The United States women's national team defeated Canada in the Concacaf W Championship final 1-0 on Monday night in Monterrey, Mexico. Alex Morgan scored the lone goal for the team, a perfectly converted penalty kick in the 78th minute. Morgan sent a ball through to Rose Lavelle on a run into the box, and Allysha Chapman clipped her for a penalty kick that was confirmed by VAR. Morgan did the rest, sending the goalkeeper the other way with a low finish.
The USWNT's win against Canada earns the champs a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and a place in the 2024 W Gold Cup. The victory is also the ninth Concacaf title for the U.S. and third consecutive.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski continued player rotation throughout this tournament and up to the championship final, though for the final he made only two adjustments from the semifinal against Costa Rica. The match also featured five players who started against Canada during last summer's Olympics semifinal, which Canada won.
This time around, the U.S. were the more creative team in attack, recording 17 shots to Canada's 11. The Americans were sharper throughout and were unlucky not to score before the penalty kick. Canada had some chances to draw level, but Alyssa Naeher was up for the task in goal, coming up with the routine saves needed to secure the result and the trophy.
Earlier in the third-place match, Jamaica beat Costa Rica 1-0.
Objectives achieved
The United States entered the tournament as heavy favorites to win the competition. They're eight-time winners of the tournament with two consecutive Concacaf titles. Though the 2019 World Cup Champions looked a bit different under Andonovksi after their bronze medal finish in the Tokyo Olympics.
Andonovski and his coaching staff began expanding the player pool in September 2021, bringing players like Sophia Smith, Mallory Pugh, and Andi Sullivan into the mix during the USWNT's post-Olympic tour. A pair of friendlies to close out the 2021 calendar year saw more national team debuts and the return of more NWSL talent into the mix with Casey Murphy, Sofia Huerta, and Ashley Hatch among others.
The omission of USWNT mainstays like Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Morgan was part of an eight-month long process to allow for some new blood. Though, in this tournament, with their eventual return, we ultimately saw their performances help carry the team through their main objectives, qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, winning the Concacaf W Championship, and earning a place in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Alex Morgan is unstoppable in 2022
Morgan scored the lone goal in the championship final, converting a penalty in the 78th minute against Canada, and earning the golden ball this tournament. The 33-year-old striker has had a remarkable run of form this year with her NWSL club side San Diego Wave FC.
Morgan entered the tournament with 11 goals for her club this season, with four of them converted penalties. The league is taking a brief summer break, but when it returns to play Morgan will still be in the lead for the NWSL's golden boot as no other forward in NWSL was able to cut into her goal lead. Fellow national team players Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh are Morgan's closest competitors in the golden boot race with eight and six goals respectively.
Player rotation provides crucial experience
Several players on Andonovski's roster were competing in their first ever World Cup qualifying tournament. Nearly every player in the squad earned match minutes throughout the tournament with the exception of third goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, and Sam Coffey. Coffey was called into national team duty after Ashley Hatch was pulled from the competition with a back strain.
Players considered "next generation" players were crucial to the tournament, including Sophia Smith and Emily Fox, who each saw extended minutes over the course of the competition. Ahead of naming the 23 player roster for the Concacaf W Championship, Andonovski stated that injury and players on maternity leave helped shape the roster. After winning a multi-qualifying tournament -- the competition for roles on the pitch just got more elevated -- and that means the player pool will only get stronger as more players return to the mix.
Up next
U.S. Soccer recently announced that the USWNT will play a pair of friendlies against Nigeria in Kansas City and Washington D.C. in September. Ahead of the international friendlies, the majority of players on the United States roster will have a break before returning to play in the National Women's Soccer League. The league is also taking a break in play this week and will return to play on July 29.
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