As the USWNT defeats Canada in a penalty shootout, Alyssa Naeher makes three saves and scores.

Yasir AliMarch 7, 2024

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As the USWNT defeats Canada in a penalty shootout, Alyssa Naeher makes three saves and scores.

In the penalty shootout, Alyssa Naeher made three saves to secure the United States discover in the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup final following Wednesday night’s rain-soaked 2-2 draw alongside Canada. After advancing 3-1 on penalties, the United States will face Brazil in the championship match on Sunday night. In the previous semifinal, Brazil defeated Mexico 3-0.

After a lot of rain in San Diego, the playing surface at Snapdragon Stadium was covered in standing water, making the game a messy affair. The players struggled to maintain composure. To get rid of some of the rainwater, Vanessa Gilles of Canada turned the front of her wet jersey.

In the twentieth minute, Jaedyn Shaw scored. The ball stopped on the wet pitch as a Canadian defender attempted to pass it back to custodian Kailen Sheridan, and Shaw raced up on it to score. Shaw is the sole player from the United States to score in all four of her starts.

Alyssa Naeher, the American custodian, was unable to stop Jordyn Huitema’s header to the 82nd minute to tie the game. In the 99th, Smith broke the tie and celebrated by getting down on her knees before being surrounded by her teammates.

However, in the 120th minute, Adriana Leon of Canada was handed a penalty after Naeher collided with Gilles. Leon calmly converted the kick to tie the game at two.

In the first two minutes of the shootout, Naeher made two saves and scored from her own penalty. To advance the US to the championship match, she defeated Jesse Fleming.

Due to Brazil’s victory, the US was not allowed to play Mexico in retaliation after Mexico defeated the power source United States 2-0 in the biggest surprise of the group stage. In 43 meetings, it was only the second time the United States came up short against their southern neighbours.

In the quarterfinals, the US defeated Colombia 3-0 to bounce back from that setback. In extra time, Canada defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in their quarterfinal match. Canada achieved 13 goals in their group without giving up a goal.

It was the fourteenth occasion in which the US and Canada faced off in a competitive tournament’s knockout round. Of the 13 prior meetings, 11 have been won by the United States. The only victory for Canada came in the Tokyo Olympics semifinals.

In her retirement from the national team this past season, captain Christine Sinclair became soccer’s all-time top goal scorer—190 goals in her career—but it was also Canada’s inaugural major tournament without her. In the quarterfinals, Mexico defeated Paraguay 3-2. Argentina lost to Brazil 5-1.

Adriana Leal, Antonia, and Yasmin scored goals for Brazil, while Nicolette Hernandez’s 29th-minute red card left Mexico shorthanded. The inaugural women’s Gold Cup competition is intended to provide teams in the area with competitive, high-level play. The four participating teams—the US, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia—will compete in the Olympics this summer.