Tag: CONCACAF W Championship

The USWNT fit an ‘estimated 20 margaritas’ in the CONCACAF W Championship trophy

Some important scientific research was conducted on Monday night in Mexico

The U.S. women’s national team conducted some important scientific research after winning the CONCACAF W Championship on Monday night, ultimately coming to the conclusion that the regional trophy fit an “estimated 20 margaritas.”

There was reason to celebrate after the USWNT defeated Canada 1-0 in the regional title game, qualifying for the Olympics in the process. Alex Morgan’s second-half penalty stood up as the game’s only goal.

Amid the team’s celebrations Morgan posted a response on Twitter to golfer Cam Smith, who said he’d aim to find out how many beers fit in the claret jug after his British Open win over the weekend.

Naturally, with the USWNT celebrating its title in Mexico, it conducted a similar experiment but used margaritas as its medium of choice.

This brings us to our lesson of the day: trophies that can be used as receptacles for beverages are always better than those that can’t.

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USWNT exorcises Olympic demons, beats Canada in CONCACAF title game

An Alex Morgan penalty gave the U.S. revenge after a stunning loss last summer

The U.S. women’s national team got the Olympic revenge it so desperately wanted in Monday’s CONCACAF W Championship final, defeating Canada 1-0 in a game that could’ve been much more lopsided in the Americans’ favor.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski insisted prior to the final that there wasn’t much his side could learn from last summer’s Olympic semifinal, a stunning 1-0 loss that marked Canada’s first win over its rival to the south in 20 years.

On Monday, the USWNT made sure it would be an entirely different match to last year’s disappointing defeat in Japan.

Whereas the U.S. failed to generate much offense against a stout Canadian defense last summer, Andonovski’s team opened Canada up again and again in the CONCACAF final.

In an ironic reversal, the USWNT got the game’s only goal on Monday by earning a penalty kick with 15 minutes to go after Allysha Chapman clipped Rose Lavelle’s legs in the box when the U.S. midfielder didn’t have a whole lot on.

It was a mirror image of last summer in Tokyo, when Tierna Davidson fouled Deanne Rose in an innocuous situation, leading to Jessie Fleming’s game-winning penalty in the 75th minute.

This time, Alex Morgan’s game-winning spot kick came in the 78th minute. But unlike Fleming’s goal last summer, the USWNT’s opener looked like it had been coming all game long.

For the U.S. the chances kept coming. And coming. And coming.

There was Mallory Pugh and Morgan nearly scoring in the first five minutes. There were more first-half chances from Pugh and Sophia Smith that would have gone in on a different night, or against a different goalkeeper. Kailen Sheridan produced a heroic display to keep Canada in the match on several occasions.

And still there were more chances. Smith missed an open net after rounding Sheridan, then couldn’t finish when open at the back post. Somehow, as the game entered its final 15 minutes, it was still scoreless.

But the U.S. got the break it needed when Lavelle had her legs clipped by Chapman in the box. Morgan stepped up from the spot and made no mistake. It was all the U.S. would need.

The USWNT ended the game with a xG edge of 3.14 to .53 according to TruMedia, a more accurate reflection of its superiority than the 1-0 final score.

For Andonovski, it was vindication after a disappointing tournament debut last summer. The USWNT boss has turned over his squad considerably since the Olympics. Some changes have been forced by injuries and pregnancies, and others were simply a matter of young players being too good to ignore.

The CONCACAF W Championship was far from a flawless tournament for the U.S. but the tournament saw the team clinch a World Cup and Olympic berth, and was capped off with a dominant display against its biggest rival.

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USWNT qualifies for 2024 Olympics by winning CONCACAF W Championship

The USWNT is going to Paris!

The U.S. women’s national team clinched qualification for the 2024 Olympics Monday night by virtue of a 1-0 victory over Canada in the CONCACAF W Championship final.

The W Championship serves as CONCACAF’s qualifying tournament for both the 2023 World Cup and the Paris Olympics the following year. The USWNT clinched a place at the World Cup by advancing out of Group A last week, and assured themselves of being in their eighth straight Olympiad by beating the defending gold medalists at Estadio BBVA thanks to a 78th minute penalty kick from Alex Morgan and a largely dominant defensive performance that restricted Canada to very few truly dangerous looks.

For the USWNT, a return to the Olympics will mean pursuit of a fifth gold medal for the team, who finished with a disappointing bronze in the Tokyo games played in 2021 after being delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They previously won gold in 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012, but haven’t been to the final in either of the last two tournaments (they lost in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Olympics).

