The U.S. women’s national team will play Canada in the final of the CONCACAF W Championship for a spot in the 2024 Olympics.
The United States beat Costa Rica 3-0 in the semifinals
Thursday night on goals from Emily Sonnett, Mallory Pugh and Ashley Sanchez.
Canada downed Jamaica 3-0 in the late game to advance to earn the other spot
Monday night in the championship.
The four teams had already qualified for the region’s berths
at the 2023 Women’s World Cup as the top finishers in the group stage. The
winner of the W Championship additionally earns one of the region’s spots in
the Olympics.
The U.S. team extended its shutout streak in World Cup or
Olympic qualifying matches to 32 games.
“I think we need to be overall sharper,” Sonnett said about
facing Canada. “I don’t think our team’s very satisfied that win. There’s a lot
that we need to focus on.,”
The United States have won the past two World Cups, but the
Americans are heading into next summer’s tournament in Australia and New
Zealand with a different look. Coach Vlatko Andonovski has focused on
developing young talent since winning the bronze medal at last year’s Olympics,
and up-and-coming players including Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh have cracked
the starting lineup.
A few veterans remain, including Alex Morgan and Becky
Sauerbrunn, who both started on Thursday.
Morgan had the team’s best chances early on. One of her
opportunities, a left-footed shot, went wide left in the 13th minute.
Defender Sonnett broke through with her first international
goal in the 33rd minute. Pugh scored her first goal of the tournament in
first-half stoppage time — with a backheel assist from Rose Lavelle — to give
the United States a 2-0 lead at the break.
Sanchez capped the victory with her goal in stoppage time.
Casey Murphy got the starting nod in goal for the United
States.
“Obviously, it’s a semifinal, we’re here to go to the final,
to win the final,” Murphy said. That was one step to get to there.”
For Costa Rica, Noelia Bermudez made the first start of the
tournament in goal. Costa Rica won its first two group-stage matches before
falling to Canada 2-0 on Monday.
Jessie Fleming scored for Canada in the 18th minute of the
late game at Estadio Universitario. The conditions were muggy, with
temperatures in the mid-90s at the start of the night.
Allysha Chapman added a goal on a header in the 64th minute.
It was her first international goal since 2015. Adriana Leon scored in the
76th.
In addition to the four direct berths in the World Cup, the
third-place finishers in the two groups at the W Championship, Panama and
Haiti, advanced to an intercontinental playoff in February in New Zealand. -AP