The Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Womens Gold Cup began Feb. 20, and comes to an end on Mar. 10. The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) are currently second to the Mexican National Team, and are set to meet the Canadian National team in the semifinals this Wednesday.
This tournament began in 1991 and serves as qualifying for the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Women’s World cup in 2027, according to US Soccer. There are a total of 27 teams entered, and they play under the five-round knockout phase.
“I feel like I never hear about this tournament,” said sophomore Vivienne Legg. “It’s one that doesn’t get as much attention but it’s still a major tournament to win,”
After a 0-2 final score to Mexico, the USWNT combatted their loss with a 3-0 win against Colombia on Sunday. This puts them just one point behind Mexico going into the semifinals. With their win against Colombia, the USWNT showed that their team still has outstanding talent, according to Bay Area Soccer coach Marcus Rhodes.
“The loss against Mexico continued their decline in results in the past few years coming back from a bronze medal at the Olympics and an early exit at the World Cup,” said Rhodes. “But this victory showed that this team still has outstanding players and talent when pushed hard — especially when their young stars have a chance to show up,”
The USWNT hadn’t conceded a goal to a CONCACAF opponent in their past 33 matches until Mexico scored twice against them last Monday, according to ConcacafStatistics. Goalkeeper Alussa Naeher and their center back Naomi Girma led and resumed their 33 match trend with Naeher setting her 43rd shut-out for this team when they played Colombia.
“I think it’s really important for the USWNT to do well in this tournament,” said sophomore Sophie Ignatova. “They had a set-back when playing Mexico, but they showed well against Colombia which gives us an idea of how they react to a loss,”
The USWNT is placed in bracket A, while Canada in B. They are tied with 6 points total, and will face each other on Wednesday. In the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the Canadian National team fell short and were eliminated before the knockout stage. Although the USWNT had their exit soon after, this still puts them above Canada going into Wednesday’s game, according to Legg.
The USWNT last beat Canada in the She Believes Cup, last February and hasn’t played them since. That 2-0 win hands them the chances of winning and advancing to the finals of the CONCACAF Women’s Gold cup against the winners of the Brazil vs. Mexico, also on Wednesday.
“Wednesday’s game will be super close because of how these two teams have played in the past,” said Legg. “But, I think the USWNT’s performance at the World Cup puts them slightly above Canada coming into Wednesday’s game.”
