USWNT beats Haiti in Concacaf W Championship opener

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USWNT beats Haiti in Concacaf W Championship opener

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MONTERREY, Mexico — There was never much doubt as to whether the United States women’s national soccer team, which has been the game’s flag-bearer for more than three decades, would defeat Haiti on the opening night of the Concacaf W Championship.

Taking this proposal a step further, there is little doubt that the top-ranked Americans will rush to a 2023 World Cup spot and perhaps claim the region’s first Olympic spot.

However, there are two weeks of work to do here and on Monday night at the Estadio Universitario the four-time world champions passed their first light test with a 3-0 victory that was hardly convincing.

Alex Morgan scored twice in seven minutes in the first half and substitute Margaret Purce added a goal in the 84th minute, but No 60 Haiti were far from overwhelmed. The second half would have been convincing had it not been for a failed one-on-one and a missed penalty before the break.

The Americans were neither upset nor unconcerned as they defeated Haiti in a 49-0 aggregate victory for the eighth time.

“That was far from our best performance,” said captain Becky Sauerbrunn. “But this type of tournament is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. So we just have to keep working our way through it.”

The United States, who need one more win to safely advance to the World Championships in Australia and New Zealand, will take on Jamaica’s 51st Reggae Girlz on Thursday at Monterrey’s other venue, the Estadio BBVA.

In the second game on Monday, Jamaica surprised hosts Mexico 1-0 with an eighth-minute goal from Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. Canada, Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago are in Group B, which starts on Tuesday.

Two teams in each group will receive World Championship spots. The greater challenge for the United States is to win the tournament for the ninth time in 10 attempts, a goal that would likely require beating Canada, the reigning Olympic gold medalist. The tournament winner gets a seat at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while the second- and third-placed teams will have to face off in a two-legged playoff next year to earn a ticket to France.

Despite their high status, the Americans came with many players who have never played in consistent senior-level competition.

“You can only get it from big tournaments like this and get out of the country,” said Morgan, who turned 33 on Saturday. “So having it here in Mexico is an important step, especially for the younger players to understand some pressure situations that they’ve never been in before.”

Morgan added: “That will help us a lot as we hopefully qualify and look towards the World Cup and the Olympics. We will look back at those tournaments that helped these players grow.”

Another veteran player, substitute Megan Rapinoe, rated her team’s performance “probably a 7 out of 10. Good goals, had a few chances, definitely needs to be sharper, more disciplined, a bit more reckless.”

The stunning performance came against a Haitian line-up featuring eight players from non-powers in the French league and three from US colleges: Georgetown goalkeeper Lara Larco; Virginia defenseman Claire Constant, 2018 Post All-Met Player of the Year from TC Williams, now Alexandria City High; and Ruthny Mathurin of Louisiana Lafayette.

Haiti had three major threats in the first half. Kethna Louis’s header from a free kick went just wide of the far post. Melchie Dumornay burned down Sauerbrunn only for goalkeeper Casey Murphy to block her clear shot. Then, after Emily Fox defeated Nerilia Mondesir in the box, Roselord Borgella took the penalty from the left post while Murphy dived the other way.

“It was actually good to see such a team because I think they will prepare us for the future,” said US coach Vlatko Andonovski. “We have to do better because it won’t be easier against Jamaica.”

Morgan scored twice to take her career total to 117 goals in 193 games.

USWNT heads to Mexico to qualify – and get revenge

Shortly after hitting the bar with a header, she broke the deadlock with a clever touch in the 16th minute. Mallory Pugh crossed from the right wing. Morgan made a near-post run and, without looking at the target, kept her feet on the edge of the six-yard box and used the outside of her right shoe to deflect the ball into the net.

In the 23rd, Kelley O’Hara delivered a high ball that Morgan headed over Larco with an arc from seven yards.

The second half was slow and predictable. The Americans weren’t able to flex their muscles, but Haiti wasn’t good enough to make a move. Andonovski made all five changes in the first 28 minutes of the half, partly to inject needed energy but mainly to rest the starters and deliver minutes for his deep bench.

Rapinoe set up Purce for what appeared to be a goal, but video replay showed Rapinoe being flagged for offside in the build-up. Rapinoe delivered Purce again, but Larco thwarted the chance. Purce eventually scored her goal, placing the ball in the heart of the box and shoving it into the left corner for her fourth goal in 16 US games.

“It’s huge for us to come out with three points and a shutout,” said midfielder Andi Sullivan. “There are definitely a lot of things we want to improve, but a solid start.”

Remarks: Two players from DC area high schools – Fox (Stone Bridge) and Sullivan (South County) – were on the starting lineup, and Purce (Good Counsel) stepped in at halftime. …

FIFA announced that two New Zealand cities, Auckland and Hamilton, will host a 10-nation playoff tournament in February to determine the final three World Cup teams. The participants come from Asia (Thailand and Taiwan), Africa (two teams), Concacaf (two), South America (two), Europe (one) and Oceania (one). The third-place teams from the Concacaf group game in Monterrey advance to the playoffs.

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