US women’s soccer team earns Olympic berth

Alex Morgan scored three goals, and the United States secured a spot in the Olympics this summer with a 5-0 victory Friday night over Trinidad and Tobago in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.

Alex Morgan made their task all the greater after converting a Lindsey Horan knock-down from close range after 30 minutes.

Costa Rica pulled one back from the penalty spot, before 16-year-old Deanne Rose put the game out of reach of the Costa Ricans with a late goal to put Canada, bronze medallists at the 2012 London Games, into the final.

Pugh earned a surprise start Friday and was an absolute handful against Trinidad and Tobago, using her pace to blow past defenders easily.

Morgan added her second in the 71st minute and claimed the hat trick with a goal two minutes later. Also dealing with the absence of playmaker Megan Rapinoe with a knee injury and an ongoing labor dispute, the US, other than a somewhat fortuitous 1-0 win over Mexico, has thus far progressed without complication.

With just 13 months separating the Women’s World Cup final from kickoff at the Summer Olympics, few would have blamed Jill Ellis for keeping matters simple. With the exception of the opponents it plays Sunday, CONCACAF can still only delay its best team, not test the United States. Carli Lloyd was a constant threat, Heath had a superb opening finish and Morgan Brian and Horan were seamless in the midfield. Amy Rodriguez and Sydney Leroux are expecting and won’t be available for the Olympics.

“I was so mentally focused and prepared”, said Solo, who extended her USA shutouts record to 94. Yet rather than rely on veterans to fill the void, Ellis has turned to a slew of enticing prospects to bolster her team’s depth and challenge for starting spots. “We’re looking forward to Friday”.

“In the end we weren’t able to cope with it as well as we’d liked”, Hood said.

The Americans’ Olympic prospects seemed to be in good shape when Heath set the tone with a crafty goal in the 12th minute on an assist from Mallory Pugh, who at 17 years old was making her second Olympic qualifying start. “I’ve been on this team for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of different styles of play – we’ve played a lot of different styles”. Certainly our speed of play can be faster; I thought tonight it was very good. So, how many days is it until she comes to Orlando to lead the Pride? “I think the whole atmosphere of the stadium and everything was just really cool, and I think that kind of translated into my game”.