The U-20 team qualified for the Women’s World Cup; but was youth really served by the decision to rest key players for the final game of the CONCACAF Championship?

Midfielder Julian de Guzman was channeling his inner Adams in his post-game interview on Tuesday after Canada’s 1-0 loss to Mauritania in Oliva, Spain.n “It’s too early to hit the panic button,” de Guzman said as the Mauritanians’ celebration carried over from the field into their dressing room.

“It was OK because for us this was a training game,” said Floro. “The only difference between this and training is that the opponent is a national team with a good defensive structure. They made it difficult to develop our attack. But it’s a good test for us.”

“We knew about it. It’s a little bit difficult but you just have to be focused on what you do on the pitch and let everything off the field take place,” said Hutchinson. “We couldn’t really do anything about it but just remain focused on what we had to do. In the end we didn’t get the chance to play in the Europa (League) but hopefully we’ll be able to get back there.”

“Marcus Haber has said there was strong contact inside the box and I genuinely believe it’s a penalty kick. The big fella is very honest unlike the player on Thursday night,” Miller said in his post-game press conference referring to Mexico’s Marco Fabian. “He’s an honest player and he hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s been fouled inside the box, in my opinion, and I think it is a penalty kick and I said to the referee also after the game that I thought it was a penalty kick.”

“It’s not a penalty. I’m biting my lips here as hard as I possibly can,” Miller said, sporting a wry smile. “What I’m saying and what I’m feeling are two totally different things, I can assure you.”

“It doesn’t matter — for me or one of the 41 members, whether it's the United States, Mexico or Canada, I believe it is too important for us to host the World Cup in 2026,” Webb said emphatically. “And that will have been 32 years, which would have been the longest time since World War II that we have not hosted the World Cup as a confederation.”

The incoming Canadian head coach Benito Floro, along with his son/assistant coach, was in attendance at Pasadena's Rose Bowl on Sunday and one can only wonder what’s going through his mind after seeing his team outplayed and, thanks to a last-second wonder strike, beaten by tiny Martinique 1-0 in the Gold Cup curtain-raiser.

Nelsen: “It’s a great bunch of guys. All the hard work they put in during the week should be rewarded with performances like that — which was a fantastic performance.”

“The sad thing about not going to the World Cup is the fact that we don’t get five extra games now — including two CONCACAF games and then the three guaranteed (at the World Cup),” said Dasovic