Canadians lose CONCACAF W Championship final to the U.S. on Alex Morgan penalty
MONTERREY, Mexico — The U.S. bought a measure of revenge for his or her Olympic semifinal loss to Canada by defeating their North American rival 1-0 within the CONCACAF W Championship closing Monday.
Each video games turned on a penalty.
Monday’s closing marked the primary assembly between the 2 North American powers since Aug. 2, 2021, when Canada gained 1-0 on a Seventy fifth-minute Jessie Fleming spot kick within the Tokyo Olympics semifinal. The Canadian girls went on to assert gold in a penalty shootout win over Sweden whereas the Individuals settled for bronze after beating Australia.
This time the U.S. bought the essential name.
American stress paid off within the second half when Mexican referee Katia Garcia pointed to the penalty spot after Rose Lavelle went down after contact from substitute Allysha Chapman. Veteran ahead Alex Morgan stepped up and beat goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan within the 78th minute for her 118th worldwide purpose.
It was the primary purpose conceded by Canada in 5 video games on the eight-team event. The Individuals didn’t surrender a purpose.
Canada coach Bev Priestman referred to as it a “comfortable penalty.” However Chapman appeared to place a hand on the American’s again whereas inadvertently clipping her proper foot as she tried to chase her down.
“An excellent sport. I knew it was going to be tight. … It is wonderful margins at this stage,” stated Priestman.
“Do I feel it was our greatest efficiency in opposition to a Tier 1 workforce? No ,” she added. “However that is what finals are about. This stuff occur. Crucial factor for us is that we hold shifting ahead. And I will say that to the group. I am extremely happy with them.”
Sheridan and Morgan are teammates with the NSWSL’s San Diego Wave FC.
“Alex is an enormous participant. And massive gamers are born for large moments,” stated U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski, who downplayed the Tokyo revenge issue.
As CONCACAF champion, the Individuals qualify for each the 2024 Paris Olympics and inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup, additionally scheduled for 2024.
Olympic champion Canada can nonetheless get to Paris however should dispatch No. 51 Jamaica in a CONCACAF Olympic play-in sequence, scheduled for September 2023, with the winner reserving their ticket to the Olympics and Gold Cup. The Canadians beat Jamaica 3-0 within the CONCACAF semifinal.
Substitute Kiki Van Zanten’s 102nd-minute purpose gave Jamaica a 1-0 victory over No. 37 Costa Rica within the third-place sport earlier Monday at Estadio BBVA.
All 4 CONCACAF W semifinalists have already booked their ticket to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by advantage of creating the event closing 4. No. 60 Haiti and No. 57 Panama, who positioned third of their respective teams, transfer on to a World Cup intercontinental playoff.
The highest-ranked U.S. had the higher probabilities within the first half and had barely extra possession than sixth-ranked Canada however couldn’t beat Sheridan and the groups went into the break scoreless.
The Individuals picked up the tempo within the second half, persevering with to be harmful on the counterattack after profitable the ball again. The Canadians discovered themselves beneath the gun for stretches.
After taking place, the Canadians discovered renewed vitality and got here on the Individuals, however couldn’t breach the U.S. defence via six minutes of stoppage time.
Priestman appreciated her workforce’s response to the purpose.
“They confirmed that they had been prepared to do something to get the consequence again,” she stated. “We gave it the whole lot and that is all you may ask (for).”
The U.S. outshot Canada 14-9 (6-5 in photographs on the right track), in line with CONCACAF.
The U.S. improved to 52-4-7 in opposition to the Canadians — 9-0-1 in World Cup and Olympic qualifying, with each assembly coming within the closing of the event.
The Olympic semifinal win in Kashima, Japan, snapped a 36-match U.S. unbeaten run (30-0-6) in opposition to Canada that dated again to March 2001, when Canada posted a second straight win over the Individuals.
The U.S. roster has undergone a serious turnover since Tokyo.
