The USWNT crushed Panama 5-0 to improve its record at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship to 2-0 with a goal difference of +11, all but guaranteeing a place in the semifinals of the competition and moving one step closer to automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup in France.
She didn’t even wait for the ball to reach the goal before she began celebrating — Addie McCain knew what it meant.
Her teammates knew, too. They were yelling at her from the sidelines with name suggestions.
With one powerful lash of her right foot, the Texas A&M sophomore earned herself the greatest prize a college kid could ask for: a puppy!
For the puppy! @addie_mccain puts the Aggies up by two at the half!
The U.S. women’s national team opened World Cup qualifying with a goal in the second minute against Mexico. The USWNT absolutely dominated the rest of the half without finding another goal.
The second half, though, was another story.
As a 10-year member of the USWNT and a key contributor at two previous World Cups, attacker Tobin Heath is one of the more wizened veterans of the 20-player group selected to earn America’s place at the 2019 Women’s World Cup via the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
With 138 caps to her name, Heath is the fifth most-capped player on the USWNT’s Women’s Championship roster. At the age of 30, she’s the sixth oldest.
The 2018 Concacaf Women's Championship schedule kicks off Thursday in Cary, North Carolina, with the USWNT facing off against Mexico. The tournament doubles as qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. It’s kind of a big deal, with two of the world’s top five teams involved, fighting for three and a half World Cup berths.
Here’s everything you need to know, from the Concacaf Women's Championship schedule and preview to why it matters and how to watch it.
An upset in sports is a tale of the split-screen day. One team — the emboldened underdog — rides the highest of highs, storming the field and reveling in its victory as it has just pulled off the seemingly impossible. The other team — the deflated heavyweight — is humbled and humiliated, slumping off into the locker room and being forced to grapple with a reality it had never considered.
November 5, 2010, was one of those split-screen days.
Mexico, the emboldened underdog. The United States, the deflated heavyweight.
Manchester City put an end to Birmingham City’s unbeaten start to the 2018-19 FA Women’s Super League by defeating the Blues 3-2 Sunday, but the Citizens had to claw back from an early deficit after Abbie McManus skipped one over the head of goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck on a 50-yard back pass.
The good news for McManus is that this is still classified as being Beckham-esque, so there's absolutely no shame here.
Ada Hegerberg may be the best women’s footballer on the planet right now. Sadly, FIFA awards don’t really know how to recognize talent in the women’s game. But this Hegerberg goal vs Avaldsnes in the Champions League on Thursday recognizes.
Luka Modric has claimed The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018 award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah (and dare I say it at risk of being murdered, Lionel Messi), but that contentious decision pales compared to everything else that unfolded at a star-studded gala (sans Messi and Ronaldo) in London on Monday evening.
