The situation wasn’t settled until the very end of the group stage, but the U.S. and Canada both went undefeated and won their groups as expected at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
The Canadians defeated Costa Rica, 3-1, to win Group B and send Jamaica into the semis against the U.S. in the final rounds, to be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Sunday (14th) and on the 17th for the medal matches:
∙ Semis: 14 October at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time
∙ Third: 17 October at 5 p.m. Eastern
∙ Final: 17 October at 8 p.m. Eastern
All of the tournament games will be shown on FS1 or FS2, as well as Univision.
The U.S. finished off group play by beating Trinidad & Tobago, 7-0, in a rainy game before 3,996 fans in Cary, North Carolina. After an early goal by Alex Morgan, the U.S. hit the goal posts and crossbar four times before exploring for three goals in the final four minutes of the first half. Rose Lavelle scored twice, in the 41st and 43rd minutes and then Crystal Dunn scored in the 45th minute for a 4-0 halftime lead. Lindsey Horan (49th minute), Morgan (50th) and Tobin Heath (58th) scored in the second half.
Perhaps the most amazing statistic in the game was that the U.S. attempted 59 shots to none for Trinidad & Tobago. Over the three group games, the U.S. outshot its three opponents in the first half, 57-0, and 117-7 in total, on the way to an 18-0 scoreline.
Scores and standings:
∙ Group A:
4 October: Panama 3, Trinidad & Tobago 0 ∙ United States 6, Mexico 0
7 October: United States 5, Panama 0 ∙ Mexico 4, Trinidad & Tobago 1
10 October: Panama 2, Mexico 0 ∙ United States 7, Trinidad & Tobago 0
(Games at Shalen’s Stadium: Cary, North Carolina)
Standings: 1. United States (3-0); 2. Panama (2-1); 3. Mexico (1-2); Trinidad & Tobago (0-3).
∙ Group B:
5 October: Canada 2, Jamaica 0 ∙ Costa Rica 8, Cuba 0
8 October: Jamaica 1, Costa Rica 0 ∙ Canada 12, Cuba 0
11 October: Jamaica 9, Cuba 0 ∙ Canada 3, Costa Rica 1
(Games at H-E-B Park: Edinburg, Texas)
Standings: 1. Canada (3-0); 2. Jamaica (2-1); 3. Costa Rica (1-2); 4. Cuba (0-3).
The stakes in this tournament are high: the top three teams will qualify directly to the 2019 World Cup, with a fourth team moving into a play-off, with that winner to qualify.
The U.S. now has an unbeaten streak of 24 (21-0-3) games since a loss to Australia in mid-2017. In 2018, the U.S. women are 14-0-2 and have outscored their opponents, 54-10. The U.S. women are now 11-0-0 vs. Trinidad & Tobago all-time.
This is the 10th edition of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship, first held in 1991. The U.S. has dominated the event, winning in 1991-93-94-2000-02-06-14 and taking the bronze medal in 2010. All-time, the American women have now compiled a 30-1-0 record in this tournament (176-5 on goals scored!), losing only in 2010 and did not compete in 1999 as an automatic qualifier for the World Cup as the host country. Canada won the 1998 and 2010 tournaments.
Look for the scores here.
