Jaime López / Jam Media / Getty Images
The U.S. women’s national team is heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Americans secured their place in the Games with a 1-0 victory over Canada in the last competition of the W CONCACAF Championship on Monday at the BBVA Stadium. The United States will now be one of two CONCACAF representatives in Paris, while Canada will face third-placed Jamaica in a playoff in September 2023 with the other place at stake.
Jamaica defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in the match for third place on Monday.
The only goal in the title game came with a penalty from Alex Morgan in the 78th minute after Rose Lavelle equalized in the area.
US Soccer WNT @USWNT
HOW GREAT YOU CAN BE,
Monday’s clash was a showdown between two powers, as the United States is No. 1 in the FIFA rankings and is defending World Cup champion, while Canada is No. 6 and defending Olympic champion.
The Americans came into play undefeated against their American rivals in nine previous clashes in a CONCACAF final, but Canada defeated them 1-0 in the semifinals of the last Olympics thanks to a late penalty.
Revenge was not easy as the match had no goals in the second half although the reds, whites and blues created many more chances.
AO @AmericanOutlaws
What happens with this match is that it should be 6-0.
Nancy Armor @nrarmour
It could easily be 5-0. https://t.co/dzqk3U58sk
While rival defense and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan deserved some of the merit to keep the game go goalless in the face of a constant attack, eventual winners also didn’t take advantage of the opportunities with a series of poor shooting attempts.
That changed when Morgan stepped on the ball after the penalty, and the result seemed inevitable from there, given the way much of the game unfolded.
OptaJack⚽️ @OptaJack
3 – pic.twitter.com/PG7sCLEiQ3
Men with blazers @MenInBlazers
Alex Morgan. 10 goals in 12 games against Canada. A statistic that tells you everything you need to know about his ability to score big goals in important matches 🇺🇸🏆
It was the third goal of the tournament for the double world champion and the four-time CONCACAF player of the year, and it could not have come at a better time for the Americans.