The U.S. women’s soccer team doesn’t rebuild so much as it reloads. It’s a circle of life that goes back nearly a generation, to when Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm were replaced by Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd, who then gave way to Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.
What doesn’t change, though, are the results, something a youthful, inexperienced U.S. team proved Monday night when it beat Canada 1-0 in the final of the CONCACAF W Championship at Estadio BBVA, earning an automatic berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The victory was the 31st consecutive in CONCACAF World Cup and Olympic qualifiers dating to 2010 and the 31st consecutive to come by way of shutout. The Americans have outscored teams 149-0 in that span.
And while Monday’s victory wasn’t as dominant as past wins — the only goal came on Morgan’s 78th-minute penalty kick — it christened a new wave of players who have rejuvenated what was an aging team.
When the United States lost to Canada in the semifinals of last summer’s Tokyo Olympics — on a penalty kick — it had the oldest team in the tournament. So after the team’s bronze-medal performance, the second-worst finish for the U.S. women in the Summer Games, coach Vlatko Andonovski set about remaking a roster that also was weakened by injuries and maternity leaves.
As a result, nine women who played in that Olympic loss to Canada weren’t on the team in Mexico and 13 who were here were participating in their first World Cup or Olympic qualifying tournament.
For Andonovski, getting that experience heading into a World Cup year was almost as valuable as getting the win, the team’s 19th straight since the last meeting against Canada.
“Some of the players have never been in a situation like this, competing for first place, and grinding out a win or being able to win big tournaments,” said Andonovski, who used five lineups and started 20 of the 23 women on his roster in the five games.
But it’s also been a tournament in which Morgan has embraced the mantle of leadership, following in the oversized footsteps of Foudy, Hamm and Wambach. She acknowledged she has become more vocal on the field.
“Alex is, first and foremost, a very good player,” Andonovski said. “But also [her] experience, going to tournaments like this and winning tournaments like this. It’s something that she’s very good at, winning. But also passing on the experiences.”
United States’ Alex Morgan, right, controls the ball against Canada’s Vanessa Gilles during the CONCACAF Women’s Championship final in Monterrey, Mexico on Monday.
(Fernando Llano / Associated Press)
At 33, Morgan is playing as well as she has at any point in her career. She leads the NWSL with a career-high 11 goals in 10 games for the expansion San Diego Wave and had a team-leading three goals in the qualifying tournament.
And she got the only one her team would need Monday after Canadian defender Allysha Chapman reached out her right arm to bring down Rose Lavelle in the penalty area with about 15 minutes left in regulation, earning the penalty. Lindsey Horan originally took the ball to the spot but yielded to Morgan, who, after a pause, drove a low, left-footed shot inside the right post.
Canadian keeper Kailen Sheridan, who dove the other way, deserved a better fate for a marvelous game in which she made five saves.
Canada now has lost to the top-ranked Americans in the final of last five World Cup and Olympic qualifying tournaments in which it has played, with the latest defeat costing it an automatic berth in the 2024 Games. The reigning Olympic champions, ranked sixth in the world by FIFA, still can qualify for Paris by beating Jamaica — a 1-0 extra-time winner over Costa Rica in Monday’s third-place game — in a playoff next summer.
Both the United States and Canada, along with Jamaica and Costa Rica, qualified for next summer’s World Cup simply by making the semifinals here.
“It’s one tournament,” Canadian captain Christine Sinclair said. “Obviously, we have a long way to go in terms of catching the Americans.
“We’re building. We’re getting better. Hopefully [we’ll be] a mainstay for years to come.”
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