Northeastern reveals plans to replace Matthews Arena with eye on 2028 opening
The 310,000-square-foot complex will occupy the entire two-acre footprint of Matthews Arena, including areas currently used as surface parking lots. Members of the university toured other schools, some nearby, and others a bit further away, including Notre Dame and Northwestern, to get an idea of what they wanted on St. Botolph Steet.
A rendering of the new facade at Matthews Arena.
Perkins&Will
Advertisement
The project is awaiting final approval from the city and state, which will determine the timelines for deconstruction and construction. It likely will not begin until 2026, leaving room for both the men's and women's hockey teams to open the 2025-26 season at Matthews. The process is expected to take 30 months, with the expectation that the new venue would be ready for the 2028-29 season.
During construction, the basketball programs will move their games and practices to the Cabot Recreation Complex, as they did for the 2020-21 season during the pandemic. It will be a little more complicated for the hockey programs.
The school is looking to partner with a rink in the greater Boston area where both the men's and women's teams can practice, with the university investing in facilities to house the equipment for the teams and offices for the coaches, as well as maintaining an area on campus where the can gather and prepare for road games.
Northeastern officials intend to incorporate more practice space into the new Matthews Arena.
Perkins&Will
As for games, the school will look to some of the local universities for assistance, but will also spend a good chunk of time on the road, with the goal being to have an imbalanced schedule with more home games when the new building is finished.
Advertisement
The schedule would also likely include more in-season tournaments over the next few years. You can expect to see the Huskies heading to Belfast, for one of the next iterations of the Friendship Four.
Playing away from campus for two-plus seasons will be a hit for the hockey programs in the short term, but the school believes the long-term gains of having the new arena should only help in recruiting as they look to keep up with the surrounding programs.
'We'll have amenities that all student athletes will want to be able to use, because it speaks to development, which is so big part of where they want to go,' said Northeastern athletic director Jim Madigan. 'They'll see the facilities, they'll see the amenities, and they'll see that that's going to help them reach their athletic goals.'
There's also the fan experience. Matthews Arena has all of the charm that you'd expect from a venue that opened in 1910, and while it can be a great old barn to watch a game, the quarters are tight in the lobby, leading to long lines for the concessions and the restrooms.
That will not be the case in the new building, Madigan assures, with a large lobby as you walk in, with plenty of concessions and restrooms.
'Plenty of the modern-day amenities,' said Madigan. 'Everything you could think of as a new facility for the fan experience, absolutely.'
Originally known as Boston Arena, it was rebuilt in 1918 after a fire, and went on to serve as the original home of the Boston Bruins, who
Advertisement
And it wasn't just home for sports, hosting a Theodore Roosevelt presidential rally in 1912, receptions with celebrity pilots Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart in 1927 and 1928, respectively. It also hosted a rally for Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, a John F. Kennedy appearance during a veterans rally in 1946, a Jerry Lee Lewis concert in 1958, and other events.
The university bought the building in 1979 and renamed it Matthews Arena Nov. 14, 1982 after George J. Matthews, Class of '56, and his wife Hope.
