Liam Middleton and Canada

Olympic qualifier: The U.S. blanked Canada 20-0 in the Cup quarter-finals at the recent sevens stop in Las Vegas, according to Guelph Mercury. After some bad breaks, the Canadians "lost their way a bit," according to coach Liam Middleton. That means a June trip to Cary, N.C., for a regional qualifier and a showdown with the U.S. for the one Olympic sevens berth up for grabs in North America and the Caribbean. The Americans finished fourth at the tournament while Canada, third in Sin City last season, tied for seventh. "The game against the U.S.A. obviously holds enormous weight, because everyone knows what coming up, everyone knows there an Olympic qualifier — it us versus them," Middleton said. "But I come away from that game thinking again those are things that we can improve on. Canada finished a surprising sixth on the circuit in 2013-14. We've got a squad that still coming together in terms of the synergies as a group." Some had dreamed of an easier route to Rio, given the top four teams on the world circuit gain Olympic qualification automatically. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.