Clearly exhausted of discussing whether they would qualify for the Olympics, forward Alex Morgan and the US women’s national soccer team hardly wasted any time exerting their dominance over Trinidad and Tobago to clinch a berth in the Rio Games on Friday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. Lloyd has 86 goals for her career.
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Morgan, who was stopped by a Forbes kick save earlier in the half, doubled the score in the 30th minute.
Aside from the win, team United States of America is also assured of a spot going into the Rio Olympics that will take place this summer.
The U.S. will meet rival Canada in the final of the qualifying tournament on Sunday, but the stakes in that game will be pride alone with both teams having punched a ticket for Rio 2016 on Friday. There are spots up for grabs on this team, which you know is the case when players like Christen Press and Crystal Dunn and Ali Krieger aren’t starting in a must-win game with the Olympics on the line.
While the USA playing in the final isn’t a surprise, the players that helped get it there made the lopsided game interesting. Team USA aims to make a repeat performance but the Canadian side are eager to take the crown from the defending champions. After making three appearances as a winger in the knockout round of the World Cup, she was an unused substitute for the Americans’ first two group stage games of the Olympic qualifying tournament. Carli Lloyd had the goal that is now as much a regular part of the proceedings as the national anthems, her 23rd goal in the past 18 matches. With the exception of the opponents it plays Sunday, CONCACAF can still only delay its best team, not test the United States.
“I feel excited going into the U.S. It is always an honor gracing the field with them because they are world champs”, she said. Pregnancy removed Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez from the equation.
The youngest player on the team is 17-year-old Mallory Pugh, who is headed to UCLA next season.
“I can’t believe I’m amongst some really great names”, she said afterward, reports Concacaf.com.
It was Heath’s first goal since she scored in the 5-2 World Cup final victory over Japan. Also dealing with the absence of playmaker Megan Rapinoe with a knee injury and an ongoing labor dispute, the US, other than a somewhat fortuitous 1-0 win over Mexico, has thus far progressed without complication.
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“In the end we weren’t able to cope with it as well as we’d liked”, Hood said.