Follow Andrew Mahoney
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
How a college football coach sees the game: Inside the film room with Marcus Freeman
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — If it's a road game, Marcus Freeman flips open his laptop on the charter bus, then continues the ritual on the team plane. If it's a home game, Notre Dame's head coach heads straight to his office after his news conference. He pulls down the blinds around his second-story office, then turns on the monitor mounted to the wall, left of his desk. Advertisement For these two-plus hours, Freeman isn't much different than the Kent State linebackers coach who broke into the business 14 years ago. Football tape is football tape, whether it's a national championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State or a midweek matchup in the Mid-American Conference. Film gets Freeman closer to those roots, before the celebrity of Notre Dame, before he became one of the faces of college football. Watching the game back is also the only way Freeman can sleep after games. 'It's a way to decompress, win or lose,' the 39-year-old Freeman said. 'I've been that way as a head coach, a coordinator, a position coach. I like to see it. I like to know the answers to why things happened right away.' Freeman spoke to The Athletic in his office last week to explain how he grinds through game film and why he does it. He talked through eight plays — seven from last season, one from the spring game — and opened up his football brain for further examination. Freeman's first viewing of a game is to make sure he understands the questions. He watches it straight through postgame, clicking back when something catches his eye. He'll make notes or cross-reference ones he already made from the sideline. After a night game, the process stretches past 2 a.m. Then Freeman will return to his office Sunday morning to watch again, with the film broken up by offense, defense and special teams. Sunday is for understanding the answers. Nothing is too small, a point Freeman makes by pulling up a made extra point at Texas A&M. You see Mitch Jeter's kick. He sees left guard Pat Coogan getting too high at the line of scrimmage. Freeman saw it later in the game too on a made field goal. And he saw it on the opening extra point at Northern Illinois. Did anyone else? Probably not, at least not until Northern Illinois blocked Jeter's 48-yard field goal just before halftime. Advertisement The penetration came over the left guard, who got too high against the Northern Illinois rush. Notre Dame went on to lose 16-14. 'Everyone else is just looking at it like, 'Oh, just an extra point. No big deal.'' Freeman said. 'We should have caught that against A&M. 'You can't just watch the outcome. It's all 11. It's the challenge of perfection versus the outcome. It's that pressure of not being a game late or a play late. It's the ultimate challenge.' This is how Freeman sees the game. Three plays earlier, Notre Dame ran the same inside zone on fourth-and-1, which Leonard converted for a first down. The Irish did it with different personnel, tight end Cooper Flanagan and running back Devyn Ford instead of tight end Eli Raridon and running back Jeremiyah Love. But how well the Irish blocked it and how the Aggies defended it were slightly different too, enough to leave Leonard just a few inches short, one of the only times Notre Dame's quarterback was stopped on fourth-and-short all season. This play works if right guard Billy Schrauth, right tackle Aamil Wagner and Raridon win at the point of attack against the Aggie's two defensive lineman and the linebacker, Taurean York (21), who blitzes inside. York coming inside to engage Wagner puts Raridon in a tough spot, blocking first-round pick Shemar Stewart. 'They ran a different blitz and (Stewart) gets across Eli's face,' Freeman said. Stewart winning at the point of attack muddies the picture for Love, who's supposed to block 'most dangerous,' meaning whoever shows up in his picture first, either middle linebacker Scooby Williams (0) or defensive back Bryce Anderson (1). Anderson shows up first off the edge, leaving no one to block Williams. Because Stewart has messed up the running lane Leonard wanted, Texas A&M wins the situation. Advertisement Was it the call? The execution? Or just Texas A&M tweaking the run blitz, adjusting to Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock before Denbrock could adjust back? Considering how well Notre Dame executed the quarterback run game in short yardage the rest of the season, credit the Aggies and their defensive line. 'I see why Denbrock called it again because it just worked,' Freeman said. 'The difference is how they blitzed it. It is what it is.' The 28-yard run by the NIU running back late in the first quarter didn't feel pivotal in the moment, but Freeman easily picked out ways this play (and others like it) were ominous in Notre Dame's only regular-season loss, a stunning upset in a game in which the Irish were favored by four touchdowns. It's a basic run misfit where Jaylen Sneed gets caught inside, failing to fill the gap that Jack Kiser and Jaiden Ausberry set. Brown bolts down the field before Xavier Watts pushes him out. It was the longest run by an opposing back the Irish allowed until Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins went for 70 yards to start the second half of the national title game. 'You're always looking for blue, white, blue, white, blue. That's gap sound,' Freeman said. 