The US Women’s National Team earned their ninth W Concacaf Championship title last night, defeating Canada 1-0. The match, which was played in Monterrey, Mexico, was attended by 17,247 fans — a pretty sizeable number for a women’s soccer match. The Concacaf W Championship Tournament serves as the World Cup Qualifiers, meaning the US is all set to go to Paris in 2024. The goal for the USWNT came from Alex Morgan in the second half, earning her the title of Budweiser’s Woman of the Match.
Morgan’s Penalty
Morgan’s penalty kick came as a result of a foul called on Canadian defender Allysha Chapman, which was then confirmed by VAR. Midfielder Rose Lavelle went down in the box, earning the penalty. Morgan shot to the lower right corner, earning a goal against keeper Kailen Sheridan. Until Morgan’s goal against Canada, both teams’ defenses boasted shutouts for the entirety of the Concacaf championships. Watch Morgan’s goal below.
The US Had Previous Chances
While it came down to a late goal, the US had several promising scoring opportunities. Mallory Pugh had an early chance within the first minute of the match. Morgan had an opportunity in the fourth minute, shooting just wide of the right post after receiving the ball from Smith. Smith dribbled to the top of the box, then found Morgan on the left for a shot. In the 14th Minute, Lindsey Horan had her chance with a falling volley. She took it off of a deflection from defender Emily Sonnet, but her volley shot went wide to the right. Sophia Smith had a chance of her own in the 25th minute. She dribbled up the flank, cut back inside toward the top of the box, and fired with her right towards the bottom left corner, missing wide. In the 38th minute, Horan had a breakaway and passed to Pugh, who took a one-touch shot with her right, missing high and wide.
Proving Themselves Against Canada
The USWNT sought to prove themselves against Canada, after losing in the Olympic Semifinal in Tokyo. The loss in Tokyo took an extremely similar format, with the US losing 1-0 as the result of a penalty in the 74th minute. Morgan’s penalty shot winner in this match came in the 75th minute — wildly similar. Canada will now have to play Jamaica in September 2023 to earn their place in the 2024 Olympics.
