Record
Though the US roster has seen some of the best women to ever play the sport, none is as good as Christine Sinclair. In 2020, in a game against St. Kitts and Nevis, she scored her 184th and 185th goals in international play, giving her the world record as the highest-scoring woman in the international game. These days, she’s up to 190. So if you have a kid in soccer and you’re looking for a good gift, keep this in mind: they make Christine Sinclair jerseys, and that definitely wasn’t always the case.
2020 Summer Olympics
As it turns out, revenge is a dish best served in the summer. The Canadian women met the Americans once more in the semi-finals at the Olympics. Very much a grudge match, the two teams fought hard, with Canada on the attack for the first half hour and a bit back-footed for the rest of the match. Goaltender Stephanie Labbé made a few great saves against Carli Lloyd and Julie Ertz. Ultimately the game was decided when a foul was called against the US in minute 75. Christine Sinclair initially held the ball, but graciously passed it off to new star Jessie Fleming, who won the game for Canada. This time, Canada went on to win gold.
What’s Next?
No doubt the US dominates the rivalry. Out of 63 games played against each other, the US has won 51, Canada has won four, and we’ve drawn seven times. Canada has only scored 40 times against the US, with the Americans scoring 185 times, making it a +145 goal differential. Ouch.
That said, Christine Sinclair is still in the game, and she’ll be joined by talents such as Jessie Fleming, Jordyn Huitema, Adriana Leon, and Kadeisha Buchanan. It looks like we’re set for a great appearance at the World Cup.
