By David Gold
January 29 – The United States crushed Canada 4-0 to cap a dominant showing at BC Place in Vancouver, where they have strolled through the CONCACAF qualifiers for the London 2012 Olympic Games women’s football tournament.
In total the US scored 38 goals in just five games, without conceding once in the tournament as the 2011 World Cup runners up booked a place alongside Canada in London this summer.
With both teams assured of their Olympics spot, tonight’s final was more about prestige, and the US rarely looked in danger of losing for the first time in a qualifying match for the quadrennial event.
As early as the fourth minute the US took the lead as Alex Morgan (pictured right) finished off a flowing move.
It took another 10 minutes for the Canadians to muster their first shot of the match, but the US were soon 2-0 up as Abby Wambach netted her 130th international goal, heading past Nicole Barnhart after Morgan’s chipped cross to give the US a commanding lead.
Wambach, who missed on the FIFA Ballon D’Or 2011 to Homare Sawa, soon made it three as she volleyed home from another Morgan cross.
Morgan rounded off the scoring in the second half and Canada’s coach John Herdman was left to rue his opponents’ clinical finishing.
“The first half, everything they hit, hit the back of the net,” he said.
“That’s the difference with the US – when they’re hot, they’re hot.
“That’s what they can do to teams, we’ve seen them destroy sides over the last few years.”
US coach Pia Sundhage, whose team also beat Canada in the final of the Olympic qualifiers in 2008, said: “It’s great to feel the gold.”
“Today we decided to go not with one of the best players, Lauren Cheney.
“She hasn’t been in the starting line up, but the combination with Abby and Morgan turned out to be pretty good.”
Sundhage’s side will hope to continue their superb form in London this July, where they will be looking to defend the Olympic gold they won at Beijing 2008 and have claimed on two other occasions – at Athens in 2004 and Atlanta in 1996.
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