Monterrey, Mexico, July 19 (BUS): Alex Morgan never gets tired of winning trophies, even after so many titles already.
Morgan converted a penalty in the 78th minute and the US women’s team won the CONCACAF W Championship 1-0 over Canada on Monday night to secure a spot in the region at the 2024 Olympics, The Associated Press reported.
“It’s always good to be called the champion, and this game means a lot to us. It always means a lot,” Morgan said. “Obviously, against Canada, they gave us a chance to get our money, but we won and we feel good about the performance.”
As FIFA President Gianni Infantino watched from a special box, the United States finally broke a stalemate when Rose Lavelle was fouled in the penalty area and Morgan tricked Canadian goalkeeper Kaelin Sheridan with a penalty. It was Morgan’s 118th goal in his football career.
“Alex is a great player, and great players are born for great moments,” said USA coach Vlatko Andonovsky. “That’s what makes it special.”
Jamaica beat Costa Rica 1-0 in overtime earlier on Monday to finish third in the tournament.
All four semi-finalists earlier secured places at the 2023 World Cup next summer in Australia and New Zealand. Canada, runner-up, will play Jamaica in a playoff to host the other Olympic zone in September 2023.
The United States is now 33-0 in World Cup or Olympic qualifying matches since losing to Mexico 2-1 before the 2011 World Cup.
The match was a rematch of the Olympic semi-final a year ago in Tokyo. Canada beat the United States 1-0 with a late penalty to advance to the final, their first victory over the Americans in 20 years.
The Canadians went on to win the gold medal on penalties with Sweden. The US team finished with the bronze medal.
Alyssa Naher was in the USA goal in place of Casey Murphy who started the final game of the tournament. Defender Emily Fox is also back in the lineup from the COVID-19 protocol.
The United States has changed since the Olympics, and Morgan is now one of the older players on the roster, surrounded by rising talents such as forward Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh.
But it’s clear that the team has benefited from the consistent veteran presences of Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn. All three are veterans who have won two World Cup titles and know what it takes to deliver on the big stage.
Temperatures were swirling in the low 90s at the start of the game at Estadio BBVA. Sheridan received a great save in the 31st minute when Pugh broke the right side and fired a powerful shot on goal.
She submitted again in the 45th minute, assisted by teammate Kadisha Buchanan, in a scramble for Smith to score on the goal line. Smith had another chance in the 64th minute, but he went too far.
Canada had a string of late chances, including a header from Jordyn Huitema that went too far.
“I think the thing that pleased me the most was, after you got the penalty, to come back from the group after that, they showed that they are willing to do anything to get the result back. We gave everything and that’s all you can ask for,” Canada coach Bev Priestman said.
Kalyssa van Zanten scored in the 102nd minute to give Jamaica the advantage in the previous game. Van Xanten, who plays for Notre Dame, entered the match as a substitute in the 99th minute and scored with a perfect pass from Drew Spence.
“I spoke to her before she came in and told her there was a target in those boots and I just nodded and gave her some confidence,” said Jamaica coach Lorne Donaldson, who took over the reggae girls training early last month amid the turmoil.
Perhaps Costa Rica’s best chance came in the first half when Melissa Herrera faced Jamaica goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer alone, but her shot was far from the left.
Rocky Rodriguez, who plays for the Portland Thorns in the Women’s National Football League, hit the post with a shot in injury time, and the game went into overtime.
Costa Rica fell to the United States 3-0 in the semi-finals, while Jamaica lost to Canada 3-0. Both Jamaica and Costa Rica have competed in the World Cup once before.
The United States has participated in every World Cup since its inception in 1991. The Americans have won four titles, including the last two in 2015 and 2019.