Canadian Women's National Team in Olympic soccer qualifying showdown today

A spot at Rio 2016 is on the line for the Canadian Women’s National Team today as they face Costa Rica in the semi-final of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament in Houston, Texas. The top two teams in the tournament will qualify for the Olympics, making this a do-or-die match.

The game will be broadcasted on Sportsnet One at 2:15 pm.

Led by captain Christine Sinclair, the 11th ranked Canadian team should be considered heavy favourites against 34th ranked Costa Rica.

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Canada has rolled through the qualifying tournament up to this point, defeating Guyana 5-0, Trinidad and Tobago 6-0, and Guatemala 10-0.

Costa Rica has had much tougher competition so far, losing to the powerhouse Americans 5-0, beating Puerto Rico 9-0, and narrowly losing to Mexico 2-1. Costa Rica participated at the Women’s World Cup last summer and were competitive in every game, finishing with no wins, two ties, and one loss.

Canada has qualified for the Olympics in women’s soccer twice before, finishing in 8th place in 2008 and winning bronze in 2012. If they qualify it will likely be the last chance for Burnaby’s Christine Sinclair, who turns 33 this year, to play in the Olympic Games.