So far, so good for Canada’s women soccer team in 2024.

The Canadians finished atop Group C at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup with a perfect three wins, the latest coming Wednesday in a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica. More importantly, that win also secured the Canadians top overall seed in the knockout round.

Canada, who played their group-stage matches in Houston, will now travel to Los Angeles to take on the eighth-seeded Costa Rica once again on Saturday.

“I think we've had a real high standard focus,” head coach Bev Priestman said following Wednesday’s win. “I think I've challenged the group. I said, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.’ … And I think that relentless mindset is what the best teams can do.”

With the knockout round on the horizon, here are the biggest takeaways from Canada’s group-stage performance.

After Canada’s early exit at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the team failed to advance to the knockout round for the first time since 2011, changes needed to be made. The Canadians often looked lacklustre, especially on offence, where they were shut out in two of three matches.

Priestman has switched gears to a 3-4-3 formation since the World Cup, and so far the change has paid dividends, with Canada winning eight of its last nine matches.

To be fair, the three group-stage matches for Canada at the Gold Cup weren’t the biggest tests, with Costa Rica the highest-ranked opposition at 43rd (Canada is currently ranked 10th in the world).

But it’s also worth noting that the Canadians have had difficulties against lower-ranked opposition in the past, particularly those that utilize a low block.

Fans saw that last summer in the World Cup, most notably in the match against 40th-ranked Nigeria. Canada struggled to break down the Nigerian backline, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw.

The Canadians have kept the offence flowing in this tournament despite often encountering low blocks. A key example of Canada breaking down a block came in the team’s opening goal against Costa Rica in the 11th minute. Jessie........

© TSN