Canada WNT faces Sweden on Tuesday

Canada will face Sweden in the group finale of the London 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament this 31 July. The two sides will meet in Newcastle, England for a 14.30 local kick off at St. James’ Park. The Canada-Sweden match will kick off at the same time as the Japan-South Africa match in Cardiff at Millennium Stadium.

Canada can still finish first, second or third in its group. Currently in third place behind Sweden and Japan, Canada will move up to either first or second with a win, but will remain in third place with a draw or a loss. Should Canada finish first or second, it will automatically qualify for the quarter-final phase; should Canada finish third, it will have to await the results of the other two groups to confirm that it advances to the next phase (all group finales will be played on 31 July).

This marks the 17th international meeting between the two sides, with the rivalry dating back 25 years to 5 July 1987. The two sides have split their encounters evenly since 2006 (three wins apiece).

Of note, the match marks a homecoming for Canadian head coach John Herdman, who was born in Newcastle and grew up attending football matches at the historic St. James’ Park.

From the goal out, Canada’s Olympic squad features Karina LeBlanc and Erin McLeod as goalkeepers, Emily Zurrer, Carmelina Moscato, Robyn Gayle, Rhian Wilkinson, Candace Chapman, Chelsea Stewart and Lauren Sesselmann as defenders, and Kaylyn Kyle, Diana Matheson, Desiree Scott, Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt, Melissa Tancredi, Kelly Parker, Jonelle Filigno and Brittany Timko from the midfield up through to the attack.

Twelve teams will compete at the London 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament from 25 July to 9 August. Teams are split into three groups, with Great Britain, Brazil, Cameroon and New Zealand in Group E, Canada, Japan, South Africa and Sweden in Group F, and Colombia, France, Korea DPR and USA in Group G. In the London 2012 group phase, Canada will face Japan on 25 July, South Africa on 28 July, and Sweden on 31 July.

For full coverage of Canada’s road to the London 2012 Olympics, fans can follow all the news at CanadaSoccer.com. Fans are also encouraged to connect with Canada’s national teams via twitter.com/CanadaSoccerEN, facebook.com/CanadaSoccer, flickr.com/canadasoccer, and youtube.com/canadasoccertv.