Two days before the torch is lit for the opening ceremony at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Canada and Japan are going to light it up on the soccer pitch in opening round action.
Live streaming of this match will be available at CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca; you will also be able to catch the broadcast on TSN, Sportsnet, and RDS on Wednesday, July 25 at 11:30am et/8:30am pt.
The seventh-ranked Canadian team enters the tournament off both a gold medal at the 2011 Pan Am Games and a second place showing at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.
They will be competing at their second Olympics after qualifying for the first time at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
They will, however, be in tough right off the bat as they face the defending World Cup champions from Japan, who claimed that crown with an upset victory over the United States.
Japan was able to knock off the USA in penalty kicks after a late goal from captain Homare Sawa, who will once again wear the armband as she leads her nation into London 2012.
Her counterpart is also a formidable goal-scorer, 29-year-old Burnaby, B.C. native Christine Sinclair, Her 137 career goals not only puts her atop Canada's all-time list, but also places her third on the overall list, trailing only current American superstar Abby Wambach (138) and American legend Mia Hamm, who accounted for 158 goals during her career.
Sinclair is not the only veteran that will be taking the pitch for Canada. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, defenders Candace Chapman, Rhian Wilkinson and midfielders Diana Matheson and Brittany Timko have all appeared at least 100 times internationally for the senior team.
Canada and Japan have evenly split the nine matches they have played at the senior level with a record of three wins, three draws and three losses in previous meetings, but they, have not faced each other internationally since 2008.
A top-two finish is required for an automatic berth into the quarter-final. Two of the three third place teams will also advance to bring the total to eight places in the knockout stage.
In a group that also includes Sweden and South Africa, Canada and Japan will both be looking to get off to a fast start at London 2012 and they will get that chance when they face off two days before the opening ceremony.
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