February 24 – The USA put four past Argentina at the Dignity Health Park stadium, scoring three in eight minutes in the first half, to stamp their authority on the W Gold Cup and guarantee progression to the quarter finals.
Jaedyn Shaw scored twice and veteran Alex Morgan added a third in a blitz that effectively ended this match just when it was starting to warm up. It was an impressive display of pace, power and athleticism throughout by the US.
For so long the dominant force in international women’s football, the US have a point to prove following their disappointing exit in the group stages at the 2023 World Cup. Against Argentina they sent a reminder to the rest of the world it is better not to write them off just yet.
Against the Dominican Republic in their opening game they dominated but didn’t destroy.
They put that right in the first half of this game.
Twila Kilgore made 10 changes to her starting eleven (10!). Only Korbin Albert remained from the team that started against the Dominican Republic.
In contrast Argentina coach German Portonova made just one change from the team that drew with Mexico 0-0 – how he would like to have the depth the Americans have.
Kilgore had talked before the match about getting behind defences and getting balls into the six-yard box to create better goalscoring opportunities, something the US had failed to do effectively against the Dominican Republic.
Argentina tested that requirement from the start, lining up with a 5-4-1 formation. The US proved more than equal to it.
In the second minute a ball right to left found Trinity Rodman who headed well wide. Three minutes later the US appealed for a penalty when Alex Morgan was bundled over in the box.
Morgan had an opportunity to score soon after. Splitting the Argentine defence she received the ball and hit her left footed shot into an advancing Laurina Oliveras.
The US had started strongly but Argentina showed against Mexico that can be when they are at their most dangerous. A counter-attack fell to Marianna Larroquette who, spotting US keeper Casey Murphy off her line, lofted a shot over her but on to the cross bar. If that had gone in this match might have had a very different look.
In the 10th minute the US were one up. Lindsey Horan fed Jaedyn Shaw on the left of the box who had enough time and space to fire her shot inside Oliveras at her left post.
Argentina immediately came back at the US and thought they had equalised two minutes later. A free kick came out to Aldana Cometti who shot across Casey Murphy and into the net, only to be rule offside.
Argentina followed up with a 30m free kick that was hammered into Murphy.
The US were the more incisive and pushing Argentina back. On 18 Rose Lavelle hit a cross from the byline into the six yard box that was met first time by an incoming Shaw for her and the US’s second goal.
A minutes later the USA were 3-0 up. A cross from the right this time fell to Alex Morgan who looped her header from 8m over Oliveras. It was her second goal in two matches and her 123rd in her 217th appearance for her country – not bad for a player who was a late call-up as an injury replacement.
In eight minutes the US had gone almost being one behind to three up.
The US should have been four up on 32 minutes. The non-stop Lavelle was through on the left in the box only to miscue her shot wide.
Argentina had retreated to two banks of five and four but even so Horan’s passing and Lavelle’s lines of running were picking them apart. In the stands a Mexican wave began to ripple.
The half time break didn’t break the pattern of play for the second half.
The US resumed where they had left off with possession and pressure.
Morgan was replaced by Sophia Shaw, Horan was increasingly dominant in the centre of the park. If there was a difference it was that the US weren’t getting a s deep down the flanks as they had in the first half
Argentina were struggling to match the US for pace and were now committing fould. In the 70th minute Shaw was brought down on the right. An Emily Sonnet flashed wide. This was followed by a shaw shot hitting the post after a goal bix melee.
The referee was called to the VAR monitor to review a possible handball which was given against Mayorga who also received her second yellow card and left the pitch. Horan hammered the ball to the right of Oliveras – 4-0.
It was hard to remember when Argentina were last in the US half.
With Argentine emotions stretched, tempers frayed and legs looking increasingly weary, the US resumed their siege. Both coaches worked their benches as the match slowed towards the end.
In the 89th minute Horan miscued a cross from the left that went into the Argentine net, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
10 minutes of added ended mercifully for Argentina with the score at 4-0.
With this win the US secured progression to the quarter finals and will win the group with a point against Mexico on Monday.
Argentina still have work to do. They will need to beat the Dominican Republic by a big margin if they are to take second spot off Mexico (assuming Mexico lose to the US). Even so, they will still likely qualify with four points as one of the two best third placed group teams – but they do have to beat the Dominican Republic and that might not be as easy as Mexico made it look earlier this evening.
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