Alex Morgan took a penalty in the second half of the second half to win the United States 1-0 against Canada in the CONCACAF W Championship final in Monterrey, Mexico on Monday night.
This game was a rematch of the Olympic semi-final game last summer. Canada won 1-0 and won the gold medal in Tokyo. With this victory, USWNT won the spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It feels good to be called a champion, so this game feels good to us,” Morgan said after the match. “Canada gave us a run for our money, but we won, and we feel good about it.”
Vratko Andnovsky’s side was vibrant from the start, with Mallory Pugh’s blockbuster Volley testing Canadian keeper Kailen Sheridan and Morgan, right next to the far post within the first five minutes. I fired.
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Both teams continued to have a chance at the opening around the 45th minute, and Sheridan managed to defend Sophia Smith’s close-range shot shortly before the half ended 0-0.
Smith missed another great opportunity shortly after the hour mark. After overtaking the Canadian Department of Defense with a fully heavy through ball from Morgan, Smith rounded Sheridan, but her efforts ended in a sidenet as she slipped to shoot into a wide open goal. ..
Canada’s Allysha Chapman fouled the Rose Label in the penalty area in the 76th minute, and Morgan sent Sheridan in the wrong direction with a spot kick to lead the United States. This is Morgan’s 118th overall career goal for USWNT, and she ended up as a player in the W Championship tournament.
“I haven’t been on the team for the last eight months,” Morgan added. “So I could focus on San Diego, which helped me mentally and physically, and back to the team my role just increased and it felt good.
“I feel good overall, happy, healthy, confident and able to contribute exactly to what I’m looking for. So I’m in very good shape right now.”
Canada was flooded with late opportunities, including a header from the widespread substitute Jordyn Huitema, as Andnovsky saw the results.
This victory expanded USWNT’s overall record in the World Cup and Olympic qualifying matches to 60-1-1, making it the only defeat against Mexico in 2011.
In third place, Jamaica defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in overtime, scoring a goal for Carissa van Zanten and qualifying for her second CONCACAF at the Paris Olympics next September.
All four teams from the United States, Canada, Jamaica and Costa Rica have already secured spots at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by reaching the semi-finals of the W Championship.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