Canada, meanwhile, will go into a playoff for CONCACAF’s second Olympic berth scheduled for September 2023. They will face Jamaica, who a few hours before the W Championship final defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in extra time to take third place. Further details about that playoff have not yet been announced.

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USWNT isn’t talking about Olympic loss to Canada – but it looms large ahead of CONCACAF final

The U.S. is seeking revenge after losing to Canada for the first time in 20 years

Vlatko Andonovski is trying to let the past stay the past.

In last summer’s Olympics, his major tournament debut as U.S. women’s national team head coach, Andonovski saw his team consistently fail to reach its best. The denouement came in a 1-0 defeat to Canada in the semifinal, the first time in 20 years the USWNT had lost to its northern rival.

One year later, the USWNT and Canada will meet again. This time the CONCACAF W Championship, and an automatic berth in the 2024 Olympics, is on the line.

Ahead of the rematch, one may think Andonovski and his players are feverishly reviewing the film from last summer to study what went wrong.

Instead, the USWNT boss has decided the best way to exorcise the demons of 2021 is to focus only on the present.

“We haven’t really talked about it a lot,”Andonovski told the media on Sunday when asked about the Olympic semifinal. “Probably one of the reasons why is if you look at the group of players, I don’t know if there’s more than four, five players that were on the field.”

Andonovski does have a point. Of the 15 players who saw the field against Canada in the Olympics, only six (Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Becky Sauerbrunn, Megan Rapinoe, Kelley O’Hara) appear likely to play Monday night in Mexico.

But even though the USWNT brings a host of new faces to the rematch, some of the same issues from the Olympics have cropped up at this tournament as well.

MONTERREY, MEXICO – JULY 11: Players of USA pose prior the match between United States and Mexico as part of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship at Universitario Stadium on July 11, 2022 in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images) 

Yes, the USWNT has won all four of its games and outscored opponents 12-0, but Andonovski’s team has been sluggish in attack for long stretches – particularly against Mexico – and has looked vulnerable defensively, especially in the opener against Haiti.

It goes without saying, but the U.S. has not yet faced nearly the caliber of opponent at this tournament that it will in Monday’s final. Mistakes that didn’t kill the U.S. against Haiti and Mexico could be ruthlessly punished by Canada.

For the USWNT, defeat to Canada wouldn’t end its Olympic dream. It would instead send them into a playoff against the winner of the third-place game between Costa Rica and Jamaica – a match the U.S. would be heavily favored to win.

But Monday’s final is about more than simply qualifying for the Paris Olympics. For Andonovski, it’s about proving he can win a major final and bring the best out of his team when it counts the most. For the USWNT as a whole, it’s about righting the wrongs of last summer and proving that they are still the alpha in CONCACAF.

“It’s extremely important for us to win CONCACAF just given the expectations this team has for itself,” U.S. midfielder Andi Sullivan told Pro Soccer Wire last month. “First place is the only acceptable outcome.”

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USWNT pleased with Costa Rica win, focused on getting sharper in CONCACAF W Championship final

It was an easy USWNT win, but the team sees room for improvement

What could have been a potentially difficult night ended up being rather pedestrian for the U.S. women’s national team, who had little to worry about in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica that sent them to Thursday’s CONCACAF W Championship final.

Goals from Emily Sonnett and Mallory Pugh late in the first half, after some big misses and a shot off the post from Alex Morgan, allowed the USWNT to preserve some energy in the second half, with Ashley Sanchez firing home a third just before the final whistle to put an exclamation point on the victory.

Despite the ease of the win, though, post-game reactions were a bit reserved, as the team expressed a focus on wanting to cut down on mistakes.

“I feel like we made too many technical mistakes that are a byproduct of our mental preparation,” Vlatko Andonovski said bluntly on the CBS Sports Network’s broadcast of the game.

In the press conference following the match, Andonovski expanded on that assertion. “I thought that we made too many technical errors. Too many for the players that were on the field, because we know that they’re technical,” said the USWNT head coach. “We know they can settle the ball and pass and execute different technical demands, even under a lot more pressure in pressing moments. But today, for some reason, we made like I said, a little too many (mistakes), and that’s something that we’re gonna look into, to see what it is.”

That’s not to say that the USWNT’s performance was poor, with a relentless counter-press effectively rendering the first half an offense vs. defense exercise. Getting into halftime with a two-goal advantage gave them a vital advantage going into the final: a less demanding second half.

