Canada loses women’s CONCACAF U-17 final to the USA

Canada surrendered only its second goal of the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship, but it was enough to cost it the gold medal. The United States got a goal from Amber Munerlyn in the first half and had very few scares as it beat Canada 1-0 in the CONCACAF final Saturday night in Guatemala. Munerlyn chipped Canadian keeper Kallen Sheridan from inside the box after she made a run through the defensive line. It was the 26th goal the Americans had scored in the tournament (five games). For Canada, it was only the second time it had been scored on in the tournament. But, in the second half, wary of Canada’s ability to score, the Americans were more than happy to turn the game into a chess match. The United States pulled players back and, at the end of the day, Canada was able to only get two shots on goal. The best chance came to Valerie Sanderson in the second half. She was able to bring down a cross in the centre of the penalty area, but her shot went down the middle, giving keeper Jane Campbell little trouble. Two years ago, Canada cost the Americans a spot at the U-17 World Cup, beating them in the semifinals of the CONCACAF tournament in penalty kicks. As is the nature of youth soccer, continuity with teams is slight at best, so it’s hard to draw parallels between what happened two years ago and Saturday night, But, while losing the CONCACAF final isn’t an easy pill to swallow for the Canadians, the bigger goal — qualifying for the U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan — was already realized when they beat Mexico in the semifinal. RELATED: Canada books spot at the women’s U-17 World Cup (CLICK) Canada finishes atop Group A at U-17 championship (CLICK)