Canada takes on U.S. in CONCACAF Final

The GIST: Today’s the day. The defending world champion USWNT and defending Olympic champion CanWNT go head-to-head at 10 p.m. ET with the CONCACAF W trophy and a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics on the line. As if Mondays weren’t stressful enough.

The history: Tonight marks the 63rd meeting of these two powerhouses, adding another chapter to a storied rivalry that dates back to 1986. And the recent history has been especially spicy, with some of their more memorable clashes coming in the 2012 and 2020 Olympic semifinals.

• In 2012, the U.S. beat Canada in extra time after the ref made a very controversial call. But Canada got revenge last year, defeating the USWNT thanks to a video review–awarded penalty kick (PK).

• TL;DR? CanWNT vs. USWNT is must-see TV.

CanWNT’s keys to success: The defending gold medalists have momentum on their side, but they’ll be dealing with a very different USWNT squad, specifically a new, young offensive core. Luckily, Canada has yet to concede a goal all tourney (*knocks wood*) — watch for defender Kadeisha Buchanan to continue her lockdown performance.

• As for the offense, two words: Jessie. Fleming. The midfielder netted her third goal of the tourney in last week’s semifinal win and she netted the two difference-making PKs during the 2020 Olympic semis. Here’s to another clutch performance tonight.