Alex Morgan is pregnant, expecting a child in April. Her No. 13 jersey is doing just fine without her.
Lynn Williams, wearing the lucky No. 13 jersey, had a goal and an assist to help the USWNT eventually beat a tough Haiti 4-0 in the opener of the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship on Tuesday in rainy Houston.
Williams set up a goal less than 90 seconds into the match but the U.S. struggled to build on its early success. Carli Lloyd failed to show she deserves to be the USWNT’s starting center forward in Tokyo this summer, despite scoring a goal in stoppage time. Haiti should have been level at halftime but for a baffling call we still can’t decipher.
But Megan Rapinoe’s introduction early in the second half sparked the U.S. out of its malaise, assisting two second-half goal on the way to the win everyone expected from the start.
The match was the second of the tournament after Costa Rica hammered Panama 6-1 in the opener. The top two teams in the group advance to the semifinals against the top two in Group B, with the two winners in the semifinals advancing to the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
A moment of silence was held before the match in honor of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who died along with seven others in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Tributes have been pouring in around the soccer world for the basketball great, who was himself a soccer fan and supporter of the USWNT.
Kobe always showed up for us. He was there before 2015. He continued to be there after 2019.
We’ll miss you and we’ll miss Gigi. Rest In Peace, friend. We’ll carry that Mamba Mentality forever. pic.twitter.com/SQQX4lss5W— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) January 26, 2020
USWNT vs Haiti Highlights
Christen Press opened the scoring a mere 78 seconds into the match. Williams lost her shoe in the buildup but still found a way to send in a cross to the back post, where Press was waiting.
Lynn Williams (wearing Alex Morgan's No. 13) loses a shoe and still finds a way to tee up Christen Press for the openerpic.twitter.com/YNj20GKnU4
— The18 (@the18com) January 29, 2020
Press now has 52 international goals in 131 appearances. The fact she isn’t an all-time great for the USWNT is a testament to how good and deep the U.S. has been over the last 30 years.
The U.S. looked out of sync rest of the first half, rarely threatening. Haiti keeper Kerly Theus had a lot to say about that, playing superbly in goal. Haiti, ranked No. 68 in the world, actually looked more like to score at times.
In the 18th minute, it appeared for a moment that Haiti had scored its first-ever goal against the U.S. when Roseline Eloissaint ever-so-slightly deflected an in-swinging corner kick past Alyssa Naeher in goal. However, the goal was disallowed for … something?
We’re not really sure why, but the referee quickly blew her whistle and the goal didn’t stand. (There is no VAR for this tournament.) The best guess is a weird goalie interference call, even though that would’ve been a terrible decision as Eloissaint didn’t make any contact with Naeher.
It actually looked like the assistant referee called offside, which isn’t possible on the corner kick.
Offside on a corner? Screenshot: FS2
If this was the call, then Concacaf and FIFA should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for playing Olympic qualifiers, some of the most important games of the year for these teams, with officials who don’t know the rules.
Plus, why not use VAR? It’s ubiquitous in the men’s game now, but the powers that be (men) don’t care enough to put VAR in the women’s game. Who knows how the match would have turned out for Haiti had the goal been allowed?
Refereeing tonight. Very, very CONCACAFFY
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) January 29, 2020
It’s fair to roast a ref for seemingly not knowing a rule, but please also roast FIFA, Concacaf, and member federations for inadequate funding and training for women referees and fewer opportunities for them to work high level games #CWOQ
— Yenith Bailey stan account (@thrace) January 29, 2020
Despite just a one-goal lead at halftime, Vlatko Andonovski didn’t panic and make any halftime adjustments. However, when he finally made a sub — replacing Press with Rapinoe — the game quickly changed for the better.
Less than five minutes after coming on, Rapinoe whipped in a corner kick that Williams couldn’t help but head in, scoring her seventh career international goal.
THAT SERVICE @mPinoe doing what she does best. pic.twitter.com/uKKD6xyK3z
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) January 29, 2020
Less than 10 minutes after that, Rapinoe set up another goal.
This time, Rapinoe took a short corner from Kelley O’Hara and lobbed a cross for Lindsey Horan — herself a second-half sub — to head home, because no one beats Horan to a header in the box.
A @LindseyHoran header
You LOVE to see it. pic.twitter.com/71IEfTZt4Q— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) January 29, 2020
Lloyd, who spent most of the match whiffing on shots and struggling to make an impact, did get on the scoresheet — her 122nd for the U.S. — in stoppage time. Rapinoe played a quick ball in to Julie Ertz, who picked out the run of Lloyd for a final goal.
She starts AND finishes the play!
Carli Lloyd gets her goal and @USWNT is up 4-0 against @fhfhaiti in Houston#CWOQ #WeBelong pic.twitter.com/MOZ0HcvQOr— Concacaf (@Concacaf) January 29, 2020
The U.S. got its expected win, albeit with a tougher match than many expected for most of the game.
Haiti prepared for the match by heading up the road from Houston to College Station, where they faced the best college team in the state, Texas A&M. The Haitians and Aggies tied 1-1 on Friday at Ellis Field.
Aggies & Haiti draw 1-1 in International Friendly. Best wishes to our Haitian friends in their Olympic Qualifiers next week in Houston pic.twitter.com/3AMeJT74dV
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) January 25, 2020
However, the USWNT isn’t likely to be troubled much over the remainder of qualifying. The U.S. has never even lost an Olympic qualifier going 19-0-1 by outscoring the unfortunate Concacaf competition 101-4 in the process, including Tuesday’s match.
But it will be Costa Rica on top of Group A before Friday’s second round of matches on goal difference.
In the first match of the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, Costa Rica hammered Panama 6-1 behind a brace apiece for Melissa Herrera and Priscilla Chinchilla. The first goal showed how long of a night it was for Panama keeper Yenith Bailey, one of The18’s favorite players, not to mention a nice shot of a random water fountain.
¡Sale el primer gol de #CWOQ! Melissa Herrera abre el marcador para Costa Rica al 9'.@FedefutbolCR se pone al frente 1-0 sobre @fepafut | #WeBelong pic.twitter.com/PSOpHkFixF
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) January 28, 2020
Shirley Cruz also scored this violent volley for Costa Rica.
¡Pero qué golazo de Shirley Cruz! @fedefutbolcrc gana 3-1 a @fepafut al 67' pic.twitter.com/rUTmBsqM5v
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) January 29, 2020
Olympic qualifying continues Wednesday with Group B action down south near the border in Edinburg, Texas, down in the Valley. Canada faces Saint Kitts and Nevis in the opener as Christine Sinclair is a goal away from equaling Abby Wambach’s all-time international goals record of 184. Mexico takes on Jamaica and the Reggae Girlz in the other Group B match.
