U.S. Women’s National Team Inches Closer To 2023 World Cup Berth With 5-0 Win Against Jamaica At Concacaf W Championship

MONTERREY, Mexico (July 7, 2022) – The U.S. Women’s National Team routed Jamaica 5-0 in its second match of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship at BBVA Stadium, one of Mexico’s three venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A brace from forward Sophia Smith and goals from midfielders Rose Lavelle and Kristie Mewis as well as forward Trinity Rodman led the USA to its second shutout win of the tournament and one step closer to securing its World Cup berth.

 

With the win, the USA currently sits atop Group A with six points and could clinch a top-two finish in the group — and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup berth that goes with it — if Haiti wins or draws against Mexico in the second Group A match of the night, which kicked off at 9 p.m. local/10 p.m. ET (Paramount+ and ViX).

 

The first few minutes of the match, once again played in extreme heat, were a back-and-forth affair, but the USA earned a valuable early goal in just the fifth minute when defender Naomi Girma, who was playing in just her third cap, found Smith on the run with a long ball down the right wing. Smith lifted the bouncing ball over a defender inside the penalty area and then finished with a skillful strike with the outside of her right foot, spinning the ball into the left side of the net on a movement that can only be describe world class.

 

It only took three minutes for Smith to double the lead, this time finishing after a long pass from defender Sofia Huerta got her free behind the defense. Smith beat the Jamaican goalkeeper to the bouncing ball and lifted it over the onrushing ‘keeper and just across the goal line before a Jamaican defender cleared it away.

 

The USA continued to dominate the game, keeping most of the play in Jamaica’s half while posting 10 shots and six on target and limiting the opponent to two shots and one on frame in the first half. The Americans were a constant threat and VAR reviews waived off goals from forwards Ashley Hatch and Mallory Pugh for offside, while Hatch also had a chance denied by the woodwork in the 25^th minute.

 

The USA came out determined in the second half, threatening immediately as Hatch fired a volley from the top of the box just five minutes that was denied by the left post. Ten minutes later, Lavelle put her name on the scoresheet after finishing a cross from midfielder Ashley Sanchez from five yards out. The USA was then awarded a penalty kick in the 82^nd minute after forward Midge Purce burst into the box on a fine dribbling run and was brought down. Mewis stepped up to the spot and finished confidently with a left-footed strike.

 

The USA put its final touch on the match three minutes later after Pugh ran onto end of a through ball from Huerta on the right wing and crossed it into the heart of the box. Rodman, who came on in the 60^th minute to play center forward, was making a hard run up the middle finished on first time from just inside the six-yard box. With the goal, the 20-year-old became the youngest player to score for the USA in a World Cup or Olympic Qualifier since 2008, when a 19-year-old Tobin Heath scored against Jamaica in Olympic Qualifying.

 

The USWNT will play its third and final group stage match on Monday, July 11, taking on hosts Mexico at Estadio Universitario (9 p.m. local/10 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and ViX).

 

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:

• USA – Sophia Smith (Naomi Girma), 5th minute – After possessing the ball in the back, Girma played a long ball to Smith down the right flank. Smith controlled the ball on the bounce and took a clever touch over a defender into the box before finishing with a brilliant footed strike with the outside of her right foot into the left side netting. USA 1, JAM 0

• USA – Sophia Smith (Sofia Huerta), 8th minute – Huerta lobbed a pass from just past midfield to meet Smith on the run into the box, again on the right side. Smith reached for the ball as the goalkeeper rushed out to challenge and skillfully lifted it over the ‘keeper on first touch from seven yards out to double the lead. USA 2, JAM 0

• USA – Rose Lavelle (Ashley Sanchez), 59th minute – After recovering the ball and playing out from the back, the USA played up the left wing. Sanchez dribbled hard toward the end line and sent a cross low toward the back post where Lavelle finished from a tight angle on her first touch from five yards out. USA 3, JAM 0

• USA – Kristie Mewis (Penalty Kick), 83rd minute – After a foul on Margaret Purce inside the box, Mewis stepped up to the penalty spot and finished with a powerful left-footed strike. USA 4, JAM 0

• USA – Trinity Rodman (Mallory Pugh), 86th minute – Pugh ran onto a through ball from Huerta on the right flank and crossed it toward the heart of the box where Rodman finished on her first touch from five yards out. USA 5, JAM 0

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Forward Sophia Smith’s brace tonight marked her sixth and seventh goals of the year as well as her third career multi-goal game. Smith previously scored a hat trick vs Uzbekistan on April 9 and a brace vs Colombia on June 25. She now has eight goals for her career and leads the USA with seven goals in 2022.

• Smith’s opening goal in the fifth minute marked the fastest goal scored by any player thus far in the Concacaf W Championship.

• Defender Naomi Girma’s assist to set up Smith’s first goal marked her first career tally in her third cap. The goal also featured an assist-to-goal connection between the two youngest players in the Starting XI, as Girma is 22 years old while Smith is 21.

• Girma also becomes the 12th different player to record an assist for the USWNT in 2022.

