ALAJUELA — Lea Larouche's 56th-minute goal lifted Canada to a 1-0 victory over the seven-time champion United States in semifinal play Friday at the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship.
It was just the Americans' fourth loss in 66 games at the CONCACAF tournament (57-4-5). And it marks the first time in tournament history that the U.S. will not be part of the championship game.
Canada will face defending champion Mexico in Sunday's championship game at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto. Mexico, which defeated Canada 4-2 in earlier Group B play, blanked Costa Rica 4-0 in the other semifinal.
All four teams had already accomplished their goal of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland by reaching the semifinals.
Canada's goal came after Teegan Melenhorst's attempted chip deflected off one American defender past another to Larouche, who slid a shot under goalkeeper Caroline Birkel.
Canada was awarded a penalty in the 67th minute after Annabelle Chukwu was taken down in the U.S. penalty box. But the call was negated by offside after video review. Three minutes later, U.S. substitute Mary Long hit the Canadian crossbar with a shot.
Canadian goalkeeper Noelle Henning made a diving save in stoppage time to preserve the win.
The U.S. outshot Canada 12-9 (5-2 in shots on target) and had 64.6 percent possession.
Canada returns to the final for the first time since 2015, when it lost 1-0 to the U.S. It marks Mexico's fourth consecutive final, having won two of the previous three (2018 and 2023).
Canada won the CONCACAF tournament in 2004 and 2008.
Canada has taken part in nine of the previous 11 editions of the FIFA U-20 tournament, missing out in 2010 and 2018. The Canadians lost 2-1 to Spain in the round of 16 at last year's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
Canada booked its ticket to the CONCACAF tournament by winning its qualifying group with ease in February. The Canadians outscored their qualifying opposition 43-0, dispatching Dominica 22-0, Bermuda 9-0 and host Trinidad and Tobago 12-0.
The U.S. and Mexico, as the top-ranked countries in CONCACAF, skipped the qualifying round and were given direct entry to the CONCACAF championship. Canada and 23 other teams had to win their way there, with Costa Rica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Puerto Rico also topping their groups.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
The Canadian Press
