The American football players have qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in the night from Monday to Tuesday (Dutch time). The US took the ticket by winning the CONCACAF Women’s Championship at the expense of Olympic champion Canada (1-0).
Alex Morgan scored the decisive goal in Mexico in the final phase by using a penalty after a foul on Rose Lavelle. The 33-year-old American already signed for her 118th hit in the service of the US.
With the Olympic qualification, the American women maintain a perfect series. The US was already present at the Games when women’s football was first part of the Olympic program in 1996 and did not miss a single edition since.
Last year, the four-time Olympic champion (1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012) was surprised by Canada at the Tokyo Games. The Canadians were 1-0 too strong in the semifinals for the normally unapproachable America, which had settled with the Orange in the quarterfinals after penalties.
The Canadian women eventually took Olympic gold by beating Sweden on penalties. Canada will face Jamaica next year in a play-off and can still qualify for the 2024 Games.
Earlier this month, the US already secured a ticket for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The team of national coach Vlatko Andonovski can become world champions for the third time in a row next year. At the 2019 World Cup in France, the US was a size too big for the Netherlands in the final.
The American soccer players win the CONCACAF Women’s Championship and are present at the Olympics for the eighth time in a row.
The American soccer players win the CONCACAF Women’s Championship and are present at the Olympics for the eighth time in a row. Photo: Getty Images