U.S. Women Roll 4-0 Over Canada To Win CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Tonight's game between the U.S. women and Canada in Vancouver was essentially meaningless since both teams had already secured a spot in the 2012 Olympics in London but aren't you glad you support the Americans after the 4-0 beating they put on the hapless Canadiens in front of their home fans in Vancouver?

Abby Wambach scored twice to move into second-place on the international scoring list (131, now 27 short of Mia Hamm) while Alex Morgan (2 goals, 2 assists) took advantage of her starting spot as she was the best player on the field. It's baffling to think that she didn't start last week against Mexico, what else does she have to do? She is instant offense whenever she's in a game and she has great chemistry with Wambach as they showed tonight.

When the outcome was still somewhat up in the air, American goalkeeper Hope Solo made a couple big saves to show that she's still the best at her position in the world.

Carli Lloyd hit a long ball that Wambach flicked on to send Morgan off to the races in the fourth minute. She fought off a few defenders and coolly finished.

Morgan returned the favor as she crossed to Wambach for a header in the 24th minute and then gave her a neat little pass in the area that Wambach touched from in close.

With a 3-0 halftime lead, Wambach was subbed out but Morgan capped off her best night in a U.S. uniform by scoring her second goal, this time in the 56th minute off a through ball from Lauren Cheney.

I'm not even sure if Vegas or any sportsbooks put odds on women's soccer but if they do, I will guarantee that the Americans will be the favorites heading into London this summer for the 2012 Olympics. They have the best forward combination in the world, top goalkeeper and other assorted solid roleplayers (Cheney, Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe). Their depth is remarkable and it is one of the main reasons why anything less than a gold medal will be a major disappointment.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Women Secure Their Spot In London With A 3-0 Win Vs. Costa Rica

From all I read, it wasn't a classic performance by any means but all that matters is the final result: the U.S. women's team is going to the 2012 London Olympics thanks to their 3-0 win vs. Costa Rica tonight in Vancouver, British Columbia.

It was a semifinal in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament; host Canada beat Mexico in the other, setting up a fun but ultimately meaningless (since they're both in already) final on Sunday night (8 p.m. on NBCSports) between the two rivals and neighbors.

Tobin Heath had the first goal, a header in the 16th minute but the top ranked Americans were only up 1-0 at halftime against a team ranked No. 41 that had never been to the Olympics or a World Cup and also had never scored a goal against the U.S. in eight previous encounters.

The U.S. settled down in the second half as Carli Lloyd blasted one in during the 72nd minute and Alex Morgan wrapped it up with a goal in the 89th minute off the bench.

Hope Solo earned the shutout by making a big-time stop in the 20th minute, she also benefited from a Costa Rica shot in the 27th minute that rocked the crossbar.

This contest was certainly tighter than the first two games in group play: the U.S. rolled 14-0 over the Dominican Republic and 13-0 over Guatemala before a 4-0 win over Mexico and finally, this 3-0 triumph.

The United States will enter London this summer as two-time defending gold medalists. Ironically, both titles came after not winning the ultimate prize-the World Cup.

The tournament includes the UK, Japan, North Korea, Cameroon, South Africa, France, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia and Canada. The final team will hail from Oceania. You'll notice that Germany isn't on that list which means that the U.S. will likely be the favorite.

We all fell in love with this group after their incredible run last summer; let's hope that it continues, albeit with a win in their final match and another Gold to bring home.

If nothing else, it's a delectable side dish to what is shaping up to be an incredible summer of the beautiful game: Euro 2012, London Olympics and World Cup qualifying starts plus some awesome friendlies (Brazil vs. Argentina in NJ).

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Men Set To Dominate in 2012 Olympic Qualifying Next Spring In Nashville

Let's be honest, the path to the 2012 Olympics in London is pretty easy for the U.S. men's team.

It was announced yesterday, the U.S. men's under-23 team (aka the Olympic squad) will face Canada, Cuba and El Salvador next spring in Nashville, TN for regional qualifying. They are coached by Caleb Porter, also the head coach at the highly successful University of Akron.

I'm not predicting 5-0 wins in each game but come on, the U.S. should roll over each of those garbage teams. Sorry, this isn't hockey (Canada) or baseball (Cuba). El Salvador isn't known for anything else, they just blow.

These games should serve as a sort of a warmup for the Olympics not to mention the World Cup qualifiers that some of the more talented team members will also participate in.

Striker Juan Agudelo is on the U-23 team and other guys eligible include goalkeeper Bill Hamid, defender Timothy Chandler, defender Alfredo Morales, midfielder Danny Williams, midfielder Freddy Adu, midfielder Brek Shea and striker Jozy Altidore. They have all been invited to the senior national team's camps and in some cases, they are already some of their top players.

The team can also call in three overage players for the Olympics, something to keep in mind as next summer approaches. As I said last week with the Euro 2012 draw, next summer is going to rule. Between Euro 2012, London Olympics, Champions League and World Cup qualifying, there is going to be plenty of world-class soccer around every corner.

Follow @RichSlate


Tweet