Los Angeles (Women’s Gold Cup) — Six days after Mexico openly knocked the United States from its perch, the Americans rose back up and occasionally even resumed their swing. The United States possessed more than enough skill and toughness to advance in the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup and win a close encounter against Colombia.
After scoring goals in the first half through Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw, the United States came back to win 3-0 on Sunday night and move on to the semifinals of this first-ever competition.
The Americans felt they had fully moved past the humiliation of their 2-0 loss to Mexico in the last game of Women’s Gold Cup group play on Monday after Lindsey Horan scored a penalty in the first few minutes.
Goalie Alyssa Naeher stated, “We saw it as an opportunity.” “Normally, you don’t have the chance to instantly return and make up for a loss in a tournament. It was, I believe, just a refocus. Kind of like we all hit reset. Let’s go on and learn from it.
Following a few days of preparation, the United States faced a formidable, competitive Colombian squad that advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals and was back to its best. The teams received seven yellow cards between them, with Catalina Usme and Alex Morgan’s aggressive boxing exchanges generating a physical tone that was ideal for the Americans.
Shaw remarked, “We kind of knew it was going to be like that.” “We were prepared for the challenge; we knew it would be a battle.”
On Wednesday in San Diego, the United States and Canada will play in the Gold Cup semifinals. After defeating Paraguay 3-2 in the quarterfinals earlier on Sunday at BMO Stadium, Mexico now faces Brazil in the other semifinal.
The defeat to Mexico brought to light the consistent fall in performance for this established global soccer force over the last few years, which includes a bronze medal at the Olympics in Tokyo and an elimination from the Round of 16 of the World Cup last year. However, this triumph demonstrated that the current American team still possesses the talent and athleticism to easily beat even a difficult battle, especially when its young players are given the opportunity to shine.
Even though it hasn’t happened as frequently as it used to, interim coach Twila Kilgore stated that the United States has a great deal of expertise keeping the consistent focus required to win tournaments.
Regarding the preparation this week, Kilgore stated, “We genuinely didn’t do anything different than we do every day, and that’s the key to being part of this program.” It was about getting back up after a difficult time and figuring out what needed to be fixed. It was a hard fight. Maybe we could have scored a couple more goals, but we progressed, and that was the goal. We’re prepared to move forward and take a step back to San Diego.
The 19-year-old rising star for the Americans, Shaw, emphasized the aggressive assault in the first half. She became one of just two players in U.S. history to score in each of their first three international debuts when she scored off a deft feed from fellow rookie Trinity Rodman.
Shaw remarked, “I just know that my teammates are going to give me the opportunity if I put myself in places to score.” “And that’s what took place.”
Before Mexico scored twice, the United States had not let up a goal against a CONCACAF opponent in thirty-three games. However, Naeher and a defense captained by Naomi Girma helped the Americans regain clean sheets against Colombia, with Naeher recording her 43rd shutout in ten years with the national team.
In the home stadium of Angel City FC, which is located just south of downtown Los Angeles, a boisterous crowd cheered the U.S. team’s efforts to get back on track. In the 10th minute, Jorelyn Carabali brought down a sprinting Alex Morgan, earning the side an early penalty. Horan stammered a little bit before converting it for her second Gold Cup penalty.
In the first half, both sides were clearly in the lead. Morgan and Maria Usme received identical yellow cards following a scuffle over positioning. A few minutes later, Rodman received a second yellow card for kicking Daniela Arias because he was annoyed by the Colombian defender’s tentative play.
Nighswonger, a product of Southern California, scored his second goal for his country of origin in the 22nd minute, pushing the lead to 2-0. The 23-year-old defender for Gotham FC is a Huntington Beach High School alum.
Colombia applied more pressure, but Linda Caicedo, a young player for Real Madrid, had two spectacular saves made by Naeher.
In injury time during the first half, Shaw scored her third goal of the tournament and her fifth in eight career appearances, giving the U.S. a 3-0 lead. When Shaw, who plays for San Diego’s NWSL squad, is on the pitch, the Americans’ assault has been more potent during this tournament.
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