Alex Morgan’s penalty clinches US victory at Concacaf W over Canada
By Amy Woodyatt, CNN
The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) won the CONCACAF Women’s Championship with a 1-0 victory against Canada in Monterrey, Mexico, on Monday night, securing its place in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Striker Alex Morgan scored a penalty in the 78th minute, after Canada’s Allysha Chapman fouled Rose Lavelle in the box.
Lifting its ninth CONCACAF title, the team was also able to exact a kind of retribution: a year ago, in the 2020 Tokyo Games, Canada beat the US in the semifinals and went on to win the gold medal, while the US was forced to settle for bronze.
“It always feels good to be called a champion, so this game means a lot to us,” Morgan said post-match. “It’s always going to mean a lot. Canada gave us a run for our money. But we prevailed and feel good about the performance.”
Canada defender Vanessa Gilles told reporters: “It’s always a battle when we take on the US.”
“Second half, we bent a little too much and, unfortunately, it didn’t go our way this time,” she added.
The USWNT is bound to have its eye on another World Cup win, after securing its record fourth world championship in 2019.
Two weeks ago, the US took its first step towards defending its title by sealing a place at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with a a 5-0 victory against Jamaica.
Canada will take on Jamaica in a Concacaf playoff for a spot at the Olympics.
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