Solely 5 American gamers who began in opposition to Canada on the Olympics had been within the beginning lineup Monday — goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, captain Becky Sauerbrunn, Lindsey Horan, Lavelle and Morgan.
In distinction, 9 of Canada’s beginning 11 from that Olympic semifinal began Monday. A tenth, Chapman, got here on within the 61st minute. The one Olympic starter lacking was goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe, who has since retired.
The Canadian starters — unchanged from Thursday’s semifinal win over Jamaica — got here into the sport with a mixed 1,171 caps with Christine Sinclair making her 315th look. The U.S. beginning 11 had a mixed 849 caps with Sauerbrunn main the best way, incomes her 207th cap.
Canadian midfielder Julia Grosso earned the event’s Golden Boot Award as high scorer with three targets, by way of a tiebreaker, whereas Sheridan was named high goalkeeper. Morgan was honoured because the event’s high participant.
Canada additionally gained the event’s truthful play award.
Each groups had stretches of possession within the first half with the U.S. having the sting in probabilities.
The Individuals began rapidly with Mallory Pugh forcing a save by Sheridan within the first minute. Three minutes later, Morgan shot simply extensive. The Canadians responded with a pair of early Nichelle Prince photographs that didn’t bother Naeher.
Prince beat two American defenders within the seventeenth minute, incomes a nook along with her ensuing deflected shot. Sheridan was pressured to punch away a harmful U.S. cross within the twenty third.
Sheridan made a diving save to disclaim Pugh within the thirty first minute after a surging run by the American ahead.
The Individuals’ greatest probability was within the thirty ninth when the Individuals, on a rapid-fire counterattack, had a four-on-two rush solely to see Pugh’s shot squib excessive and extensive.
The half ended with the Individuals threatening. Sheridan and centre again Kadeisha Buchanan by some means mixed in a tangle of our bodies on the purpose line to cease Sophia Smith from poking in a low Sofia Huerta cross that had eluded sliding defender Vanessa Gilles.
Smith had a wonderful probability within the sixty fourth when a via ball put her behind the Canadian defence. She rounded Sheridan however couldn’t put the ball on the right track from a decent angle.
Priestman despatched Grosso within the 57th minute. And the modifications saved coming with Jordyn Huitema and Adriana Leon launched within the 67th minute — with Sinclair exiting — in a bid to inject some life in a Canadian assault that had gone stagnant.
The Individuals have now gained 11 straight video games, outscoring the opposition 46-1, and are unbeaten in 18 outings (15-0-3) because the Olympics. The Canadian girls, who noticed their seven-game unbeaten run finish (5-0-2), are 8-3-4 since Tokyo.
The U.S. girls have gained all 5 Olympic qualifying tournaments during which they’ve participated and eight of 9 World Cup qualifying tournaments. The lone blemish was 2010 when the Individuals misplaced to Mexico within the semifinal spherical of World Cup qualifying.
The Individuals went into Monday’s closing with a 59-1-1 file in World Cup and Olympic qualifying matches. The draw got here in opposition to Canada within the closing of the 2008 Olympic Qualifying Match though the U.S. prevailed on penalty kicks to win the event.
Canada and the U.S. had met in 5 of the earlier 10 CONCACAF girls’s finals, with the U.S. profitable all 5.
The Canadian girls gained the CONCACAF event in 1998 (when the U.S. didn’t participate as host of the 1999 Ladies’s World Cup) and 2010, beating Mexico within the closing each instances. The Individuals have gained the opposite 9 editions, together with the final three.
The North American rivals blazed an similar path in reaching Monday’s closing, every profitable 4 video games whereas outscoring the opposition 12-0. Canada and the U.S. dispatched Jamaica and Costa Rica, respectively, by 3-0 scores in semifinal play Thursday.
9 completely different Individuals had scored en path to the ultimate in comparison with eight for Canada.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first printed July 18, 2022
The Canadian Press
