The USWNT has punched their ticket to their ninth World Cup and will look to add a fifth star to their crest next summer. After defeating Haiti 3-0 in the first game of Concacaf group play on Monday and Jamaica 5-0 Thursday, the U.S. officially secured their position in Australia and New Zealand for 2023. The next goal will be to walk away with an Olympic qualification by winning the final which is scheduled for July 18th.
It does not come as a surprise to see the powerhouse U.S. win a World Cup Qualifying match, however, with the youth that is now rostered, the surprise is the ease at which they dominated Jamaica on Thursday. With roster changes and call-ups constantly happening, the U.S. had not found their groove in their first match against Haiti. Last night, however, the team was firing on all cylinders.
Sophia Smith set the pace for the team with two goals in the first ten minutes. While the USWNT settled in following those goals, Jamaica struggled to keep up with the pace of the game and find their own opportunities despite having knocked off Mexico in their first game. Rose Lavelle added a third goal for the team in the second half and Kristie Mewis had the fourth goal on a penalty kick. Newcomer Trinity Rodman put the fifth goal in shortly before the end of the game.
Normally, Megan Rapinoe would be the player stepping to the penalty spot for that opportunity, but she was instead receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor from President Biden in Washington D.C. Veteran Alex Morgan watched from the bench all evening. Although she dressed for the game, the team proved that they could be successful without her which comes as a sigh of relief to fans who have followed the team since she stepped on the field for the first time in 2010.
With two big tournaments on the horizon with the 2023 World Cup next year and the Olympics the following summer, it is good to see the USWNT starting to gel as a new generation of players join the ranks. The confidence and passion the women are now bringing to the field can likely be chalked up to the legacy that the former players have left behind. Yet this team’s goal is to leave their own mark with another World Cup trophy along with another a gold medal in 2024. This new team has taken their first step towards achieving such lofty goals.