US, Canada on collision course

Los Angeles – The United States will defend their Women’s World Cup title next year, securing their berth with a 6-0 rout of Jamaica in the semifinals of the Concacaf regional qualifier on Sunday.

Canada also punched their ticket to France in emphatic style, thumping Panama 7-0 in Frisco, Texas, to set up a blockbuster clash with the USA in the final of the Concacaf women’s championship tomorrow night.

The United States, threetime World Cup winners who were stung by a quarterfinal exit at the Rio Olympics, put Jamaica away early. Tobin Heath opened the scoring and added her second in the 29th -- part of a five-goal first half that also included goals from Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan.

The US cruised through the second half, adding an exclamation point with Morgan’s penalty in the 84th minute.

While both finalists secured World Cup berths, all was not lost for Panama and Jamaica. The winner of the third-place match tomorrow will also gain direct entry to the World Cup, while the fourth-placed team will play off for a berth against Argentina.

That means Panama’s women can still duplicate the Panamanian men’s achievement of reaching the World Cup for the first time at Russia 2018.

And Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz are still in with a chance of becoming the first Caribbean side to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.

In the first match of the day’s double-header, Christine Sinclair and Adriana Leon scored two goals apiece and Jessie Fleming, Janine Beckie and Rebecca Quinn added one each for Canada, who secured their seventh Women’s World Cup appearance. –