United States (3-0-0, nine points) vs. Mexico (2-1-0, six points)
What: CONCACAF Women's Championship semifinal/final; When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. (semis), Sunday (final)
Where: PPL Park, Chester, Pa.; Tickets: purchase tickets; TV: Fox Sports1
Parking: PPL Park approved lots open, Click here for discounted pass; Mass transit: Shuttle service to and from Chester Transportation Center
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Four years later, it’s a rematch the U.S. Women’s National Team have probably been waiting for what seemed like an eternity. Yes, the USWNT have dominated Las Tri since the teams first met. But in 2010 it was Mexico who defeated the U.S. 2-1 in the CONCACAF semifinals — their first ever loss in World Cup Qualifying — forcing The American Ladies into a must-win match in the third place game just for the opportunity to reach a two-leg playoff against Italy for the final World Cup spot.
Ultimately, the loss was a just blip on the radar — but a noticeable one at that. After three more victories in group play these last two weeks, the women are now 25-1-0 all-time in qualifying. In addition, they’re 29-1-1 all-time against Mexico. They’ll have a chance for revenge, though, Friday night with an automatic bid to the 2015 World Cup serving as the cherry on top.
“I don’t think [that loss] is something these players have forgotten,” Ellis said during a conference call prior to the tournament’s start. “But the message for me is essentially to go in with confidence, humility, and knowing that these players know nothing is granted or given. I think the players involved in that [game] certainly was a wake-up call.”
The United States will have to do it without First XI mainstay Alex Morgan, who suffered a left ankle sprain during USA's 5-0 win against Guatemala. An MRI confirmed the sprain forcing her to miss four to six weeks.
But the team has hardly missed a beat without her. They’ve outscored opponents 12-0 in three games and haven’t had much of a problem replacing Morgan’s offense. Of course at the center of it all has been Abby Wambach, who is tied for first in the tournament with three goals. She scored two against Haiti during a 6-0 rout.
“I think for Abby, we definitely want to have a player to play off of her,” Ellis said. “We’re basically asking Abby to be a little bit more of a player we can bounce things off of and to have her focus on her ability to hold the ball for us, allow our players to get underneath a little more… her role now opens up spaces for other people.”
That space has been utilized by Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Meghan Klingenberg — among others. Lloyd leads the tournament with 18 shots and also has two goals. Rapinoe and Press have both added goals, as well. And of course, Klingenberg owns the goal of the tournament.
But Mexico won’t be a pushover. Las Tri is the third ranked team in CONCACAF and is scoring goals left and right, too. After struggling against Costa Rica in a 1-0 loss in their opener, they responded with 13 goals in two games (both of which were wins). Also, they’ve actually scored more goals than any team in the tournament and have just as many shots (73) as the U.S.A.
Leading a balanced attack has been Sandra Stephany Mayor. She’s tied for second in shots (13) and goals (2). Also, Luz Duarte, Monica Ocampo and Veronica Charlyn Corral have each scored two goals.
In World Cup Qualifiers, the U.S. is 4-1-0 against Mexico and has outscored them 27-2. In addition to dominating the all-time series, 29-1-1, they’ve had great success this year. During the second-leg of a double header friendly in Rochester, N.Y. in September, they beat Mexico 4-0. They also beat them 8-0 five days earlier.
How they got here
United States: They won each of their three games to win Group A with a goal differential of +12 – the highest in the tournament. The start wasn’t pretty, though, as they defeated Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 thanks to a 55th minute goal from Abby Wambach. They then routed Guatemala, 5-0, and Haiti, 6-0, to finish off qualifying. Wambach was the leader with three goals, but it’s been the USWNT stingy defense, allowing just eight attempted shots (seven against Trinidad and Tobago) in three shutouts.
Mexico: It was a similarly slow start for Mexico, who lost 1-0 to Costa Rica in their opener. Likewise, Mexico poured it on with wins over Martinque, 10-0, and Jamaica, 3-1, to finish second in their group with six points. They have a +11 goal differential, second best in the tournament behind the U.S.
Top goalscorer
USA: Wambach (three).
Mexico: Corral, Duarte, Mayor, Ocampo (two).
FIFA Ranking
USA: 1
MEX: 25
World Cups (last appearance)
USA: 6 (2011)
MEX: 2 (2011)
