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World champions Argentina will be the red-hot favourites in the fourth edition of the women’s Pan American Cup hockey tournament beginning in Mendoza from September 21.
The Las Leonas have already qualified for the 2014 World Cup from the Hockey World League Round 3 event in London earlier this year.
The eight-day Mendoza event will be an opportunity for the blue-and-white brigade to fine-tune their World Cup preparations.
The 2014 World Cup will be held in The Hague, Netherlands from May 31 to June 15.
Given the scenario where Argentina have already qualified for the World Cup, USA will be widely expected to seal the lone continental berth.
Besides Argentina and USA, six other teams – Chile, Mexico, Guyana, Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and Uruguay – will duke it out for the lone World Cup berth.
World champions and second ranked Argentina are placed in Pool A alongside 23rd ranked Canada, 27th ranked Trindad & Tobago and 58th ranked Guyana. 10th ranked USA are clubbed in Pool B alongside 18th ranked Chile, 30th ranked Mexico and 50th ranked Uruguay.
Argentina have dominated this championship, winning all the earlier three editions with aplomb. They won the last edition in Santiago, Chile in 2009, putting it across USA in a gripping battle which they won 7-6 on penalty strokes. Chile had taken the third spot, pipping Trinidad & Tobago 2-1.
It may be mentioned here that the inaugural women’s Pan American Cup was held in Kingston, Jamaica in the year 2001, where Argentina coasted past USA 4-1 to win the championship. Canada had finished third in that inaugural edition routing Uruguay 6-0.
Argentina had also won the second edition in Barbados, Bridgetown in 2004, humbling USA 3-0. Like the inaugural edition, Canada once again took the third spot thrashing Uruguay 5-0.
USA can count themselves unlucky as they have finished runners-up in all the women’s Pan American Cup tournaments, though they were very close to winning it in the last edition when they lost on penalty strokes.
It may be worth recalling that Argentina had pummelled Bermuda 25-0 in the 2009 edition in Santiago, Chile, which remains the biggest victory margin of the women’s Pan American Cup.
The Las Leonas have been involved in quite a number of big wins. Argentina had drubbed Venezuela 14-0 in the 2001 edition. They hammered Netherlands Antilles 16-0 and Chile 11-0 in the 2004 edition in Bridgetown, Barbados.