• With Girma and Ashley Hatch starting against Jamaica, and with Taylor Kornieck and Trinity Rodman coming on as a sub, 12 different players have now made their qualifying debuts for the USA this tournament. Thirteen of the 23 players on this roster entered the tournament having never played in World Cup or Olympic Qualifier for the Senior National Team.

• Defender Sofia Huerta’s assist to set up Smith’s second goal of the night marked her third career assist and second of the year. The play was also the first time Sophia and Sofia have connected to score.

• Midfielder Rose Lavelle’s goal marked her third goal of the year and her 21^st career tally, as well as her sixth career goal in a World Cup or Olympic Qualifier.

• Sanchez’s assist to set up Lavelle’s goal marked her third career assist, all of which have come in 2022.

• Midfielder Kristie Mewis’ goal marked her sixth career goal and second of 2022.

• After coming into the match in the 60^th minute, forward Trinity Rodman saw her first action of the tournament and tallied her second career goal.
• Rodman is the sixth different player to score for the USA this tournament - Morgan (2), Smith (2), Mewis (1), Lavelle (1), Purce (1) and Rodman (1) -- while five players have tallied an assist – Pugh (2), O’Hara (1), Sanchez (1), Huerta (1) and Girma (1).

• In total, 11 different players have been directly involved in a goal for the USA at the Concacaf W Championship. with either a goal or an assist
• After coming into the match as a halftime substitute, defender Emily Sonnett saw her first action of the tournament, tallying five duels won, five possessions won, and three tackles won.

• The USA has now kept a clean sheet in each of its last 30 games in Olympic and World Cup Qualifying. The USA last allowed a goal in a qualifying match in the 2010 World Cup Qualifying semifinal, falling 2-1 to hosts Mexico.

• Head coach Vlatko Andonovski is 36-2-6 in 44 games (two at the end of 2019, nine in 2020, 24 in 2021, and nine so far in 2022).

• The USA has an overall combined record of 57-1-1 in World Cup and Olympic Qualifying matches, the lone loss coming in 2010 vs. Mexico in the semifinals of World Cup Qualifying. The USA’s only draw in World Cup or Olympic Qualifying officially came in the final of the 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament against Canada, though the USA prevailed on penalty kicks to win the tournament.

-U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

 

Match: United States Women’s National Team vs. Jamaica

Date: July 7, 2022

Competition: Concacaf W Championship

Venue: Estadio BBVA; Monterrey, Mexico

Attendance: 3,150

Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local)

Weather: 100 degrees; partly cloudy

 

Scoring Summary:      1          2          F

USA                                2          3          5

JAM                               0          0          0

 

USA – Sophia Smith (Naomi Girma)               5th minute

USA – Sophia Smith (Sofia Huerta)                 8

USA – Rose Lavelle (Ashley Sanchez)             59

USA – Kristie Mewis (Penalty Kick)                 83

USA – Trinity Rodman (Mallory Pugh)                        86

 

Lineups:

USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 8-Sofia Huerta, 3-Alana Cook, 12-Naomi Girma, 19-Emily Fox (14-Emily Sonnett, 46); 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.) (22-Kristie Mewis, 60), 16-Rose Lavelle (20-Taylor Kornieck, 65), 2-Ashley Sanchez; 11-Sophia Smith (23-Midge Purce, 46), 7-Ashley Hatch (6-Trinity Rodman, 60), 9-Mallory Pugh

Substitutes not used: 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 5-Kelley O’Hara, 13-Alex Morgan, 17-Andi Sullivan, 18-Casey Murphy, 21-Aubrey Kingsbury,

N/A: 15-Megan Rapinoe

Head coach: Vlatko Andonovski

 

JAM: 13-Rebecca Spencer; 19-Tiernny Wiltshire, 17-Allyson Swaby, 4-Chantelle Swaby, 14- Deneisha Blackwood; 10-Jody Brown (16-Paige Bailey-Gayle, 46), 7-Chinyelu Asher, 6-Havana Solaun (3-Vyan Sampson, 46), 18-Trudi Carter (8-Kayla McCoy, 75); 20-Atlanta Primus (9-Drew Spence, 63); 11-Khadija Shaw (Capt.) (15-Kalyssa Van Zanten, 63)

Substitutes not used: 1-Sydney Schneider, 23-Yazmeen Jamieson, 2-Satara Murray, 5-Jade Bailey, 12-Jayda Hylton-Pelaia, 21-Olufolasade Adamolekun, 22-Mireya Grey

Head coach: Lorne Donaldson

 

Stats Summary: USA / JAM

Shots: 20 / 4

Shots on Goal: 11 / 2

Saves: 2 / 6

Corner Kicks: 6 / 0

Fouls: 11 / 9

Offside: 6 / 0

 

Misconduct Summary:

JAM – Deneisha Blackwood (Caution)                                                43rd minute

USA – Ashley Sanchez (Caution)                                                       45+4

JAM – Allyson Swaby (Caution)                                                          90+4

 

Officials:

Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON)

Assistant Referee 1: Lourde Noriega (HON)

Assistant Referee 2: Lidia Ayala (HON)

4th Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)

VAR: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)

AVAR: Shirley Perello (HON)

 

Budweiser Woman of the Match: Sophia Smith