Rose Lavelle always seems to have a smile on her face. But don’t let it fool you — she will absolutely destroy your soul if you come between her and a USWNT victory (or her dog, Wilma).
(Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on Oct. 3, 2018, before the USWNT vs Mexico match in the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship. It has been updated to preview the Feb. 7, 2020, USWNT vs Mexico match in Olympic qualifying.)
With top spot in Group A “up for grabs” at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, it took four minutes for Christen Press to effectively take it.
Costa Rica had never beaten the USWNT, lost 6-0 in a friendly back in November and smartly decided to rest seven starters with both eyes on a crucial semifinal matchup against either Canada or Mexico, but any notion of this being an entirely worthless exercise for the viewer at home was put to bed thanks to Press’s stunning early strike.
The China women’s national football team is currently sitting in a hotel in Brisbane, Australia, under quarantine as precautions concerning the coronavirus outbreak continue. As of Monday, there are 12 confirmed cases in Australia.
The national team, consisting of 32 members, will be quarantined until Wednesday, Feb. 5. The team is scheduled to play three Olympic qualifying matches against Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Australia in Sydney this week and next week.
The crowning achievement of Lionel Messi’s international career remains the gold medal he captured as a 21-year-old at the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was a loaded Albiceleste squad with further attacking firepower provided by Sergio Agüero, Ángel Di María and Ezequiel Lavezzi, but Messi and Argentina were hugely reinforced by the over-age inclusions of Javier Mascherano and Juan Román Riquelme.
The Mexico women are inching closer to a trip to Tokyo. La Tri defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-0 in the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship on Saturday in Edinburg, Texas. The win all but ensures Mexico a trip to the semifinals, where one win would send La Tri to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Renae Cuellar, the hero in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Jamaica, scored two goals to help power Mexico’s victory.
Despite having been torched for six goals on Tuesday playing a high line, Panama wanted to maintain its defensive style against the USWNT on Friday night. The Americans attacked it early and often and cruised to a dominating 8-0 win despite never really looking like they broke a sweat in Concacaf Olympic qualifying in Houston.
The USWNT and Panama will play under Friday night lights in Houston in attempts to qualify for the Olympics. The USWNT is riding a 24-game winning streak and has scored two or more goals in 21 of those games. It will look to continue its hot streak when it faces Panama to continue Group A play on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET at BBVA Stadium in Houston. The match can be viewed on Fox Sports Plus and TUDN XTRA 4, as well as streamed on FoxSports.com with an FS1-level login.
On Wednesday afternoon at HEB Park in Edinburg, Texas, Christine Sinclair scored two goals to break Abby Wambach’s record for most international goals, man or woman. It might just be the best record in sports.
After a disastrous loss to Panama back on Oct. 7, 2018 prematurely ended Mexico’s quest for a third straight World Cup appearance, La Tri approached Wednesday’s encounter with Jamaica knowing that a similar result would likely end their dreams of earning a berth at the Summer Olympics for the first time since 2004.