Canada cruise past Cuba in Pan American Games Cup
Canada's women's side saw off Cuba 3:0 in the Pan American Games Cup on Thursday evening. The visitors took all three points on the road, while the hosts remain level on points with their opponents in third place.
By then Canada had already accumulated two more points than Cuba in the standings. Both sides share identical records of four matches, two wins and two defeats, but the Canadian tally sits at twelve to Cuba's ten. The result tightens the race for qualification without creating any clear separation yet.
Not that recent form suggests either side is peaking. Cuba lost 1:3 to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday after a string of mixed results, including a 3:0 victory over Costa Rica and a heavy 0:3 defeat to Mexico. Canada showed similar inconsistency, losing 0:3 to the United States on Wednesday while also recording 3:0 wins over Nicaragua and Venezuela.
And here's the thing about these two teams — they've both collected three points from four games, which is exactly where they were before this match. The table hasn't shifted dramatically, just shifted by two points between them. Canada now lead the group by a narrow margin, but only just.
What matters more is the trajectory. Cuba have lost two of their last four matches, including that 0:3 to the United States on their opening day. Canada lost both of their opening games as well, then bounced back with three straight wins before the United States defeat. The pattern is familiar for both sides — flashes of quality followed by collapse.
