Rapinoe, Morgan Bag Braces as USA Rolls Past Mexico 6-0 in 2018 Concacaf Women's Championship Opener

CARY, N.C. (Oct. 4, 2018) – The U.S. Women’s National Team opened its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with a resounding 6-0 win vs. Mexico in Group A play of the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship on a muggy Thursday night at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.

The USA scored in just the third minute as Megan Rapinoe, who was wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in her career, finished off a Lindsey Horan feed.

The USA out-shot Mexico 11-0 in the first half, applied constant pressure through crisp possession and numerous services into the penalty area, but Mexico defended well to keep the score down in the opening frame.

The floodgates opened early in the second half as the USA scored five times after the break, scoring just over a minute into the second half through Julie Ertz, followed by two goals from Alex Morgan, Rapinoe’s second and the goal of the game from Tobin Heath.

NEXT: The USA will continue play at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship vs. Panama in Cary, N.C. on Oct. 7 (5 p.m. ET; FS1, UDN). The WNT will then finish group play against Trinidad & Tobago on Oct. 10 (7:30 p.m. ET; FS2, UDN).

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2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship Group A Standings

TEAM	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	PTS
USA	1	1	0	0	6	0	6	3
Panama	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3
Trinidad & Tobago	1	0	1	0	0	-3	0	0
Mexico	1	0	1	0	0	-6	0	0

Goal Scoring Rundown:

USA – Megan Rapinoe (Lindsey Horan), 3rd minute: The USA’s pressure caused Mexico’s Cristina Ferral to hit a poor clearance inside the box and it hit an onrushing Lindsey Horan, causing the ball to roll forward towards the Mexico goal. Horan then caught up to the ball and cut a short pass into the middle past closing Mexico goalkeeper Bianca Henniger right into the path of Rapinoe who spun her first-time shot from close range into the lower right corner. USA 1, MEX 0. WATCH GOAL.

USA – Julie Ertz (Lindsey Horan), 47th minute: Megan Rapinoe shaded a free kick a bit to the left side of the field into the middle of the penalty box where a defender tried to clear it with a header. The ball went backwards towards the goal and hit the crossbar before bouncing back inside the six-yard box where it hit another Mexico player before landing at the feet of Horan. She touched the ball a short distance to Ertz who pounded her one-touch finish into the net. USA 2, MEX 0. WATCH GOAL.

USA – Alex Morgan (Megan Rapinoe), 57th minute: Alex Morgan timed Rapinoe’s corner kick from the left side perfectly, getting free inside the box and powering home a wide-open header for her 91^st career goal. USA 3, MEX 0. WATCH GOAL.

USA – Tobin Heath (Crystal Dunn), 61st minute: Sprung by a Megan Rapinoe back heel, Crystal Dunn went on a terrific run down the left sideline and beat two defenders before crossing a beautiful ball to the middle of the box. Tobin Heath timed her run perfectly into the penalty area where she placed a perfect, powerful header into the upper left corner for the fourth tally of the match. USA 4, MEX 0. WATCH GOAL.

USA – Megan Rapinoe, 70th minute: A corner from the right was headed by Horan into the six-yard box where it went through the legs of both Mexico’s Bianca Heninger and Carli Lloyd, but Rapinoe found herself at the right spot at the right time and tapped it in for her sixth career brace. USA 5, MEX 0. WATCH GOAL.

USA – Alex Morgan (Becky Sauerbrunn), 80th minute: Becky Sauerbrunn was deep in the offensive zone where she passed a ball to Crystal who then passed it to Alex Morgan. Morgan returned it to Sauerbrunn who continued dribbling and right before hitting the end line served another pass back to Morgan who finished with her right foot to cement the victorious score line. USA 6, MEX 0. WATCH GOAL. FINAL.

