The Olympics were the reward as the U.S. women’s national team regained regional bragging rights Monday night, downing Canada 1-0 on an Alex Morgan penalty kick to win the CONCACAF W Championship.
While the post-game data underlined the fact that the USWNT left some big chances on the table, and saw others somehow saved by Canada’s Kailen Sheridan, they were able to brush the misses aside and work towards a win, playing around Canada’s midfield diamond and restricting the Olympic champions to few chances.
In the end, it took nerves of steel from the spot in the 78th minute, as Morgan fired the winner past her San Diego Wave FC teammate Sheridan after Rose Lavelle was clipped by substitute Allysha Chapman.
“It just always feels good to be called a champion,” Morgan told the CBS Sports Network’s postgame show. “Canada, they gave us they gave us a run for our money, but we prevailed and feel good about the performance.”
"It always feels good to be called a champion." 🏆@alexmorgan13 talks with @_poppymiller, @BriScurry & @JenRuiz13 after winning the @ConcacafW Championship. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6lgQ6a3CCT
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 19, 2022
Morgan expanded on how important the challenge the USWNT got in the W Championship, which required seeing their way through some late pressure with a narrow lead.
“You just can’t replicate that with friendlies or (the SheBelieves Cup) or anything. It has to be the real deal, and this was the real deal,” said Morgan. “These players are making a name for themselves at such a young age. It’s incredible. We had Naomi (Girma), we had Taylor Kornieck, Trinity Rodman, come into the game to close out an important game like this. (The) experience is gonna go huge, and it’s gonna go a long way for them when we look at the next two years.”
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski praised Morgan, saying she’s improved as a player even after being away from the team for a spell after giving birth and regaining fitness.
“That’s what makes her special, that she doesn’t want to stop growing,” Andonovski said of Morgan, who was given the W Championship’s Golden Ball award after the game. “She doesn’t want to stop developing, she wants to sophisticate her game in any way possible. And she has been doing that day in and day out.”
The USWNT’s handling of the penalty kick came with some modern touches, with both Andi Sullivan and Lindsey Horan holding the ball for a spell as Canada’s protests died down and referee Katia García cleared the penalty area. However, once it came time to take the penalty, Horan handed Morgan the ball, and the veteran striker sent Sheridan the wrong way with a textbook spot kick.
“We knew that Alex was gonna take the PK, and actually all along in the tournament, she was the penalty taker,” Andonovski said, after previously demurring over who his top choice was earlier in the tournament.
“Before the final, I did speak to Alex about how she feels about taking the penalty, because obviously she’s going against her club teammate (Sheridan). But one thing I can say, she wanted to take it, and her answer was with confidence, which gave me confidence as well,” explained Andonovski. “But also, Alex is a big player, and big players are born for big moments.”
Like Morgan, Andonovski highlighted the youth movement within the USWNT, who took some criticism for being too veteran-heavy at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“It is very obvious that the team is significantly younger than the previous time we played Canada. Obviously they came with pretty much the same team from the Olympics, and we changed five players in the starting lineup,” said Andonovski, adding with a grin that players like Mallory Pugh, Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan, and Emily Fox “are gonna be here for at least three, maybe four World Cups. So, get used to them.”
While the mood was good, the USWNT still shifted focus towards the future. Andonovski even went so far as to admit that, due to a granular focus on just beating Canada and the broader creation of a plan for the next year’s build towards the 2023 World Cup, he forgot something rather important about the final of the W Championship.
“One other thing that I was just reminded a minute ago that I totally forgot about, was that we qualified for the Olympics,” said Andonovski, getting a big laugh from reporters in person at Estadio BBVA.
Speaking on CBS Sports Network’s postgame show, defender Alana Cook said the focus shifts towards some hyper-specific details.
"We came here with a few objectives and we've done all of it." 💪
Alana Cook talks with @jennyachiu after winning the @ConcacafW Championship. 🔒 pic.twitter.com/EfVms6AWiU
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 19, 2022
“Vlatko said earlier this tournament: we’re not quite ready yet, and I think it’s just it’s those little details. It’s set piece things, it’s throw-ins, it’s our tactical ability, learning, switching on the fly,” said Cook before summing up the team’s mental state.
“We came here with few objectives: win this tournament, qualify for World Cup, qualify for the Olympics and we’ve done all of it. So we’re proud. We’re not satisfied.”
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