'You would watch this play at home and say is it Kiser? Is it Ausberry? The problem is 3 doesn't get over top.' Freeman doesn't want to live with the result of this play, but he sees its residue all over the game. Could Ausberry have been more physical setting the edge? Maybe. Then Freeman pulls up a 10-yard Brown run from the third quarter when Ausberry does shoot upfield with Sneed in pursuit. Brown gets outside Sneed for a first down. Adon Shuler taps Brown along the sideline, which basically lets the running back pick up a couple of extra yards. Advertisement The drive ends in a missed field goal. That's not what sticks with Freeman. 'It's little (stuff) like this. That's not typical for 3. Watch 8. That's the stuff I watch this game and go, hmmm …' Freeman said. 'Why aren't we playing as hard as we usually play? If this was Ohio State, Adon would knock the crap out of him.' Notre Dame had been setting up Louisville for a throwback screen all game by sprinting out Leonard. Now Denbrock wanted to get paid for that work, calling a screen that sucks in five Cardinals defenders and gives the entire Irish offensive line a free release to the second level. Sam Pendleton and Rocco Spindler make their blocks first. Anthonie Knapp delivers next, with Coogan looking for work. At least four defenders converge on Love at the 3-yard line, and the running back somehow gets through them all to score while barreling into Coogan. The touchdown gives Notre Dame control in a game that becomes a springboard to the College Football Playoff. All good, right? 'This is what I don't love,' Freeman said. 'This is what I'll watch and go, 'What is he doing?'' Freeman is looking at receiver Kris Mitchell, aligned to Leonard's left. He's running a route to clear space for the throwback screen. Check. But when the boundary cornerback, Tahveon Nicholson (23), comes screaming across the field, Mitchell doesn't pick him up. Nicholson is the first defender to drill Love. If Mitchell blocks him, the touchdown comes much easier. 'Go find work. Turn around and block this guy because this dude almost stops it,' Freeman said. 'This is the guy you gotta get blocked because you never know! Those are the things that I'm watching. Not is it a good play, is it a bad play. Who is finishing the play? That's how we evaluate every play. All 11.' Advertisement Two days after Notre Dame's win over Louisville, Freeman watched Monday Night Football as the Detroit Lions beat the Seattle Seahawks. Midway through the third quarter, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson called a throwback pass from Amon-Ra St. Brown to Jared Goff that went for a 7-yard touchdown. Freeman made a note. Two months later, he'd revisit it, combined with his memory of a fake punt from about eight years earlier. As the linebackers coach at Purdue (2013-16), Freeman ran the punt team and rarely saw a fake he didn't like, even if head coach Darrell Hazell didn't always agree. One fake aligned Purdue's backup quarterback behind a tight end on the left side of the formation. That quarterback hit the tight end for a first down. 'This is when I went to (special teams coordinator Marty Biagi) and said I got an idea for a punt fake,' Freeman said. 'Then it's about how do you enhance it? How do you incorporate Buchner and get all eyes on Love?' Notre Dame had already taken care of the Love part with its fake punt at Georgia Tech, when Jayden Harrison did a reverse pitch with Love, who went 22 yards for a first down. If USC needed a reminder to be on alert with Love in punt formation, that film study was it. The Irish just needed to make that prior knowledge work against the Trojans. Buchner lines up behind Love, basically hiding the former starting quarterback in plain sight. USC still calls out Evans as a danger man, but linebacker Anthony Beavers gets sucked into the Love motion. Buchner lofts the pass for an easy completion. A fake that originated in West Lafayette and got repackaged in Detroit hits in Los Angeles. The former renditions helped the Irish special teams understand how to hit this play because they'd already seen it work. 'You gotta show guys,' Freeman said. 'When you show the players, you show them the vision that we have for this type of play. And then it just evolved.' Here's the thing about the pick that set the stage for Love's 98-yard touchdown. Advertisement It started with a mistake against Virginia. And it didn't have anything to do with Watts. Just before halftime against the Cavaliers, Kiser set up in the middle of the defense, watching quarterback Anthony Colandrea. On the backside of the play, Virginia receiver Malachi Fields — now an incoming Notre Dame transfer — lined up against Leonard Moore. At the snap, Kiser got sucked into the Virginia run game, which Drayk Bowen had covered. And that meant Kiser abandoned the backside hash, his post with Notre Dame in Cover-1. Colandrea hit Fields for a 12-yard gain. Freeman had the play queued up to watch. 'Kiser got his ass ripped for this,' Freeman said. 'He doesn't have the back. That's Drayk's guy. He should be packing it back right to the weakside hash. He doesn't. Look what happens.' Fast forward to the College Football Playoff. Kiser is in the middle of the defense. This time Sneed takes the back and Kiser doesn't false step. Instead, he takes a peek at Indiana slot receiver Myles Price (4), who's breaking behind him with Jordan Clark in coverage. Kiser hauls to the weakside hash. And where does the ball go? To the weakside hash. 