The United States women’s national team kicked off the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in style with a 3-0 victory over Haiti in the opening game of the tournament in Monterrey, Mexico.
The U.S. staved off a couple of chances from Haiti, including a penalty-kick miss that ricocheted off the post, but a first-half brace from Alex Morgan and a late goal by Midge Purce in the 84th minute was enough to secure three points for the Americans on their road to World Cup and Olympic qualification.
Morgan was the star of the show as she scored on a flick off a Mallory Pugh cross in the 16th minute to get things going. She followed that up by heading home a cross from Kelley O’Hara in the 23rd minute.
The San Diego Wave star also hit the woodwork on a header in the 11th minute to apply the pressure on the Haitians in the early going. Morgan has 21 goals in her 21 appearances in qualifiers, including at least one goal in five straight qualifiers.
Check out some more highlights and takeaways from the game:
Haiti had strong chances
This team has several players on the current roster who were part of the 2018 U-20 women’s World Cup team, and the familiarity among the squad is an added benefit for them as they go up against teams in the Concacaf region.
The team had an outstanding chance in the seventh minute with a free-kick opportunity by Kethna Louis that just narrowly missed the far post.
Dumornay had a clear chance in the 37th minute as she beat several U.S. defenders with only Murphy to beat inside the box, but was unable to finish.
VAR makes debut at Concacf W Championship
Video Assistant Referee made its debut at the Concacaf W Championship with several moments where it was put use. By the end of the match, the USWNT saw two goals called back, a potential penalty ruled out due to an offside position, and a red card issued to Haiti rescinded
Shortly ahead of halftime, Roselord Borgella collided with O’Hara and made full contact with studs at a high angle on a 50/50 ball — and was issued a red card — only for the play to be reviewed and the red rescinded and yellow issued instead.
Take a look at the moment here:
The USWNT ultimately scored a third goal, as Mewis delivered service into the box, and a failed clearance allowed Purce to connect on goal inside the box late in the game.
Up next
The United States will square off against Jamaica on Thursday in the second of three group stage games. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET on Paramount+, with studio coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. Megan Rapinoe, who made an appearance as a second-half sub in this game, will be forced to miss the match as she will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House. The Americans last played Jamaica in June of 2021 in a 4-0 friendly win. A win here could put the USWNT in prime position to advance to the semifinals, which would secure qualification for the 2023 World Cup.
Lisa Byington and Aly Wagner will serve as match commentators with Jenny Chiu as the sideline reporter. Host Poppy Miller, along with U.S. Hall of Fame goalkeeper Briana Scurry, former Canada national team player Kaylyn Kyle and UNLV women’s soccer coach Jenny Ruiz-Williams will serve as studio analysts throughout the competition.
Paramount+ is the only place to stream every minute of every match in the Concacaf W Championship. You can quickly and easily sign up for your very own account right now with a free one-month trial (from June 27-July 19) by using GLORY as your offer code. Just click on the “try it free” button and use the promo code for instant access to the best women’s soccer — NWSL, FA Women’s Super League, UEFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers and AFC Women’s Asian Cup — across all your devices.