Women’s Soccer, July 2022: A Series
This is the second post in a series devoted to the 117 games of international women’s football played in July 2022, covering the first two rounds of the group stage in North and Central America’s CONCACAF competition. Tomorrow, we’ll get to the main event: Round 1 of the 2022 Euros.

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W Championship – Group Stage (4^th-8^th)

Following the end of the first round of WAfCoN group stage games on Monday the 4^th, CONCACAF’s W Championship kicked off in Monterrey, Mexico. It featured two seeded groups of four, with the top two sides going directly into a semifinals. Semifinalists would qualify for the World Cup, while 3^rd place in each group entered the 10-team Inter-Confederation Playoffs next February. The tournament winner would also qualify for the Olympics, while the 3^rd-place team won the dubious honor of playing the runner-up in a September play-off for CONCACAF’s 2nd spot Olympic spot.

In a region of palpable inequities, expected finalists Canada and the United States had qualified directly through their FIFA rankings. The top six remaining teams were seeded into a 6-group, 30-nation qualifying tournament, originally scheduled for November but postponed by COVID until February. The seeds proved amply justified, as they collectively dropped only two points, Trinidad and Tobago tying Guyana in a final game where they only required a tie to advance.

While anything but a United States – Canada final would have been a shocking turn of events, those sides were as closely positioned as ever given Canada’s gold medal performance at the 2020 Olympics—which included a narrow 1-0 victory over the US in the semifinals. For many American viewers, this tournament’s primary function would be as a referendum on Vlatko Andonovski’s tenure as US manager, with victory constituting a bare minimum in terms of results. Hosts Mexico and Costa Rica were strong favorites for the other semifinalist spots.

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In Group A, the United States celebrated their Independence Day with a 3-0 win over Haiti in an opening game that was closer than the scoreline suggested. Alex Morgan had a first half brace, the first a brilliant backheeled flick off a Mallory Pugh cross that snuck in at the near post. But Haiti had chances of their own created largely by Melchie Dumornay, including a penalty won by Nérilla Mondésir but missed by Roselord Borgella. The US continued to dominate in the second half, but were unable to add to their lead until the 84’, when halftime substitute Midge Purce added a third.

Later that night, hosts Mexico went down early against Jamaica to a Khadija “Bunny” Shaw header off a free kick. While Mexico were the better side for the rest of the first half and competitive in the second, they were unable to make up the difference. It was an unexpected loss for a team on a run of 10 games undefeated coming into the tournament (including a win and tie against Canada), and set up a must-win match on Thursday the 7^th against Haiti.

But Mexico again conceded early, giving up a penalty that Borgella converted in the opening quarter hour. They would concede another penalty in the second half, scored by Mondésir, and then lose both starting center-backs, Rebeca Bernal to a serious injury and Greta Espinoza to a red card, the latter setting up a lovely free kick scored by Sherly Jeudy for a 3-0 win.

Earlier the same evening, the United States ran out 5-0 winners against Jamaica despite Andonovski rotating five players, for the most part bringing in younger players to a starting side that had already featured 4 W Championship debutants. The best goal was again the first, Sofia Smith producing a brilliant flick off the outside of her right boot, the first of two goals in the opening 8’ for the US. Jamaica never really got into the game and were fortunate not to have given up even more. This meant that Mexico were effectively eliminated from advancing, while Jamaica would face Haiti to determine who would face the winners of Group B in the semifinals.

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Group B kicked off on Tuesday the 5^th, with the group favorites both making strong statements. Costa Rica were comfortable 3-0 winners over Panama, scoring off a corner and a counter-attack in the first half, and a penalty converted in the second. Not to be outdone, Canada eventually put six past a deep-lying and well-organized Trinidad and Tobago defense, though only one of those goals came before the hour mark. Christine Sinclair scored her 190^th international goal (at the time, an international record for both men and women) midway through a first half dominated by Canada, having already hit the post and later winning a penalty that Jessie Fleming missed. Kimika Forbes was excellent in goal for Trinidad, and it wasn’t until Bev Priestman made a quadruple change at the hour mark that things broke, substitute Julia Grosso scoring a brace (including her first international goal) and paving the way for 3 goals in the closing 10’ of the game.

The second round of games, played on the first 8-game day of the month, Friday the 8^th, continued in much the same vein. Playing in the sixth game of the day, Costa Rica had already scored off a corner kick when Trinidad and Tobago’s Kédie Johnson received her second yellow, both for hard tackles on María Coto. They led by three at halftime, and shortly after the break, Katherine Alvarado hit a stunning shot from distance to add a fourth; Forbes had a stunning save in the 80’ to keep it at 4-0.

In the final game of a full day, Canada again dominated their opponents, but were unable to get a first half breakthrough against Panama. It was Grosso, having started this match, who again found the goal shortly after the hour mark. Receiving a squared ball inside the box, she faked a shot to slip past a slide tackle from Yorima Pinzón before poking it past a closing Katherine Castillo for the game’s only goal. That meant Canada and Costa Rica, level on both points and goal difference, would play for the top spot in the group, while Panama would play Trinidad and Tobago for a spot in the Inter-Confederation Playoffs for next year’s World Cup (awarded to the 3^rd place finisher).

Next up: Women’s Euros – Group Stage, Round 1 | Skip to: W Championship – Group Stage, Final Round