'Kiser does an unbelievable job and (Watts) is just making a play. This is all Kiser. He causes this ball to be thrown off-target,' Freeman said. 'Hopefully we beat it enough into their heads: backside hash, backside hash. That's the hardest part of the field to cover.' 'Other than J-Love is a freak,' Freeman said, 'there's a couple things I'm gonna show you.' Before getting into Love's touchdown that will show up on Notre Dame highlight reels for a generation, Freeman wanted to watch Leonard's touchdown run at the start of the third quarter. It's the same play call with different personnel. Love is the lead blocker for Leonard on that play. On Love's touchdown run, it's Mitchell Evans. On the Leonard touchdown run, Jayden Thomas is the edge blocker. On Love's touchdown run, it's Jaden Greathouse. Advertisement But those differences don't matter as much as how Penn State defends it with a defensive back in the box. On Leonard's touchdown, that's Jaylen Reed (1). He stays outside the tackle box. Thomas bluffs a block on defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) to slow him down, then works to Reed as Charles Jagusah pulls across the formation to block Dennis-Sutton. Because Reed stays outside, Thomas can get to him. Love takes linebacker Tony Rojas (13), just enough for Leonard to follow him into the end zone. On Love's touchdown, the defensive back in question is Zion Tracy (7). Film study indicated he'd stay outside the tackle box like Reed did. Except he fills inside. Greathouse bluffs Dennis-Sutton, then Jagusah wipes out the defensive end. But Greathouse can't get to Tracy, putting Evans in a bind. He has to block two defenders: Tracy and linebacker Kobe King (41). He takes out King, giving Tracy a free shot on Love. 'That's where it gets (screwed) up. Mitch doesn't know what to do,' Freeman said. 'He's gotta block most dangerous, but No. 7 didn't stay outside like we thought he would. Then J-Love is just a football player.' What else sticks with Freeman? After Greathouse can't get his block, he doesn't pick up defensive back Cam Miller (5), who stands Love up at the 2-yard line. 'What are you doing? Go block this dude,' Freeman said. 'You're just in the way.' And that's what it took to produce an iconic moment. Penn State adjusting a defender's position, a missed block and a lot of Love. Notre Dame knows Smith is going to run a reverse. His feet tell the story. Advertisement In preparation for the national title game, Notre Dame noticed every time Smith aligned in a tight formation and adjusted his stance at the line of scrimmage, shifting his outside foot forward, the all-world receiver came back across the formation. A reverse, a jet sweep — it didn't matter. Smith gave away where he was heading. Freeman popped on a couple of plays to prove it, showing Smith adjusting his stance and coming back across the formation against Oregon in the Rose Bowl and during a regular-season win over Nebraska. When Smith adjusts his stance on this play early in the second quarter, Christian Gray calls it out, just like he was coached to do. '(Ohio State offensive coordinator) Chip Kelly did a good job and they do self-scout, too,' Freeman said. 'The film study hurt us a little bit there.' Gray comes screaming across the formation to defend the reverse but Smith plants and cuts back into the open field. Walk-in touchdown. The play hurts as Ohio State begins a 31-0 run that leaves Notre Dame gasping for air. Freeman also knows that if Gray had cut back to mirror Smith, he might not have made the play. It might have just looked like Love's touchdown against Penn State. 'That's a hard tackle 1-on-1,' Freeman said. Sure, Smith makes the play against Gray. But just as impactful is Kelly, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders, making the call against Al Golden, now with the Cincinnati Bengals. Sometimes one NFL coordinator beats another NFL coordinator on the headset. 'There ain't a whole bunch to say here,' Freeman says, before picking apart a half-dozen individual performances on the play. It's an inside zone and Freeman likes what he sees from the offensive line's protection of Carr. But he notices Joe Otting getting too far upfield, so he takes a note to talk to offensive line coach Joe Rudolph about the line not getting lost in the gray area of RPOs. 'Who cares about the catch. Why is (Otting) past the line of scrimmage three yards?' Freeman said. 'I'm looking at all that stuff.' It's easier to pick apart the defense. Moore gets caught moving inside and could have been wiped out by Bauman. Shuler's eyes are wrong, failing to move from Raridon in coverage to Bauman, who gets behind him. Tae Johnson gets sucked into a play-action fake to Kedren Young. Cole Mullins gets caught in between playing contain and rushing Carr, ultimately doing neither. Sneed might be too aggressive crashing the line, not waiting to see if it's a run play. Advertisement 'Adon has to be as deep as the deepest,' Freeman said. 'He's disrespecting Kevin a little bit — 'This dude isn't gonna beat me deep.' Well, it wasn't the catch as much as the throw.' Everyone in Notre Dame Stadium will remember Carr's feathery throw along the sideline, especially as the young quarterback heads into the 2025 season as the favorite to replace Leonard as the starter. And live, that's what Freeman noticed too. Mic'd up for the game, Freeman's initial reaction on the broadcast was, 'Oh, nice throw and catch.' But that's what film study is for. Seeing everything else.
