Trinidad and Tobago to play Mexico with World Cup spot at stake
The women’s soccer team from Trinidad and Tobago has overcome a number of obstacles just to give itself a chance at qualifying for next summer’s World Cup in Canada. But it will have to overcome a couple more Sunday in Chester, Pa., if it hopes to complete that journey.
Trinidad and Tobago will take the field against Mexico in the third-place game of the qualifying tournament (noon PDT, Fox Sports 1) less than 48 hours after an exhausting semifinal loss to Costa Rica on penalty kicks. And it will do so without defender Rhea Belgrave, who was ejected from Friday’s game with two yellow cards, leaving her ineligible to play Sunday.
The U.S., which beat Mexico 3-0, and Costa Rica are guaranteed berths in the World Cup by virtue of their semifinal victories. So they will meet in Sunday’s tournament final (3 p.m., Fox Sports1) with little at stake other than seeding into next year’s tournament.
But everything is on the line for Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago, since the winner of the third-place game also wins a spot in the World Cup field.
“They know if they qualify, they’ll leave a legacy for the rest of their lives for these young kids in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Randy Waldrum, whose team is trying to become the first from the Caribbean to play in the women’s World Cup.
The island country’s cash-strapped national soccer federation sent the team to the U.S. earlier this month with just $500 to cover expenses for 20 players, placing the team’s participation in the tournament in jeopardy. Waldrum put out an appeal for help, eventually raising more than $16,000 in donations. Embarrassed by the attention the team’s plight received, government and sports officials in Trinidad and Tobago announced last week they will present the players with bonuses for reaching the tournament semifinals.
For Mexico, the pressure is on its coach, Leo Cuellar, who has qualified the team for the World Cup just twice in 16 years — and didn’t win a game either time. Another failed campaign won’t sit well with Mexico’s national federation, which went through four head coaches in the final three months of qualifying for last summer’s men’s World Cup.
The loser of Sunday’s third-place game will have one final chance to reach the World Cup in a two-leg playoff with Ecuador next month, the winner of which will earn the final berth in the tournament’s 24-team field.
Ivory Coast in
Rebecca Ida’s 84th-minute goal Saturday gave the Ivory Coast a 1-0 victory over South Africa in the third-place game of the African Women’s Championships in Windhoek, Namibia.
The victory allowed the Ivory Coast to join finalists Nigeria and Cameroon in the field for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria won the African championship with a 2-0 victory Saturday.
Ivory Coast became the 20th nation to qualify for the 24-team World Cup finals.
Twitter: @kbaxter11
