Both the U.S. Women’s National Team and the Canada Women’s National Team open 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying on Feb. 10 in Texas with numerous Thorns FC helping their respective national teams. Christine Sinclair is set to go for Canada while Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett are all on the roster for the USWNT. The tournament runs from Feb. 10-21 with games in Houston and Frisco, Texas.
How the tournament works
Two groups. Three teams in each group. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinal round. The winners of the semifinal games qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The final is essentially for bragging rights.
Group A – United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico
Group B – Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Guatemala and Guyana
How to watch
All 15 matches will be streamed live on NBC Sports Live Extra, while you can watch four matches on NBC Sports. Just a reminder that your cable provider must carry NBC Sports for you to access NBC Sports Live Extra.
Four games will be televised on NBC Sports: (All times are Pacific)
Feb. 13 – U.S. vs. Mexico, 6:30 p.m. (delay)
Feb. 15 – U.S. vs. Puerto Rico, 5:30 p.m. (live)
Feb. 19 – Semifinal, 5:30 p.m. (live)
Feb. 21 – Final, 8 p.m. (delay)
The schedule
For a complete schedule, click here.
Things to Watch For
New Thorns players in the fold
Tobin Heath and Meghan Klingenberg helped lead the U.S. to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer and will likely play a significant role in this tournament and beyond. But what have most excited are new USWNT and Thorns FC faces on the squad: Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett. Both have less than 10 caps and are likely to make their first appearance in a major competition.
Sinc Chasing Mia and Abby
Christine Sinclair is on the cusp of history, recently tying Mia Hamm for second on the all-time scoring list with her 158th career goal in a 4-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago on Dec. 13. Sinclair is likely to pass Hamm during the tournament with her next goal. After passing Hamm, the quest to catch Abby Wambach is next, who sits atop the scoring list with 184 international goals.