Hamilton Spectator
15 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Mexico defeats Canada in group play at CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship
ALAJUELA - Montserrat Saldivar scored twice Monday to help defending champion Mexico defeat Canada 4-2 and finish atop Group B in a weather-interrupted game at the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship. Both teams had already accomplished their goal of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-20 World Cup by virtue of assuring themselves a top-two finish in the group with wins over Panama and Nicaragua. But topping the pool likely means avoiding the seven-time champion U.S. in the semifinal. Monday's game, which started in a torrential downpour, was tied 1-1 in the 30th minute when American referee Alyssa Nichols pulled the bedraggled players from the pitch at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto. The game resumed some two hours 40 minutes later. The heavy rain had stopped by then but there was still some water left on the pitch, making for some difficult distribution. Maria Gonzalez also scored for Mexico, which profited from an own goal by Janet Okeke. Teegan Melenhorst and Annabelle Chukwu replied for Canada, which outshot Mexico 20-12 (5-4 in shots on target). The eight-team CONCACAF tournament, which runs through Sunday, will send four CONCACAF sides to the 24-team FIFA U-20 World Cup, scheduled for September 2026 in Poland. The U.S., which has already qualified for the CONCACAF semifinals at 2-0-0, wraps up Group A play Tuesday against Costa Rica (1-0-1) while Puerto Rica (0-1-1) faces Guyana (0-2-0). The Americans have lost just three of 64 matches all-time at the tournament. Trailing 3-1 at the break, Canada sent on Chukwu, who scored three goals in the first two games of the tournament. And the 18-year-old from Ottawa did not disappoint, cutting the lead to 3-2 in the 59th minute with a header off a Melenhorst cross following a Canadian corner. Chukwu, who scored three goals in Canada's opening two wins, added to her Canadian youth international scoring record, previously held by Christine Sinclair. Chukwu now has 38 goals in 40 games from the under-15 to under-20 level. Chukwu, who plays collegiate soccer at Notre Dame, has been called into camp by the Canadian senior side but has yet to win a cap. Mexico added an insurance goal in the 84th minute via Saldivar, who beat Canadian 'keeper Noelle Henning after a pass by Michel Fong split the Canadian defence. The wet conditions made for spotty early handling and Canada went ahead in the 18th minute after an errant clearance by Mexico goalkeeper Mariangela Medina, who plays collegiate soccer at UCLA. The ball went to Melenhorst, who roofed a shot past Medina. Mexico pulled even in the 26th minute when Alice Soto's low corner hit Okeke at the near post and deflected in past Henning. After the weather delay, Gonzalez put Mexico ahead in the 37th minute after Henning had punched away a Mexico corner. The ball came out to a Mexican player whose shot bounced off a Canadian defender to Gonzalez, who found the target. Mexico added to the lead in first-half stoppage time on a lightning-quick counter attack. A long pass found Saldivar, who outmuscled Sienna Gibson, the last defender, before dodging an onrushing Henning and firing the ball into the untended goal. Canada had 52 per cent possession and outshot Mexico 9-8 in the first half but the Mexicans had a 3-2 edge in shots on target. 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 coach Cindy Tye made five changes to her starting 11, one forced by the suspension of Ines Nourani, who was set off against Nicaragua. Mexico was unchanged. 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. Canada won the CONCACAF tournament in 2004 and 2008 and was runner-up to the U.S. in 2002, when the age group was under-19. The Americans are looking for their eighth title, having last won in 2020 and 2022. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mexico defeats Canada in group play at CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship
