2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup – USA 2(3)-2(1) Canada: The USWNT win a chaotic game to advance to the final

With a trip to the Concacaf W Gold Cup Final on the line, the USA hosted Canada in San Diego. The weather would play a decisive factor as Concacaf allowed a game on a field with so much moisture on it that a water polo match may have been difficult to complete.

The USA would lineup with the same XI that started against Colombia as Twila Kilgore did not have enough time to call Katie Ledecky up for the match.

Canada brought a soccer team to a synchronized swimming meet.

IT DIDN’T SEEM FAIR THAT CANADA WAS ALLOWED TO COVER THE FIELD WITH MAPLE SYRUP BEFORE THE GAME

Jaedyn Shaw nearly got an early goal when the ball died in the middle of the field and the attacker picked up the ball and tried to loft it into the net. Subsequently, the ref picked up the ball in the 4th minute and demonstrated to the 4th official that the ball would not roll more than about 3 feet before stopping in standing water.

Shaw would get a chance to prey on Canada when the team in red mistakenly let the ball fall into a bath tub. A backpass that would have been fine on a normal field, but not when the game is being played in the Pacific Ocean, got stuck and Shaw was in the perfect spot to pounce on it.

With the lead secured and the field still the complete and total essence of wetness it would be time for the USA to park the boat.

One of the most fascinating matchups during the game was LIndsey Horan vs. nature. A typical sequence for the midfielder was try to dribble and lose the ball or try to line up a short pass only to get upset and kick it long. Following this she typically gestured angrily at the official.

That would largely represent how the game carried on for the rest of the evening. The USA pushed for a second goal but never pushed numbers forward. It seemed like the Red, White, and Bleu would just need to mop up and head to the final, but that would not be the case. Instead, Canada got an equalizer with 10 minutes to go.

It was a good goal even, not something that happened because the field was a melted hockey rink.

The scoreline would hold through the final whistle and the game would require additional whistles as the teams went into extra time. With Canada seemingly having the upper hand after knocking the USA down, the question would be how the Americans would respond. As anyone knows, it ain’t how hard you can hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and get back up and keep going. Keep going the USA did. Substitute Sophia Smith got on the end of a header from Rose Lavelle and fired it into the back of the net.

Ultimately, there would be some question if that would be the difference maker as Canada had a last second try on goal that forced Alyssa Naeher off her line and knocking into an opposing player. A painstaking VAR check led to the ref awarding Canada a penalty well into injury time. Adriana Leon stepped up and buried her shot to send the game into penalties.

The penalty round started well for the USA with Smith converting her try and Naeher saving Leon’s attempt. Naeher saved the next try from Canada and then stepped up as the 3rd taker to score her own PK. The USA keeper would allow the next shot she faced to go it but after Lindsey Horan scored her shot, Naeher saved yet another penalty to make it 3 of 4 and send the USA to the final against Brazil.