Women's Soccer Olympic Qualifiers (CONCACAF), Vancouver Day 1

Vancouver is playing host to the top female soccer players in North and Central America this week and next, and I will be sharing my thoughts on the tournament in this blog. I don't promise a report everyday, but certainly a few updates will be coming. First let me say that there are plenty of tickets still available, and if anyone is looking for a fun way to spend an evening, they should head down to BC Place and check it out. All of the details can be found at CONCACAF's website, but there are 2 games every evening (one at 5:00pm and one at 7:30pm), and one very cheap ticket will buy you access to both. 

The first two games of the tournament took place last night, with a game between Costa Rica and Cuba kicking (see what I did there?) things off. Costa Rica's speed and quick passing gave them the early lead over Cuba (with a goal from Saudy Rosales). Costa Rica dominated possession and some really skilled defensive play saved not one, but two shots headed into an otherwise open net. 

The main event of the night was Team Canada's debut in the tournament. The team was lead by their captain and outright star, Christine Sinclair, who scored 4 goals during the game, contributing to the 6-0 defeat of the national team from Haiti. The Canadian defence was hardly tested, but their controlled passing and movement on the ball set the tone for the game. There was one unfortunate injury, when the Haitian goalkeeper collided with one of her own players while retrieving a shot. The collision was brutal, and the goalkeeper was eventually evacuated to the hospital. No further details about her condition have been released at this time. 

Injury aside, last night was a great start to the tournament. Hopefully in the coming nights, more concessions will be opened so that the wait for food between games is less ridiculous (it took my group about 45 minutes to get through the line). This is a great opportunity to see some world-class soccer (Team USA is also in the tournament, and they competed in the women's world cup final last fall). There seems to be a real lack of advertising for the event, so hopefully those who are interested will hear about it here and elsewhere and come down to BC Place. 

Stay tuned for more updates!

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