Alex Morgan celebrates her penalty kick, which was the game-winning goal.  (Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

Almost two years to the day of the kickoff of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the U.S. women’s national team booked a spot in the Summer Games by besting Canada in the Concacaf W Championship.

The Americans avenged a stinging semifinal defeat in last year’s Tokyo Olympics in a 1-0 victory at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico on Monday night.

Alex Morgan converted a penalty kick in the 78th minute for the Americans, who avenging a stinging defeat in last year’s Tokyo Olympics, captured the Concacaf title for the ninth time and qualified for the Summer Games for the eighth time.

“It just always feels good to be called a champion,” Morgan said. “This game just is always going to mean a lot. Canada, they gave us a run for our money, but we prevailed and feel good about the performance.”

“She’s a winner. She knows how to win big games,” USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said about Morgan. “She knows how to perform in in big games. And for her to be on the field to to showcase that and to have [younger players] soft on the side next to her, that’s a big win for us. There’s a big win for this team in the country because they are going have to take that over and learn on the spot from one of the best.”

The Paris Games are set to kick off on July 26, 2024.

In some respects, the game mirrored the Olympic semifinals. The Canadians prevailed on Jessie Fleming’s 75th-minute penalty kick and went on to win the gold medal while the four-time Olympic champion Americans settled for a bronze.

This encounter of Concacaf’s best sides also was decided by a penalty kick about the same time.

The Canadians will play Jamaica, 1-0 extratime winners over Costa Rica in the third-place match, for the right to reach the Summer Olympics, in September 2023.

The top four finishers had qualified for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by reaching the semifinals of this tournament.

Second-half substitute Allysha Chapman fouled Rose Lavelle in the box as the Americans were awarded a penalty kick. Morgan, the Golden Boot winner, powered her attempt to the lower right corner as goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan dove in the opposite direction.

“I believe or at least it should be checked,” Canada head coach Bev Priestman said about VAR. “I think it was a soft penalty. But these things happen. A decision that was made. I think the most important thing for me was how the group responded from it. It didn’t define the performance at the end.”

It was Morgan’s third goal of the tournament after scoring twice for the USA in its 3-0 win over Haiti in the tournament opener on July 4. Morgan also has 118 international goals.

It also was the first goal the Canadians conceded in five matches in the competition.

Morgan is enjoying a great season with the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League. This has just added to her spoils.

“Honestly, like I wasn’t with the team the last like eight months and so I was able to just focus on San Diego,” she said. “I didn’t have to play due my child, catering for two different coaches and styles. That helped me mentally physically … so that was really nice. Coming back into the team like my role just like it just increased throughout the tournament. … Some of the younger players are able to kind of look up into the older player especially in big tournament like this. You just can’t replicate that with friendlies or the SheBelieves [Cup].”

U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who started over Casey Murphy, recorded the shutout, making a save on the final play of the game in the seventh minute of stoppage time, giving the champions five consecutive clean sheets in the competition.

The Americans haven’t allowed a goal in qualifying since a 2-1 semifinal loss to Mexico on Nov. 5, 2010 – 4,273 days ago.

The USA dominated the match and had several close encounters to find the elusive goal before Morgan scored her goal.

“I think what you see tonight is World Cup champions against Olympic champions,” Priestman said. “I think that’s what it felt like, Tokyo was decided on a penalty tonight was decided on apparently so it’s fine margins at this level.”

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.