U.S., Costa Rica Win on First Day of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers

The first day of the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup/Women’s World Cup Qualifiers produced victories for both the U.S. and Costa Rica. In Group B play, Costa Rica opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Guatemala. Adriana Venegas scored the game-winner for Costa Rica. Group B continues Saturday and the U.S. can advance to the knockout round if they beat Guatemala and Haiti loses to or draws with Costa Rica. Costa Rica, meanwhile, can advance if they beat Haiti and Guatemala loses to or draws with the U.S. In the U.S.’s 5-0 win over Haiti, Abby Wambach scored three goals, Amy Rodriguez scored one as did Rachel Buehler, her first USWNT goal.

Tonight in Group A, Trinidad and Tobago faces Canada at 6 p.m. (ET) followed by Mexico and Guyana at 8 p.m. Guyana reached the Gold Cup by beating Cuba in the Caribbean playoff. This will be Guyana’s Gold Cup debut against a tough Mexican side. To read more about the Lady Jags and how Guyana earned its highest-ever FIFA ranking (85th), read the October issue of Our Game Magazine where we interviewed Guyana head coach Chris Brown. Also, learn more about the Haitian team in the July issue of Our Game.