Women’s Soccer, July 2022: A Series
This is the sixth post in a series devoted to the 117 games of international women’s football played in July 2022, covering the final group stage round of CONCACAF’s W Championship. If you’d like to start from the beginning (or to pick and choose your competitions), you can do so from my opening post. Next up is Round 2 of the Euros, hopefully tonight.

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W Championship – Group Stage, Final Round (11^th)

On Monday the 11^th, the final group stage of the W Championship constituted half of the schedule for the second 8-game day of the month. Played simultaneously, the final Group B games were the fourth and fifth of the day, with Canada and Costa Rica playing for top spot in the group (and avoiding the United States as a semifinal opponent), while Panama and Trinidad and Tobago played for a third place finish that would secure a spot in the Inter-Confederation Playoffs for the World Cup the following February.

Panama scored the only goal in their match with Trinidad and Tobago shortly before halftime, Marta Cox played into the box by Lineth Cedeño (a first half injury sub) and poking it past Kimika Forbes on a counter-attack. Canada managed to score early against Costa Rica, Nichelle Prince slipping Jessie Fleming into the box to slot past Daniela Solera just 5’ in. They dominated the game, but didn’t score a second until the introduction of veteran Sophie Schmidt at the hour mark. At 69’, Schmidt put Canada’s second in off the right post, making the best of a poor first touch to create space for her shot. In truth, the outcome never looked much in question.

That meant that Costa Rica would face a semifinal against the US, who played Mexico in their last Group A match; while Canada awaited the winner of Jamaica – Haiti in the other match to finish off a full day of football. Despite their disastrous opening games, which saw them effectively eliminated from World Cup contention, hosts Mexico had the first legitimate crowd of the tournament (20,522 in attendance) at Monterrey’s Estadio Universitario for this game.

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With first place in the group secured, US manager Vlatko Andonovski continued his pattern of heavy rotation with seven changes, including a first start for Midge Purce. Purce was the most dynamic player for the US in the first half, hitting the post at 15’ and generally providing a threat on the right flank. Mexico held firm, though, with goalkeeper Itzel González looking particularly impressive coming off her line to secure the box.

González and the Mexican defense continued to frustrate the US in the second half, and shortly after the hour mark Andonovski made a quadruple change, bringing on Megan Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle, Sofia Huerta, and Kristie Mewis. Right before that, Mexican manager Mónica Vergara had brought on Lizbeth Ovalle as part of a double change, and straight off the restart she created one of Mexico’s best chances of the game. Getting in down the left, she cut a pass back that Emily Sonnett had to keep from reaching María Sánchez in the middle.

As the game extended past the 70’ mark, events in the Haiti – Jamaica match were lining up to create the improbable possibility of 3^rd-place finish for Mexico. That game had opened with a minute of silence for Jedine Carr, a Jamaican U-19 player who had been murdered in St. Thomas just two days earlier. Trudi Carter opened the scoring for Jamaica midway through the first half, fed into the box by Khadija “Bunny” Shaw.

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Haiti responded well after the goal, with chances in the first half and a golden opportunity for Roselord Borgella early in the second, stripping Satara Murray to get into the box, only to narrowly miss the far post. But just before the hour mark, Shaw scored from the top of the box to give Jamaica a second. Haiti’s best spell of the game followed, as keeper Rebecca Spencer had a series of saves to maintain Jamaica’s clean sheet, most spectacularly pushing a vicious long shot by Melchie Dumornay onto the post.

Nonetheless, a counter-attack with roughly 20’ remaining led to a handball, and Shaw calmly dispatched the penalty to give Jamaica a 3-goal lead. That left Haiti with only a one-goal edge in goal difference over Mexico, meaning that if Jamaica could score a fourth, Mexico could take 3^rd place in the group with a win against the US. That goal came in the 79’, Drew Spence heading in a free kick by Carter, and Jamaica held on for the 4-0 win Mexico needed.

But even as news of Jamaica’s third goal was arriving, Mexico added a significant degree of difficulty to their already-challenging task by losing Ovalle to a thoroughly deserved red card for an ugly tackle on Lavelle. Even so, Mexico continued to hold the US at bay, and with word of the fourth goal coming through even began to push for a winner in the closing minutes of regulation.

But that push also gave the United States more room to operate. At 89’, González made a brilliant save on a point blank header from Emily Sonnett, pushing it all the way up onto the crossbar from the ground—but Mewis was there to bundle in a heart-breaking winner for the US. It was a result that would help neither Vergara nor Andonovski with their critics, though at least the US manager would have the knockout rounds to redeem himself. Haiti qualified for the Inter-Confederation Playoffs, while the Mexican federation would fire Vergara in August.

Next up: Women’s Euros – Group Stage, Round 2 | Skip to: W Championship – Semifinals