ALAJUELA — Montserrat Saldivar scored twice Monday to help defending champion Mexico defeat Canada 4-2 and finish atop Group B in a weather-interrupted game at the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship. Both teams had already accomplished their goal of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-20 World Cup by virtue of assuring themselves a top-two finish in the group with wins over Panama and Nicaragua. But topping the pool likely means avoiding the seven-time champion U.S. in the semifinal. Advertisement Monday's game, which started in a torrential downpour, was tied 1-1 in the 30th minute when American referee Alyssa Nichols pulled the bedraggled players from the pitch at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto. The game resumed some two hours 40 minutes later. The heavy rain had stopped by then but there was still some water left on the pitch, making for some difficult distribution. Maria Gonzalez also scored for Mexico, which profited from an own goal by Janet Okeke. Teegan Melenhorst and Annabelle Chukwu replied for Canada, which outshot Mexico 20-12 (5-4 in shots on target). The eight-team CONCACAF tournament, which runs through Sunday, will send four CONCACAF sides to the 24-team FIFA U-20 World Cup, scheduled for September 2026 in Poland. Advertisement The U.S., which has already qualified for the CONCACAF semifinals at 2-0-0, wraps up Group A play Tuesday against Costa Rica (1-0-1) while Puerto Rica (0-1-1) faces Guyana (0-2-0). The Americans have lost just three of 64 matches all-time at the tournament. Trailing 3-1 at the break, Canada sent on Chukwu, who scored three goals in the first two games of the tournament. And the 18-year-old from Ottawa did not disappoint, cutting the lead to 3-2 in the 59th minute with a header off a Melenhorst cross following a Canadian corner. Chukwu, who scored three goals in Canada's opening two wins, added to her Canadian youth international scoring record, previously held by Christine Sinclair. Chukwu now has 38 goals in 40 games from the under-15 to under-20 level. Advertisement Chukwu, who plays collegiate soccer at Notre Dame, has been called into camp by the Canadian senior side but has yet to win a cap. Mexico added an insurance goal in the 84th minute via Saldivar, who beat Canadian 'keeper Noelle Henning after a pass by Michel Fong split the Canadian defence. The wet conditions made for spotty early handling and Canada went ahead in the 18th minute after an errant clearance by Mexico goalkeeper Mariangela Medina, who plays collegiate soccer at UCLA. The ball went to Melenhorst, who roofed a shot past Medina. Mexico pulled even in the 26th minute when Alice Soto's low corner hit Okeke at the near post and deflected in past Henning. Advertisement After the weather delay, Gonzalez put Mexico ahead in the 37th minute after Henning had punched away a Mexico corner. The ball came out to a Mexican player whose shot bounced off a Canadian defender to Gonzalez, who found the target. Mexico added to the lead in first-half stoppage time on a lightning-quick counter attack. A long pass found Saldivar, who outmuscled Sienna Gibson, the last defender, before dodging an onrushing Henning and firing the ball into the untended goal. Canada had 52 per cent possession and outshot Mexico 9-8 in the first half but the Mexicans had a 3-2 edge in shots on target. 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. Advertisement Canada coach Cindy Tye made five changes to her starting 11, one forced by the suspension of Ines Nourani, who was set off against Nicaragua. Mexico was unchanged. 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. Canada won the CONCACAF tournament in 2004 and 2008 and was runner-up to the U.S. in 2002, when the age group was under-19. The Americans are looking for their eighth title, having last won in 2020 and 2022. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. The Canadian Press
