(Frisco) The Canadian women’s soccer team paid dearly for their mistakes and lost 3-0 to Japan in their last outing at the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday.
Entering the tournament despite tensions with Soccer Canada, the Canadians finished the four-team event with a 1-2-0 record. Sixth in the world rankings, Canada allowed three goals in a match for the first time since a 3-0 loss to the United States in February 2020.
Japan (1-2-0), 11e in the world, took control of the game midway through the first half.
Kiko Seike opened the scoring in the 26e minute of play, sliding the ball under goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo. It was Japan’s first goal of the tournament.
D’Angelo was injured on the play, victim of a collision with Seiko while trying to immobilize the ball. Kailen Sheridan, who had played the first two games of the tournament, took over in goal.
Yui Hasegawa widened the gap to 2-0 thanks to a penalty in the 41e minute.
Jun Endo completed the scoring by hitting the target during the 77e minute.
Canada’s record against Japan is now 4-8-4.
The United States won the SheBelieves Cup for the fourth straight year. They have won the tournament six times, which was in its eighth edition.
The Americans (3-0-0) confirmed their triumph with a 2-1 win over Brazil (1-2-0).
Japan finished second in goal differential, ahead of Brazil and Canada.
The Canadians entered the tournament under protest and the threat of legal action against Soccer Canada.
Throughout the event, they wore their jerseys inside out to hide the Soccer Canada logo. They also donned purple shirts, a color symbolizing the fight for gender equality, with the words “enough is enough” printed on them.
The Canadian players want the same support and benefit from the same preparation for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer that the men enjoyed before the World Cup in Qatar last fall. The men’s and women’s teams have also asked Soccer Canada to open its financial books to explain the budget cuts to their program in 2023.