USWNT continues Olympic Qualifying vs. Mexico on Saturday
USA vs. Mexico
2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas
Feb. 13, 2016
(Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Women’s National Team opened its 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship campaign on Feb. 10 against Costa Rica with a 5-0 victory – the team’s second 5-0 win in two matches this year – as Alex Morgan scored twice, including her first 12 seconds into the game, while Carli Lloyd scored from the penalty spot and Crystal Dunn and Christen Press added goals.
Next up for the USA is a clash with Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 13 (3 p.m. CT on NBC Live Extra with an 8:30 p.m. CT replay on NBCSN). A win could clinch a semifinal berth IF Costa Rica ties or defeats Puerto Rico in the other Group A match.
The tournament’s two semifinal winners will book their tickets to Rio 2016. The USA is attempting to win its fourth-consecutive CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship and qualify for its sixth consecutive Olympic Games.
Group A Standings – 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
|
Team |
W |
L |
T |
Pts. |
GF |
GA |
|
MEX |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
0 |
|
USA |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
|
CRC |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
PUR |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
Here’s everything you need to know about #USAvMEX:
- All 15 matches of the tournament will be streamed live on NBC Sports Live Extra, with four also airing on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN). The match against Mexico can be seen live on NBCSLE at 3 p.m. CT and again on replay at 8:30 pm CTon NBCSN.
- The USA and Mexico have met four times in Olympic qualifying matches dating back to two games in Costa Rica at the qualifying tournament for the 2004 Olympics. The USA is 4-0-0 in those matches. The USA has never lost a match in Olympic qualifying.
- The USA has dominated the all-time series against Mexico, holding a 31-1-1 record.
- The most recent meeting was a 5-1 U.S. victory on May 17, 2015, in which Sydney Leroux scored in the 28th, Mexicoequalized in the 39th and the USA need four second half goals between the 46th and 72nd minutes to put the match away.
- Mexico’s goal in the most recent meeting, scored by Ariana Calderon, was its first against the USA since Nov. 5, 2010, when the USA lost 1-2 in Cancun, Mexico, during 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying. Since then, the USA has won seven straight.
All About the USA:
- The U.S. roster is a nice mix of youth and experience. Of the 20 players on the qualifying roster, nine have 22 or fewer caps and seven have 70 or more caps. Eight of the players named to the roster have eight caps or less.
- 13 of the 20 players chosen by head coach Jill Ellis to the USA’s Olympic Qualifying roster were on the USA’s 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship team and just seven players were on the USA’s roster for 2012 Olympic qualifying: goalkeeper Hope Solo, defenders Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara and Ali Krieger, midfielders Lloyd and Tobin Heath and forward Alex Morgan.
- Solo, Heath and Lloyd are the only players on the roster who also participated in qualifying for the 2008 Olympics.
- Solo earned her 92nd shutout against Costa Rica on Feb. 10. With 187 caps and 141 wins, she is the leader for caps and wins by a goalkeeper in U.S. history.
- Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, Jaelene Hinkle, Lindsey Horan, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Christen Press, and Mallory Pugh each made their Olympic qualifying debut against Costa Rica on Feb. 10. Dunn and Press also scored their first Olympic qualifying goals.
- Pugh is the youngest player ever named to a U.S. Olympic qualifying roster. She also became the youngest female player in WNT history to play in an Olympic qualifier match at 17 years, 9 months and 12 days old when she came on for Crystal Dunn in the 68th minue against Costa Rica on Feb. 10.
- Lloyd now has nine career goals in Olympic Qualifying, just five short of Abby Wambach’s record of 14. Morgan has six.
- Lloyd has scored 20 goals in the USA’s last 15 matches starting with the Round of 16 game at the WWC.
- Morgan’s goal 12 seconds into the match against Costa Rica is believed to be the earliest in U.S. WNT history (she definitely has the latest, scoring in the 123rd minute against Canada in the semifinal of the 2012 Olympics), but it was definitely the quickest in CONCACAF qualifying history, besting Abby Wambach (35 seconds vs. Dominican Republic on Jan. 20, 2012).
- Morgan has 59 international goals, just one short of tying Shannon MacMillan for eighth on the USA’s all-time scoring list.
- Press became the 18th player to score 30 or more goals for the U.S. WNT when she tallied against Costa Rica on Feb. 10. Her 30 goals in 57 caps, gives her an average of scoring a bit better than a goal for every two games she plays (0.52 goals per game).
- Five of the 10 goals over the two games in 2016 for the USA have been a direct combination of Lloyd and Morgan with one providing the assist and the other the goal.
- Dunn’s goal vs. Costa Rica on Feb. 10 was the fifth of her career and first in Olympic Qualifying. She became the 21st U.S. WNT player to score in an Olympic qualifier. Press became the 22nd.
- Four players on the roster have played 100 times for more for the USA, led by Carli Lloyd’s 213 caps. Hope Solo has 187 caps followed by Tobin Heath’s 108 and Alex Morgan has 101. Becky Sauerbrunn could hit 100 during the qualifying tournament as she is currently at 97.
In Focus: Mexico
- Mexico dominated its opening Group A match of the tournament, defeating Puerto Rico 6-0. Maribel Dominguez, showed she’s still got some gas in the tank at age 37, scoring a hat trick, while Alina Garciamendez, Nayeli Rangel and Katlyn Johnson added the other goals.
- In the 2004 Olympic qualifying tournament played in Costa Rica, Mexico pulled off one of its biggest victories, upsetting Canada 2-1 in the semifinal on the back of two goals from Dominguez to earn its first and thus far only Olympic berth.
