Both games went to penalties. Monday’s final marked the first meeting between the two North American powers since August 2, 2021, when Canada won 1-0 on a 75th-minute spot kick by Jessie Fleming in the semi-final at the Tokyo Olympics. The Canadians went on to claim gold in a shootout win over Sweden, while the Americans settled for bronze after Australia’s win. This time the US got the crucial call. The American pressure paid off in the second half when Mexican referee Katia Garcia pointed to the penalty spot after Rose Lavelle went down following contact with substitute Alyssa Chapman. Veteran striker Alex Morgan stepped up and beat goalkeeper Kaylen Sheridan in the 78th minute for her 118th international goal. It was Canada’s first goal conceded in five games in the eight-team tournament. The Americans did not give up a goal. WATCHES | USA beats Canada to secure Olympic spot:
USA claims CONCACAF W Championship title with win over Canada
Canada’s women’s soccer team fails to clinch an automatic spot for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 1-0 loss to the United States. Olympic champion Canada can still make it to Paris, but will have to send No. 51 Jamaica to a CONCACAF Olympic play-in series, scheduled for September 2023. Canada coach Bev Priestman called it a “soft penalty”. But Chapman appeared to put a hand on the American’s back while accidentally cutting her right leg as he tried to chase her away. “A great game. I knew it was going to be tough. It’s a good margin at this level,” Priestman said. “Do I think it was our best performance against a Tier 1 team? No,” he added. “But that’s what finals are about. These things happen. The most important thing for us is to keep moving forward. And I’ll say that to the group. I’m incredibly proud of them.” Bev Priestman REACTION Form: “The group gave it their all, right to the end. We should take motivation from this defeat as we prepare for the World Cup.” pic.twitter.com/BnTpgBU8AQ —@CanadaSoccerEN Sheridan and Morgan are teammates with the NSWSL’s San Diego Wave FC. “Alex is a big player. And big players are born for big moments,” said U.S. coach Vlatko Antonovski, who played down Tokyo’s revenge factor. As CONCACAF champions, the Americans qualify for both the 2024 Paris Olympics and the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup, also scheduled for 2024.
Another route to Paris
Olympic champions Canada can still make it to Paris but will have to send No. 51 Jamaica to a CONCACAF Olympic play-in series scheduled for September 2023, with the winner booking their ticket to the Olympic Games and the Gold Cup. The Canadians beat Jamaica 3-0 in the CONCACAF semi-final. Substitute Kiki Van Zanten’s 102nd-minute goal gave Jamaica a 1-0 win over No. 37 Costa Rica in the third-place match earlier Monday at the Estadio BBVA. All four CONCACAF W semi-finalists have already booked their ticket to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by virtue of their participation in the final four of the tournament. No. 60 Haiti and No. 57 Panama, who finished third in their respective groups, advance to the intercontinental World Cup playoffs. The top-ranked USA had the better chances in the first half and had slightly more possession than sixth-placed Canada, but they couldn’t beat Sheridan and the teams went into the break scoreless. The Americans picked up the pace in the second half, continuing to be dangerous on the counterattack after winning the ball back. The Canadians were under the gun for stretches. After going down, the Canadians found renewed energy and came at the Americans, but couldn’t breach the US defense after six minutes of overtime. Canada’s Vanessa Gilles (14) is comforted by Jordyn Huitema after losing on Monday night. (Fernando Llano/The Associated Press) Priestman liked her team’s response to the goal. “They showed they were willing to do anything to get the result back,” he said. “We gave it our all and that’s all you can ask for [for].” The USA outshot Canada 14-9 (6-5 in shots on goal), according to CONCACAF. The USA improved to 52-4-7 against the Canadians — 9-0-1 in World Cup and Olympic qualifying, with each meeting coming in the tournament final. The Olympic semifinal victory in Kashima, Japan snapped a 36-game unbeaten streak by the USA (30-0-6) against Canada dating back to March 2001, when Canada posted its second straight victory over the Americans. The USA roster has seen a lot of turnover since