{
    "title": "Canada to face regular foe in first match of Natal 2015",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-04 20:11:56",
    "published_at": "2015-12-08 13:48:00",
    "url": "https://news.canadasoccer.com/canada-to-face-regular-foe-in-first-match-of-natal-2015",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/ILEd",
    "culture": "en",
    "language": "EN",
    "subtitle": "When Canada faces Mexico in the first match of the 2015 International Tournament of Natal, they will be stepping on the pitch with a team they know well, and that knows them.",
    "slug": "canada-to-face-regular-foe-in-first-match-of-natal-2015",
    "body": "<p>Head Coach John Herdman is using Natal 2015 as a testing ground, as he assesses his team, including several young players, for the CONCACAF Women&rsquo;s Olympic Qualifying Championship taking place in Texas in February. The top three teams from the qualifying tournament will book a ticket to the Rio 2016 Olympics next summer.</p><p>&ldquo;The first match against Mexico is going to give us an interesting test,&rdquo; said Herdman said about the upcoming match. &ldquo;We know a little bit about Mexico, they know about us; we&rsquo;ve played each other a lot, so I am please it is a team we know and give these younger players an opportunity to test themselves. Some of them experienced it in the Pan Ams, but we know a month and a half out from an Olympic qualifier this is going to be Mexico&rsquo;s best squad and it&rsquo;s going to be a tough match.&rdquo;</p><p>Canada&rsquo;s first match against Mexico is certain to be a tough one, with Mexico looking to redeem themselves after their last two tournament meetings , most recently when Canada outplayed EL Tri 2-1 in Shenzhen China in January, and the critical match in which Canada snatched the last spot at the 2012 London Olympics with a decisive 3:1 win in the semi-final of 2012 CONCACAF Women&rsquo;s Olympic Qualifying. Captain Christine Sinclair led the way with two goals while Melissa Tancredi added another. Both forwards are on the roster when Canada meets Mexico again tonight.</p><p>Herdman was circumspect when discussing his approach to the match. &ldquo;How much are we going to show Mexico knowing that they could be our fourth place, third place playoff, or even a finalist in the CONCACAF Qualifying Championship,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a little bit of hiding some of your cards.&rdquo;</p><p>At the end of the day, Canada&rsquo;s coach and team are focused on getting a result. &ldquo;These senior players, and the younger players too, they play to win, so we have to push for that,&rdquo; Herdman said. &ldquo;But at the same time I&rsquo;ve just have to keep in sight by the end of this period, December 22nd, I want to have a clear mind of which players are going to take us through to the CONCACAF qualifiers.&rdquo;</p>",
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    "author": {
        "first_name": "Integration",
        "last_name": "Integration"
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