“We went with the game plan from the defensive standpoint that I thought that we executed well when it comes down to reading the moments, and when we want to press and when we want to drop off a little bit and allow them to connect (a) few passes,” said Andonovski. “So as we’re playing this game, where the result goes in our way, we actually started changing a little bit on how we defend, and allowed them just slightly more touches on the ball, which was for us moreso ‘let’s not waste any any extra energy that we have to to win the ball back.'”

Facing an unfamiliar Costa Rica, who came out having rotated key starters in Raquel Rodríguez and Melissa Herrera and playing a 5-4-1 formation, Andonovski detailed aspects of his game plan that helped the U.S. make the game easier on themselves.

“We knew that we’re going to have to, per se, ‘borrow’ a player from the back to overload their backline, and we knew that it’s not going to be easy to execute, because we haven’t had an opportunity to work on that,” said Andonovski, alluding to a back four that saw Sofia Huerta often joining the attack while Sonnett stayed home. “We offset the build up a little bit, with the fullbacks, and build a little different way. But overall, I still think it worked well, because especially early on, we were able to create opportunities, we were able to score goals.”

Andonovski credited that back four—who helped keep Casey Murphy from facing any shots on goal, and only one shot at all—for remaining focused throughout, even as their job largely became about possession and tempo-setting with the ball.

“(Costa Rica) were playing so low and because they were bringing numbers a lot centrally, it was hard for them to transition out,” explained Andonovski. “It looked a little bit easy for our backline, but sometimes this is even a little bit harder, because they were only called out to defend in two or three instances. So they have to maintain 100% focus throughout the whole game, and I think that they executed defensively everything well.”

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Costa Rica punts and USWNT cruises into CONCACAF W Championship final

The U.S. easily defeated a weakened Ticas side to reach Monday’s final

The U.S. women’s national team would’ve been heavily favored against Costa Rica on Thursday evening no matter the circumstances, but the Ticas essentially conceded the CONCACAF W Championship semifinal before it even started.

It wasn’t necessarily a terrible strategy from Costa Rica boss Amelia Valverde, but it did take a lot of the mystery, and fun, out of a game that theoretically should have been a major occasion.

In his press conference ahead of the match, USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski spotlighted four Ticas players his team needed to deal with: Raquel Rodríguez, Melissa Herrera, Shirley Cruz, and María Paula Salas.

Three of those players were benched. Cruz, who hadn’t started in the tournament before Thursday, was the only exception. Valverde even benched goalkeeper Daniela Solera, who started all three group-stage games.

Valverde essentially punted on the semifinal, assuming her side would’ve lost to the USWNT anyway, and saved some of her stars for the third-place game and an alternative route to Olympic qualification.

Given the USWNT has won all 16 games against Costa Rica all time, scoring 87 and conceding two, Valverde may not have been wrong to punt on Thursday’s game. But it did give it an air of inevitability as a sparse crowd in Monterrey watched the USWNT win 3-0.

Despite a temperature hovering in the 90s all game, the USWNT pressed hard in the first half, and was rewarded particularly on Mallory Pugh’s goal, which followed a forced turnover and eye-catching backheel by Rose Lavelle.

With a two-goal lead going into halftime, the USWNT was able to ease off in the second half as it looks ahead to Monday’s final against either Jamaica or Canada.

The winner of this tournament automatically reaches the 2024 Olympics, while the loser of the final will face the winner of the third-place game for a second CONCACAF berth in Paris.

Costa Rica can now aim its focus on that third-place game. In truth, its focus was already on that game before Thursday’s game even started.

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USWNT grateful for a test in 1-0 CONCACAF W Championship win over Mexico

“We really wanted some adversity, and we got it.”

The U.S. women’s national team completed an unblemished run through the CONCACAF W Championship’s group stage, defeating a hard-working Mexico side 1-0 on a late Kristie Mewis goal.

Heading into the game, the USWNT made plenty about wanting this particular game, with a larger and louder crowd on hand to back Mexico, to be a good test of the team’s mentality. While the performance—largely untroubled at the back, but also impatient and predictable going forward—left something to be desired, the theme of the night for the team was that the test will help going forward.

“We knew that if we don’t score early in in the first quarter of the game, that the game will be difficult and we saw at the end, it became a really good atmosphere,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski explained to reporters after the game. “I was coaching a big part of the game with a smile on my face, because to some degree we want that. We wanted to see that.”

