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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>2006 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup
<SPAN class=art-title2>CONCACAF women go for Gold</SPAN> <TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=5 width=150 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
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<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>The USA beat Canada in the 2002 Women's Gold Cup final (photo courtesy of CONCACAF.com).
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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">17 Nov 2006</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>At the third instalment of the Women's Gold Cup, two-time world and Olympic champion USA will be prohibitive favourites, considering they are the only side to have won the competition in its history. Having won the old CONCACAF Women's Championship in 1991, 1993 and 1994 and the Gold Cup in 2000 and 2002 after the tournament was renamed, the Americans also have the distinction of never losing a match (in 22 tries) in a CONCACAF women's tournament.
The USA, led by still-unbeaten head coach Greg Ryan, will be hoping scoring sensation Abby Wambach has made a full recovery from a recent injury picked up at the Peace Queen Cup in Korea Republic, where captain Kristine Lilly scored three goals to bring her international caps record to 317 and her goals tally to 116.
"This is a strong US team," said coach Ryan. "I have now had the chance to see all of the players in pretty much every situation since I took over in 2005, and this tournament and this team now represent the end-product of a lot of hard work."
However, a powerful Canada outfit, led by head coach Evan Pellerud, will be keen to snip the Americans' unbeaten string, with a side capable of upsetting the hosts' apple cart. Second-place finishers at the 2002 Women's Gold Cup, they have firmly established themselves as theregion's closestchallengers to the USin recent years. The combative and physical Canucks will fancy their chances of causing an upset.
Unfortunately, they will have to do so without standouts Charmaine Hooper, Sharolta Nonen and Christine Latham who are engaged in legal proceedings against the Canadian FA and, as a result, were not named in the side. They will, however, have the goalscoring antics of forward Christine Sinclair to count on. Pellerud recently referred to the striker's finishing prowess as "poisonous", and the boss will need her to be at her lethal best.
Both the USA and Canada have both been given a direct bye to the semi-final round of the six-team competition due to their vaunted status in the women's football.<TABLE id=IMGTAB height=150 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width=150 align=left summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR id=TRCAP><TD vAlign=bottom align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>Mexican prodigy Charlyn Corral, though still just 15, will be hoping to make her mark in the Women's Gold Cup.</SPAN></TD></TR><TR id=TRSOURCE><TD align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(ACTION IMAGES)</SPAN></TD></TR><TR id=TRAUTHOR><TD align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>Alex Morton</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>High hopes
The first-round of matches will pit Mexico - the region's up-and-coming 'third' side - against Trinidad and Tobago, while Panama square off with Jamaica in Miami's Tropical Park Stadium. Both matches will take place on 19 November.
Mexico will be the fancied side in their tangle with Trinidad & Tobago, with the at
<SPAN class=art-title2>CONCACAF women go for Gold</SPAN> <TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=5 width=150 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=paddingall><TD vAlign=top>
<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>The USA beat Canada in the 2002 Women's Gold Cup final (photo courtesy of CONCACAF.com).</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">17 Nov 2006</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>At the third instalment of the Women's Gold Cup, two-time world and Olympic champion USA will be prohibitive favourites, considering they are the only side to have won the competition in its history. Having won the old CONCACAF Women's Championship in 1991, 1993 and 1994 and the Gold Cup in 2000 and 2002 after the tournament was renamed, the Americans also have the distinction of never losing a match (in 22 tries) in a CONCACAF women's tournament.
The USA, led by still-unbeaten head coach Greg Ryan, will be hoping scoring sensation Abby Wambach has made a full recovery from a recent injury picked up at the Peace Queen Cup in Korea Republic, where captain Kristine Lilly scored three goals to bring her international caps record to 317 and her goals tally to 116.
"This is a strong US team," said coach Ryan. "I have now had the chance to see all of the players in pretty much every situation since I took over in 2005, and this tournament and this team now represent the end-product of a lot of hard work."
However, a powerful Canada outfit, led by head coach Evan Pellerud, will be keen to snip the Americans' unbeaten string, with a side capable of upsetting the hosts' apple cart. Second-place finishers at the 2002 Women's Gold Cup, they have firmly established themselves as theregion's closestchallengers to the USin recent years. The combative and physical Canucks will fancy their chances of causing an upset.
Unfortunately, they will have to do so without standouts Charmaine Hooper, Sharolta Nonen and Christine Latham who are engaged in legal proceedings against the Canadian FA and, as a result, were not named in the side. They will, however, have the goalscoring antics of forward Christine Sinclair to count on. Pellerud recently referred to the striker's finishing prowess as "poisonous", and the boss will need her to be at her lethal best.
Both the USA and Canada have both been given a direct bye to the semi-final round of the six-team competition due to their vaunted status in the women's football.<TABLE id=IMGTAB height=150 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width=150 align=left summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR id=TRCAP><TD vAlign=bottom align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>Mexican prodigy Charlyn Corral, though still just 15, will be hoping to make her mark in the Women's Gold Cup.</SPAN></TD></TR><TR id=TRSOURCE><TD align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(ACTION IMAGES)</SPAN></TD></TR><TR id=TRAUTHOR><TD align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>Alex Morton</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>High hopesThe first-round of matches will pit Mexico - the region's up-and-coming 'third' side - against Trinidad and Tobago, while Panama square off with Jamaica in Miami's Tropical Park Stadium. Both matches will take place on 19 November.
Mexico will be the fancied side in their tangle with Trinidad & Tobago, with the at
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