Additional Notes:

• The USA is 28-1-0 all-time in CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying, including a 14-0-0 mark at home.
• The USA has scored 164 goals in WWC qualifying while allowing five and has played nine different countries in World Cup qualifying; Mexico is the most common opponent with seven games between the teams. The U.S. Women lead the all-time series against Mexico with a 36-1-1 record.
• Tonight’s match was the first World Cup Qualifying appearance for: Alyssa Naeher, Abby Dahlkemper, Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle.
• The USA’s three subs against Mexico were: Carli Lloyd for Rose Lavelle in the 66th minute, Emily Sonnett for Kelley O’Hara in the 67th and Mallory Pugh for Tobin Heath in the 77th.
• Megan Rapinoe scored her sixth career brace tonight and now has 40 international goals. She has scored five World Cup qualifying goals in her international career. Three of her six goals in 2018 have come against Mexico. Rapinoe leads the USA with 10 assists in 2018 after earning one tonight on Morgan’s goal. She has 54 for her career.
• Alex Morgan scored her 20th career brace tonight, upping her international goal total to 92. At age 29, she sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA's all-time goal scoring list. She’s scored 19 goals over her last 21 WNT matches and leads the WNT with 12 goals this year. In 2018, Morgan scored a brace in each game the WNT played vs. Mexico: first on April 5 in Jacksonville (friendly), on April 8 in Houston (friendly) and again tonight in Cary (WCQ). She has scored four World Cup qualifying goals in her international career.
• Julie Ertz scored her 17th international goal tonight in what was her first WCQ appearance. She was on the roster for the 2014 World Cup qualifying tournament but did not play.
• Tobin Heath scored her 22nd international goal tonight on a phenomenal header assisted by Crystal Dunn. It was her fourth goal in her fifth start this year. She has scored three World Cup qualifying goals in her international career.
• Crystal Dunn earner her first assist of the year. Dunn was named to the roster for the World Cup qualifying tournament in 2014, but then missed the competition due to injury.
• Lindsey Horan, recently named the 2018 NWSL MVP, earned two assists tonight to up her 2018 total to five in her 12th start of the year.
• Becky Sauerbrunn earner her first assist of 2018. It was the defender’s seventh career assist.
• Alyssa Naeher earned her 17th career shutout in her 34th cap.
• The USA is now 12-0-2 in 2018, with wins against Denmark, Germany, England, Mexico (thrice), China PR (twice), Japan, Brazil and Chile (twice); and ties against Australia and France. The USA is unbeaten in its last 22 matches (19-0-3), and has outscored opponents 71-17 through that stretch, scoring in all 22 games.

– U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Mexico
Date: October 4, 2018
Competition: 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship - Group A
Venue: Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Attendance: 5,404
Weather: 74 degrees, clear

Scoring Summary:            1             2             F
USA                                     1             5             6
MEX                                     0             0             0

USA – Megan Rapinoe (Lindsey Horan)         3rd minute
USA – Julie Ertz (Lindsey Horan)                    47
USA – Alex Morgan (Megan Rapinoe)             57
USA – Tobin Heath (Crystal Dunn)                  61
USA – Megan Rapinoe                                     70
USA – Alex Morgan (Becky Sauerbrunn)        80              

Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara (2-Emily Sonnett, 67), 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 16-Rose Lavelle (10-Carli Lloyd, 66), 9-Lindsey Horan; 17-Tobin Heath (11-Mallory Pugh, 77), 13-Alex Morgan, 15-Megan Rapinoe (capt.)
Substitutes not used: 3-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian, 12-Hailie Mace, 14-Casey Short, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 20-Christen Press
Head Coach: Jill Ellis 

MEX: 12-Bianca Henninger; 2-Kenti Robles, 13-Rebeca Bernal, 14-Arianna Romero (3-Christina Murillo, 78), 16-Cristina Ferral; 4-Bianca Sierra, 7-Nayeli Rangel, 6-Nancy Antonio (19-Katlyn Johnson Carreón, 61), 10-Stephany Mayor (capt.), 17-María Sánchez (18-Kiana Palacios, 47), 9-Charlyn Corral
Substitutes not used: 1-Cecilia Santiago, 5-Mónica Flores, 8-Karla Nieto, 20-Lizbeth Ovalle, 15-Ariana Calderón, 11-Mónica Ocampo
Head Coach: Roberto Medina

Stats Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 23 / 3
Shots on Goal: 10 / 1
Saves: 1 / 4
Corner Kicks: 7 / 3
Fouls: 8 / 14
Offside: 6 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
None

Officials:
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Chantal Renee Boudreau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mijensa Rosancha Rensch (SUR)
4th Official: Marie-soleil Beaudoin (CAN)

U.S. Soccer Woman of the Match: Megan Rapinoe