The group stage of the Concacaf W Gold Cup produced one very notable upset and plenty of drama.
While Canada has breezed through the tournament thus far, the United States tripped up in a big way, Paraguay left it very late to qualify for the knockout round, and Costa Rica only managed to advance by sheer luck.
What will the quarter-finals bring? We rank all of the remaining eight teams at the Gold Cup.
1. BRAZIL
Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group B (3-0-0)
Quarter-final opponent: Argentina (March 2)
Both Brazil and Canada won all three of their games via shutouts. But while they only scored half as many goals as the Canadians, the South Americans didn’t have the luxury of playing in quite as easy of a group as the Olympic champions. Brazil, ranked No. 11 in the world, beat No. 23 Columbia, who were World Cup quarter-finalists last summer. None of Canada’s opponents were ranked in the top 40, so Brazil gets the slight edge here.
2. CANADA
Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group C (3-0-0)
Quarter-final opponent: Costa Rica (March 2)
Canada bagged a tournament-high 13 goals in the first round, five of which came from top scorer Adriana Leon, in recording a trio of shutout wins. Save for a 20-minute spell in the second half vs. Costa Rica in its final game, it’s been pretty smooth sailing for the 10th-rnaked Canadians, who have yet to be even remotely tested at the Gold Cup, and they likely won’t be until the semifinals, should they qualify.
3. MEXICO
Path to the knockout stage: First place in Group A (2-1-0)
Quarter-final opponent: Paraguay (March 3)
Mexico pulled off the upset of the tournament when it earned a 2-0 win over the United States in its group stage finale to pip its northern neighbours for first place in Group A. It was only the Mexicans’ second ever win in 43 games against the Americans. La Tri’s defence posted three clean sheets in the first round while Lizbeth Ovalle is tied for second in tournament scoring with three goals.
4. COLOMBIA
Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group B (2-0-1)
Quarter-final opponent: United States (March 3)
Colombia’s lone blemish in the first round was a tightly contested 1-0 loss to Brazil. Besides that, it’s been smooth sailing for Las Cafeteras, who posted a pair of shutout wins and racked up eight goals in the process. Teenager Linda Caicedo, one of the breakout stars from last year’s World Cup, has been in fine form for Columbia with a pair of goals.
5. UNITED STATES
Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group A (2-0-1)
Quarter-final opponent: Colombia (March 3)
Ranked No. 2 in the world, the host nation entered the Gold Cup as one of the pre-tournament favourites. But a shocking loss to Mexico in their final match of the first round sent the Americans reeling after they earned easy victories over the lowly Dominican Republic and Argentina. Can the U.S. rebound from its loss to Mexico against a talented Colombian team in the quarter-finals? We’ll soon find out.
6. ARGENTINA
Path to the knockout stage: Third place in Group A (1-1-1)
Quarter-final opponent: Brazil (March 2)
La Albiceleste opened the tournament with a credible 0-0 draw against Mexico but then came crashing down to earth in their next game, a dismal 4-0 loss to the United States. Lucky for Argentina that their group stage finale was against the Dominican Republic. A 3-0 win over the last-place Dominicans was enough for the South Americans to qualify as one of the two-best third-place nations.
7. PARAGUAY
Path to the knockout stage: Second place in Group C (2-0-1)
Quarter-final opponent: Mexico (March 3)
A pair of goals in the 86th and 91st minute in its final group stage match propelled Paraguay to a 3-2 win over lowly El Salvador and allowed the South Americans to claim second place in Group C. If not for their late heroics, Las Guaraníes would have been eliminated. Jessica Martínez has been the lone bright spot for Paraguay with three goals.
8. COSTA RICA
Path to the knockout stage: Third place in Group C (1-0-2)
Quarter-final opponent: Canada (March 2)
Costa Rica finished with the exact same record, goal difference, goals scored and red/yellow cards as Puerto Rico. The Costa Ricans only advanced to the knockout round as one of the two-best third-place nations courtesy of a drawing of lots conducted by Concacaf. With only two goals to their credit, Las Ticas had one of the worst offensive records in the group stage.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
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