US Womens Qualify for Olympics with win over Costa Rica
Published
4/10/2008 8:11:05 AM
by
staff
from
ussoccer
The US Women’s National Team rebounded from a frustrating first half to score three second half goals and clinch a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica. The Americans will play Canada in the championship game of the Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Saturday. Canada made a first half goal stand up against Mexico to win 1-0 and disappoint another packed stadium at Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez, earning its first ever berth to the Olympics in women’s soccer.
The match was played in difficult conditions with high winds and a massive dust storm that made every ball in the air an adventure. Costa Rica came into the semifinal match with the tactical plan to play low pressure defense and keep a low defensive restraining line, packing its defensive third with players and making it extremely difficult for the USA to find space in goal scoring positions. In the first 45 minutes, the US struggled mightily to find a rhythm against the committed Costa Ricans, who defended very well inside their own penalty box, and the Americans were not sharp on the few chances they did create. Lori Chalupny was one of the USAs main attacking weapons in the first half, repeatedly getting around the corner on the left side, but her crosses could not find a US player. While Costa Rica rarely threatened the United States's goal, the half ended with a surprising 0-0 score line.
With just one goal needed to change the game, the Americans put together some excellent attacking soccer after the break. Heather O’Reilly, aided by halftime substitute Tobin Heath, terrorized the flanks as the US pounded away at the Costa Rica goal, forcing the Ticas to drop even deeper into its own half, setting up its back line just a few steps above the penalty arc. The USA took full advantage of the stretched out field and finally broke through the mass of red jerseys in the 57th minute. "Of course it was a great feeling when you score goals, especially the first one, because then we knew Costa Rica had to attack," said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage. "But I have to say, we have to be smarter, and I think we were smarter in the second half. They were so tight centrally, so we needed to go wide. We needed to use the flanks better and that's why we changed the system a little bit, so we had Heather O'Reilly and Tobin Heath on each side and I think that changed the game."
Heath got around the defense on the left side, as she would the entire half, and cut a ball back on the ground to Natasha Kai. The U.S. forward smacked her shot hard on frame from 10 yards out, but it initially looked as if Ticas goalkeeper Priscilla Tapia had made the save. The ball had enough steam on it, though, that it slipped through her hands and rolled across the goal line into the lower right corner. Two minutes later Shannon Boxx sent a header hard off the crossbar near the upper right corner and the U.S. was on its way.
The second goal came in the 72nd minute as Carli Lloyd sent in a free kick from the left wing. Kai got her head on the ball, but sent it looping high in the air toward the goal. Tapia went up to grab the ball right on the goal line, but as she came down, fumbled it and O’Reilly stuffed it into the net from just a foot away. It was O’Reilly’s 19th international goal. Young forward Amy Rodriguez came off the bench in the 74th minute and gave the Americans an offensive spark in the final 15 minutes. Her running created the final goal as substitute Angela Hucles played her down the right wing. Rodriguez raced around a defender and chipped a pass back to Hucles, who had continued her run, and the US midfielder brought the ball down about 10 yards from the goal at the right elbow of the goal box. Hucles coolly played a square pass right into the path of Kai, who slammed her shot into the right side of the net from eight yards away to finish the scoring in the 89th minute. The two goals gave Kai four for the tournament and 14 for her career.
Rodriguez almost got a goal of her own, getting behind the defense in the 90th minute and looping a shot over Tapia, but it bounced just left of the goal. Costa Rica had two good chances in the match, the first coming in the 68th minute when Amara Wilson drew a nice diving save from US goalkeeper Hope Solo. Two minutes from time, a well-struck Costa Rica free kick skipped into the box and bounced off Solo’s chest as she was buried underneath two Costa Rican attackers, but the US was able to clear before a Tica could get a foot to the rebound.
Published
3/27/2012
by
William Montero
from
soccermogul
US crashes out of Olympic qualifying as El Salvador scores a stoppage time goal to draw 3-3.
Published
3/23/2012
by
Roberto Garcia
from
soccermogul
The US Under 23s did a number on an overmatched side from Cuba last night winning 6-0 to open qualifying for the London Olympics. Joe Corona notched a hat trick in the decisive victory.
Published
3/1/2012
by
Shane Barrow
from
soccermogul
The US Under 23s notched an impressive 2-0 victory over the Mexico U23s Wednesday night at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Published
2/29/2012
by
Roberto Garcia
from
soccermogul
A second half goal from Clint Dempsey led the US to a historic 1-0 win over Italy on Wednesday.
Published
2/29/2012
by
Shane Barrow
from
soccermogul
The US women have their new star. First there was Mia Hamm. Then there was Abby Wambach. It looks like young Alex Morgan is the next in line of the great American womens goal scorer.