Tokyo. Only five American players who started against Canada in the Olympics were in the starting lineup Monday — goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, captain Becky Sauerbrunn, Lindsey Horan, Lavelle and Morgan. Instead, nine of Canada’s starting 11 from that Olympic semifinal started Monday. A 10th, Chapman, came on in the 61st minute. The only starter missing from Olympiakos was goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe, who has since retired. The Canadian starters – unchanged from Thursday’s semi-final win over Jamaica – entered the game with a combined 1,171 caps with Christine Sinclair making her 315th appearance. The USA’s starting XI had a total of 849 caps with Sauerbrunn leading the way, winning her 207th cap. WATCHES | Canada knocks out Jamaica to reach final:
Canada knocks out Jamaica, advances to CONCACAF final with USA
Jessie Fleming’s early goal proved to be the winner as Canada beat Jamaica 3-0 in the CONCACAF Championship semi-finals. Canadian midfielder Julia Grosso won the tournament’s Golden Boot award as top scorer with three goals in a tiebreaker, while Sheridan was named top goalkeeper. Morgan was honored as the tournament’s top player. Canada also won the fair play award of the tournament. Both teams had stretches of possession in the first half with the USA having the upper hand in chances. The Americans got off to a fast start with Mallory Pugh forcing a save from Sheridan in the first minute. Three minutes later, Morgan shot just wide. The Canadiens responded with a pair of Nichelle Prince early shots that didn’t trouble Naeher. Prince beat two American defenders in the 17th minute, won a corner with the ensuing shot wide. Sheridan was forced to drop a dangerous USA cross in the 23rd. Sheridan made a diving save to deny Pugh in the 31st minute after a mad run by the American forward. A few Kailen Sheridan was named Best Goalkeeper while Julia Grosso was named Top Scorer! pic.twitter.com/LUBTWz3kyV —@CanadaSoccerEN The Americans’ best chance came in the 39th, when the Americans, on a quick-shooting counterattack, had a four-on-two rush only to see Pugh’s shot go high and wide. The half ended with the Americans threatening. Sheridan and center back Kadeisha Buchanan somehow combined in a tangle of bodies on the goal line to stop Sophia Smith from tapping in a low Sofia Huerta cross that had eluded sliding defender Vanessa Gilles. Smith had a brilliant chance in the 64th minute when a through ball put her behind the Canadian defence. He rounded Sheridan but couldn’t put the ball on target from a tight angle. Priestman sent on Grosso in the 57th minute. And the changes kept coming with Jordyn Huitema and Adriana Leon introduced in the 67th minute – with Sinclair coming off – in an attempt to inject some life into a stagnant Canadian attack. The Americans have now won 11 straight games, outscored the opposition 46-1, and are undefeated in 18 outings (15-0-3) since the Olympics. The Canadians, who saw their seven-game unbeaten streak end (5-0-2), are 8-3-4 since Tokyo. The U.S. women have won all five Olympic qualifying tournaments and eight of the nine World Cup qualifiers. The only blemish was in 2010 when the Americans lost to Mexico in the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying. The Americans went into Monday’s final with a 59-1-1 record in World Cup and Olympic qualifying matches. The tie came against Canada in the final of the 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, although the USA prevailed on penalties to win the tournament. Canada and the USA have met in five of the previous 10 CONCACAF women’s finals, with the USA winning all five. The U.S. women’s soccer team poses with the championship trophy and golden ball as winners of the CONCACAF W Championship tournament on Monday night. (Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images) The Canadians won the CONCACAF tournament in 1998 (when the U.S. did not host the 1999 Women’s World Cup) and 2010, beating Mexico in the final both times. The Americans won the remaining nine editions, including the last three. The North American rivals blazed a similar trail heading into Monday’s final, each winning four games while outscoring the opposition 12-0. Canada and the USA defeated Jamaica and Costa Rica, respectively, by scores of 3-0 in Thursday’s semifinal match. Nine different Americans had scored en route to the final compared to eight for Canada.
