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Canada's women's soccer team faces long odds to repeat as Olympic bronze medallists. But this young squad, vastly different than the team which captivated the country in 2012, is out to prove they're for real.
"Our goal heading into this tournament is to prove London wasn't a fluke and that we're a power," captain Christine Sinclair told reporters after the team's final practice on Tuesday before kicking off its Olympics Wednesday in Sao Paulo against Australia. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m., ET and will be shown live on the CBC Olympics website, CBC Rio 2016 app and CBC TV (pre-game show starts at 1:30).
Canada comes into the tournament ranked 10th in FIFA's latest rankings and is pooled in a group with second-ranked Germany, fifth-ranked Australia and 95th-ranked Zimbabwe.
With the new 12-team format this time around – London hosted 24 teams in 2012 – Canada doesn't necessarily have to pull an upset in group stage to advance to the knockout stage, as the top two third-place group finishers will advance.
But being underdogs is familiar territory for Canada, who pulled out a stunning upset over host Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic quarter-finals.
"There's half-a-dozen or so teams that have a legitimate shot at getting on the podium, and I'd put our team right up there," Sinclair said.
"We help out in any way we can with the younger players. I think the biggest thing is having a coaching staff that has made it to the podium before. They know what to expect. We're not heading into this blindly but it's a completely different tournament and we need to prove it all over again."
Indeed, and Sinclair's message to Canada's 12 new players is simple: "Enjoy it. Take a moment to take it all in. And then a soon as the whistle blows it's just another soccer game that they've played thousands of in their careers."
On the Aussie's side of the field, look for Kyah Simon to have a presence these Games as the Matildas are making their return to the Olympics after a 12-year hiatus. The 25-year-old scored three of Australia's five goals in the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada last year, en route to a 1-0 quarter-final loss to Japan.
Canada will face Zimbabwe Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, before wrapping up group play next Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Germany
| Match details | Editorial |
|---|---|
| Preliminary: Group E - Match 1 Sweden vs South Africa | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group F - Match 1 Canada vs Australia | 3 3 |
| Preliminary: Group E - Match 2 Brazil vs China | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group F - Match 2 Zimbabwe vs Germany | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group G - Match 1 United States vs New Zealand | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group G - Match 2 France vs Colombia | 2 |
| Match details | Editorial |
|---|---|
| Preliminary: Group F - Match 3 Canada vs Zimbabwe | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group G - Match 3 United States vs France | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group F - Match 4 Germany vs Australia | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group E - Match 3 South Africa vs China | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group G - Match 4 Colombia vs New Zealand | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group E - Match 4 Brazil vs Sweden | 2 |
| Match details | Editorial |
|---|---|
| Preliminary: Group F - Match 5 Australia vs Zimbabwe | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group F - Match 6 Germany vs Canada | |
| Preliminary: Group G - Match 5 Colombia vs United States | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group G - Match 6 New Zealand vs France | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group E - Match 5 South Africa vs Brazil | 2 |
| Preliminary: Group E - Match 6 China vs Sweden |
| Match details | Editorial |
|---|---|
| Quarterfinal 1 | |
| Quarterfinal 2 | |
| Quarterfinal 3 | |
| Quarterfinal 4 |
| Match details | Editorial |
|---|---|
| Semifinal 1 | |
| Semifinal 2 |
| Match details | Editorial |
|---|---|
| Bronze Medal Match | |
| Gold Medal Match |
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