“We really wanted some adversity, and we got it,” team captain Becky Sauerbrunn told the Paramount + broadcast after the match. “It’s not very often we get to play in front of a crowd like this. They really came out to support the home (team), and so it was good. It was adversity.”

The crowd at Estadio Universitario did bring the noise, booing USWNT corner kicks and roaring Mexican attacks. While the pattern of play meant many more boos than cheers on a night where the home team was credited with just three shot attempts, Andonovski did admit that the crowd eventually threw the USWNT out of their rhythm.

“As the atmosphere was getting fired up, our team started losing the focus of the tempo. We actually had very good control of the tempo until the atmosphere started getting rattled a little bit, and then our players started starting falling into the trap,” said Andonovski.

That trap was a too-direct approach on the ball that seemed destined to see the U.S., even playing with a numerical advantage after Jacqueline Ovalle was given a 73rd minute red card, end the night with a frustrating scoreless draw against the sort of conservative tactical approach they have spent plenty of time working on breaking down.

However, a moment of inspiration from an old hand changed the game, with Megan Rapinoe’s quickly-taken short corner kick catching Mexico off guard, and eventually ending in a scramble that Kristie Mewis bundled over the line in the 89th minute.

The goal survived a VAR check after some still angles raised major questions over whether Emily Sonnett had been offside before heading on goal moments before Mewis finished the play, but for a younger group learning some old-school USWNT resourcefulness, there’s value in finally breaking through in gritty fashion.

Sauerbrunn, who has seen plenty of big USWNT wins come via that sort of scrappy play, underlined the benefit of a new group showing that trait. “I think that’s what makes the U.S. really special, is that identity of relentlessness, never say die, really will (a goal) in.”

“I was very happy to see at the end that we still found a way,” said Andonovski. “It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t nice, but in order to win big tournaments, we know that sometimes you’re just gonna have to find a way, and we were able to do that.”

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Mewis nets late winner as USWNT completes Mexico’s misery

The U.S. is going to the semifinals as Group A winner, while Mexico will miss the World Cup and Olympics

The U.S. women’s national team ran into a very game Mexico side in its CONCACAF W Championship group-stage finale, but a late Kristie Mewis goal was the difference in a 1-0 win that eliminated El Tri Femenil from both World Cup and Olympic contention.

The USWNT had already reached the semifinals and clinched a spot in the 2023 World Cup before Monday night’s game at Estadio Universitario, with the win seeing it top Group A and set a date against Costa Rica on Thursday in the semifinal.

The other semifinal will see Jamaica face Canada, with the Reggae Girlz clinching a spot at the World Cup on Monday with a 4-0 win over Haiti.

Mexico, meanwhile, suffered the ignominy of losing all three of its group-stage matches on home soil, failing to score a single goal in a crushing setback for a team that entered the tournament on a 10-game win streak.

Though Mexico produced a much-improved performance in front of 20,522 fans in Monterrey, it will miss out on a second straight World Cup and will be left to wonder why it was unable to roar into life until its final game against the world champions.

Mexico put in a defensively organized performance and had occasional moments of attacking danger, but a 73rd-minute red card for Jacqueline Ovalle after an ugly tackle on Rose Lavelle made the home side’s task even more difficult.

Mewis bundled the ball over the line in the 89th minute to seal three points in an uninspiring display for the USWNT, which failed to consistently threaten Mexico’s goal.

But Vlatko Andonovski will be happy that his side was given a real test in front of a hostile crowd as it eyes two more wins and an automatic place at the 2024 Olympics.

Watch the USWNT’s late winner

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USWNT to replace injured Ashley Hatch with Sam Coffey

A muscle strain has ended Hatch’s CONCACAF W Championship early

The U.S. women’s national team is making a change for the knockout rounds of the CONCACAF W Championship, as striker Ashley Hatch has departed camp with an injury. Following Monday’s conclusion of the USWNT’s Group A schedule, she will be replaced on the roster by uncapped Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey.

U.S. Soccer also announced that starting left back Emily Fox is in Covid protocols.

CONCACAF rules allow for teams to replace players due to injury between the group and knockout stages of the W Championship. Coffey will not be eligible to participate against Mexico on Monday, but will be available for the USWNT’s two knockout round games.