- Mexico qualified for its third Women’s World Cup by finishing third in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, but was drawn into a difficult Group F with France, Colombia and England, and could not advance past the group stage, while the other three teams made the knockout stages.
- Mexico is the third winningest team in the history of the tournament, going 8-6-0 all-time in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, having scored 46 goals while allowing 19.
- Mexico’s back-up goalkeeper Bianca Henniger was the USA’s starting ‘keeper in the 2010 U-20 Women’s World Cup while midfielder Teresa Noyola was also on that squad before both changed national affiliations.
- Seven players on Mexico’s roster have either played or are currently on roster for NWSL clubs, including Henniger who plays for the Houston Dash with Carli Lloyd and Morgan Brian, and Ariana Romero of the Washington Spirit and formerly the Dash who is a Phoenix-area native and was the 2013 Big Ten Conference Defender of the Year at Nebraska.
- Noyola was the 2011 Hermann Trophy winner, awarded to the top collegiate player. She became the third straight Stanford player to earn the honor, with the previous winners being the USA’s Kelley O’Hara (2009) and Christen Press (2010). Defender Alina Garciamendez, who grew up in Texas, played her college soccer at Stanford, while forward Tanya Samarzich played at USC and now plays at Kentucky.
- Cecilia Santiago is the youngest goalkeeper to ever appear in a FIFA Women’s World Cup. She made her WWC debut when she was 16 years and 251 days old.
Additional Storylines:
SEVEN IN; FIVE TO GO: Seven nations have already qualified for the 12-team Olympic Football Tournament: Brazil and Colombia from South America, South Africa and Zimbabwe from Africa, New Zealand from Oceania, and France and Germany from Europe by virtue of their finish at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Two teams will qualify from CONCACAF and Asia and one more will qualify from Europe after a mini-tournament in March featuring Sweden, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. Long-time African power Nigeria, which gave the USA a strong match in the Women’s World Cup, fell in the third round of African qualifying to Equatorial Guinea, which in turn fell to South Africa, which earned its second straight Olympic berth.
PUGH MAKES JUMP TO SENIOR SIDE: Mallory Pugh, who will turn 18 in April of 2016, was called up for January training camp, making her one of the youngest field players called into the full U.S. WNT in the past 15 years. Pugh, who is the captain of the U-20 WNT and will compete in the U-20 WWC in Papua New Guinea at the end of the year, scored in her senior team debut on Jan. 23 vs. Ireland at 17 years, 8 months and 25 days old, becoming the youngest player to debut for the U.S. in the last 11 years and the youngest to score in the last 16 years. She is playing in her second CONCACAF qualifying tournament in a three-month span after leading the USA to the title at the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship in early December in Honduras. Pugh signed a letter of intent on Feb. 3 to play at UCLA starting fall 2016.
HISTORY IN FRISCO: The match in Frisco against Costa Rica on Feb. 10 at Toyota Stadium marked the WNT’s fourth at the venue (formerly Pizza Hut Park and FC Dallas Stadium). The USA owns a 4-0-0 record, including a two wins against Canada and a victory against New Zealand prior to the triumph over Costa Rica.
On ussoccer.com:
- WNT Opens 2016 Olympic Qualifying with Big 5-0 Win Against Costa Rica
- WNT Olympic Qualifying Matches to be Broadcast on NBCSN and Streamed Online
- Ellis Names 20-Player Roster for 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying
- Gallery: USWNT Blanks Costa Rica in First Group A Match
- Features: First Cap. First Goal. ( Press ) (McCaffrey) ( Pugh)
- Feature: Horan’s Home
- Honor the Past, Create the Future
- Highlights: WNT Kicks Off 2016 in Fine Form vs. Ireland in San Diego
- U.S. Soccer to Host SheBelieves Cup Featuring USA, England, France and Germany
- U.S. Soccer to Host Girls Fantasy Camp in Nashville During SheBelieves Cup
- Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn Named New Captains of U.S. WNT
- Carli Lloyd and Jill Ellis Honored as FIFA Women’s World Player and Coach of the Year
- Feature: #SheBelieves Series
U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OLYMPIC QUALIFYING ROSTER BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS (3): 18-Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), 20-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), 1- Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)
DEFENDERS (7): 19-Jaelene Hinkle (Western NY Flash), 8-Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), 7-Meghan Klingenberg (Portland Thorns FC), 11-Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), 5-Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), 6- Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 14-Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), 17-Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), 10-Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), 3- Samantha Mewis (Western NY Flash)
FORWARDS (5): 16-Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), 15-Stephanie McCaffrey (Boston Breakers), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), 12-Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars); 2- Mallory Pugh (Real Colorado)
MEXICO WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Esthefanny Barreras (Eastern Florida State College/USA), Bianca Henninger (Houston Dash/USA), Cecilia Santiago (Apollon Limassol/CYP)
DEFENDERS (7): Greta Espinoza (Oregon State /USA), Janelly Farias (Unattached), Monica Flores (Notre Dame/USA), Alina Garciamendez (Unattached), Annia Mejia (UC Berkeley/USA), Valeria Miranda (UNAM), Arianna Romero (Washington Spirit/USA),
MIDFIELDERS (5): Karla Nieto (Leonas Morelos), Teresa Noyola (Tottenham Hotspur East Bay/USA), Monica Ocampo (Unattached), Veronica Perez (Canberra United/AUS), Nayeli Rangel (Unattached),
FORWARDS(5): Maribel Dominguez (Unattached), Katlyn Johnson (University of Southern California/USA), Desiree Monsivais (BIIK Kazygurt/KAZ), Tanya Samarzich (Kentucky/USA), Paloma Zermeño (City College of San Francisco/USA)