Hatch appeared to pick up a knock during the USWNT’s 5-0 win over Jamaica, and was substituted in the 61st minute. U.S. Soccer referred to the injury as a “muscle strain,” and a source with knowledge of the situation tells Pro Soccer Wire that Hatch’s injury is not believed to be serious.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has referred to striker Alex Morgan as a starter during press conferences at the W Championship, but Hatch in all likelihood would have played some part in the three remaining games.

With Hatch coming out against Jamaica, Andonovski ended up deploying Trinity Rodman—normally a wide forward—as his No. 9. Other options include starting right forward Sophia Smith, or forward Midge Purce, but both have spent the large majority of their pro careers wide rather than as center forwards.

Coffey, a defensive midfielder, is certainly not a direct replacement for Hatch. However, the USWNT’s squad only includes one natural No. 6 in Andi Sullivan, and Andonovski has looked at Lindsey Horan and Kristie Mewis as options there during this lengthy international window. Coffey was called in ahead of the W Championship as part of the squad for pre-tournament friendlies against Colombia, but did not appear in either game.

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USWNT ‘very excited’ for Mexico challenge in CONCACAF W Championship group finale

The USWNT is fully focused on a desperate Mexico side that must win to keep any World Cup hope alive

The U.S. women’s national team has already secured its place at the 2023 World Cup, and only a very strange pair of outcomes on Monday night would keep them from winning their CONCACAF W Championship group.

Still, facing a Mexico side that must win in front of their home fans to keep any chance of getting into a World Cup playoff later this year alive, the USWNT is embracing the opportunity for a younger squad to learn how to navigate a charged atmosphere.

“We’re very happy to be qualified. Obviously, that was the first box that we wanted to check, but our job is not done yet,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski told reporters on Sunday, just before his side’s final training session before they play Mexico at the historic Estadio Universitario. “In this next game, we are actually very excited to go into, because to some degree, this is the game that we were looking forward to, because we expect a lot of fans to come, to show up, create a little hostile environment for younger players that haven’t been in a situation like this before.”

The USWNT has defeated Haiti and Jamaica without conceding a goal thus far, but the crowds at both games have not been a factor. Mexico, meanwhile, didn’t recover from losing a somewhat even game against Jamaica, collapsing in a 3-0 loss to Haiti on Thursday that eliminated the home side from Olympic qualifying and cut their chances of moving on to the World Cup playoff in September down to the merest glimmer of hope. On top of that, starting defenders Rebeca Bernal (injury) and Greta Espinoza (red card) are both unavailable to face the USWNT.

Despite Mexico’s troubles, Andonovski has not changed his tune, having circled this game from the moment the tournament draw came out. “We’re gonna have a good opponent ahead of us,” said the USWNT boss on Mexico. “We’re gonna have to be very sophisticated, very precise in the way we play.”

Andonovski wanted more of the same from the USWNT on the ball, but stressed that focus is a must against a Mexico team with NWSL attackers, name-checking Houston Dash winger Maria Sánchez and North Carolina Courage striker Diana Ordoñez as players the USWNT wants to limit. Despite Monica Vergara’s side struggling to create openings and being too reliant on crosses, Andonovski made his respect for their capabilities clear.

“Out of possession, we have to stay focused throughout the whole game, throughout 90 minutes, because they have very good strikers, very good attacking players,” said Andonovski. “I mean, someone like (Maria) Sánchez and (Diana) Ordoñez now, players that can punish you if you give them a little time and space.”

“The fact that Mexico has something to play for is something that makes us excited, because we want them to come out in the strongest and best fashion, and create the toughest possible environment for us,” added Andonovski, who pointed out that next year’s World Cup being so far away from the U.S. will likely mean the USWNT won’t have the vociferous support their home-heavy typical schedule comes with.

On the game itself, defender Naomi Girma—speaking to reporters days after an outstanding performance against Jamaica—said a key for the USWNT was to take their time on the ball and cajole openings in Mexico’s shape rather than thinking every pass had to open the game up.

“We talked about just being patient out of the back, playing what’s on, not trying to force the ball in if Jamaica was sitting low on us,” said Girma on the Jamaica win. “So I think it just took us communicating, and finding the right moment to go and attack and get our goals.”

While Andonovski was willing to mention some specific lineup changes before the Jamaica match, he stopped short of actually naming starters for Monday night’s game.

“We’re fortunate enough to have a really good roster and every player that is on the roster is capable and able to to play well and contribute for our success. We believe in our team,” said Anvonovski. “So for the next game, I’m sure we’ll see a couple of new faces from the previous game.”

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