WWC - Matchday 2 Update
A Concacaf showdown and more VAR drama with decision day on the horizon!
Matchday 2 at this tournament had everything we love about World Cups on display - players leaving it all out on the pitch for their nations, incredible goals, comeback wins, and late game drama. Check out a summary of all the Concacaf action in this edition of ConcaCorner - let’s get into it!
Concacaf Headlines
Defending Olympic champs overcome Olimpico
Canada came into this game really needing 3 points before rounding out the group against the hosts. Just 4 minutes into this match, Ireland’s McCabe scored the first Olimpico in WWC history (watch below)! After a disappointing draw in their opener and giving up this early goal, Canada needed to dig deep to find something else or they were potentially facing an early exit. They were able to overcome this early adversity to win the game (more on that match later).
Another loss of the 0-1 VARiety
Let me preface this by saying that I like VAR, we need VAR…but sometimes for a team, it can feel like VAR is always working against you. This has been the case for Haiti so far in this World Cup. There is an argument that Haiti could have 4 points instead of 0 in an alternate reality where VAR was never approved. Hear me out for a second:
0-1 loss vs England
VAR review results in penalty awarded to England after handball in box.
Haiti stops the penalty but VAR determines that the Haitian keeper came off her line too early and England scored the retake.
0-1 loss vs China
VAR reviews possible red card on China’s Zhang and she is indeed sent off…this went in Haiti’s favor.
There was contact in the box, but the referee initially ruled that there was an offside so no penalty given. VAR reviewed and determined no offside so penalty given - China converts from the spot.
Down a goal, Haiti were awarded a penalty late in stoppage time but VAR overturned the call (much to the confusion of pundits and rules analysts).
I’m not going to sit here and say these calls were wrong (although I could make an argument for the penalty reversal against China). VAR has improved the sport and at the same time there has to be a space to air grievances especially on controversial decisions. Regardless, you have to feel for Les Grenadières after these losses.
No subs…some problems
There was a lot of talk coming into this tournament about what the best XI would be for the USWNT. Given the injuries, it was hard to know what the lineup would look like and given the depth of this squad, a lot of experimentation was expected in the group stage. Vlatko Andonovski opted for the same XI against the Netherlands and only made one substitution the whole game.
I don’t know if the anger I saw on soccer Twitter is totally warranted (it rarely is) but even more level-headed pundits on podcasts and TV coverage were asking the same questions…where were the subs down the stretch against the Dutch? When you want a goal and have the likes of Lynn Williams, Megan Rapinoe, and Ashley Sanchez on the bench, why not bring them on? After receiving these questions, Vlatko defended his decision postgame:
"I just didn't want to disrupt the rhythm at that point because sometimes a substitute comes in and it might take a minute or two to get into a rhythm," he said. "We just didn't want to jeopardize anything because I thought all three of our forwards were very good today, dangerous, created opportunities and were a handful."
Match Reviews + Next Match Previews
Costa Rica: 0-2 Loss vs Japan
If you’re experiencing a bit of déjà vu, you’re not alone. In the 2022 Men’s World Cup, Los Ticos opened the tournament getting blown out by Spain and then upset Japan in a bounce back game. Unfortunately, Las Ticas were not able to recreate the same result in this World Cup. Daniela Solera was under a lot of pressure and ended up making 10 saves again in this one! Despite the great overall performance, she was beat on 2 goals in the span of 2 minutes (including at her near post on an amazing shot from Fujino). In the 64th minute, Raquel Rodriguez made her debut at this tournament as Las Ticas needed to find some creativity in the final third, but Japan continued to dominate and held a less than 100% Rodriguez to zero shots.
Next Matchup: vs Zambia / Monday, 7/31 at 3am ET - These teams have been eliminated from the competition, but there is still something to play for. Both are looking for their first goal at this tournament AND their first ever World Cup win. Las Ticas will be disappointed after not improving on their 2015 showing but they have a chance in this one to take something back home to build on.
Canada: 2-1 Win vs Ireland
As mentioned in the headlines, Canada went down early off of an Olimpico goal, but this team kept their cool and reminded us why they are the defending Olympic champs. In the final minutes of stoppage time in the first half, they were able to grab an own goal off of an Irish deflection to head into the break all square. While the return of Jessie Fleming provided a huge boost to Canada, it was Adriana Leon who played hero as she scored the winner off a fantastic ball from Sophie Schmidt who had just subbed in minutes earlier.
Next Matchup: vs Australia / Monday, 7/31 at 6am ET - This is the big one, the one that Canada had circled on their calendars since the groups were announced. Australia desperately need all 3 points to control their destiny and the hosts will likely have Sam Kerr back in some capacity. A loss won’t necessarily eliminate Canada but they will need a win or draw to guarantee their progression to the knockout stage.
United States: 1-1 Draw vs Netherlands
Sometimes there are draws that feel like wins and draws that feel like losses. For the USWNT, I’m not sure this feels like either. Yes, there was disappointment to not get the win with expectations being so high, but they were also able to come from behind and tie the game up. The team had a ton of chances in the second half to grab the win, but it just wasn’t enough in the end. Ultimately, I think facing some adversity in the group stage is good for this team - better to experience that now to build resilience than to face it for the first time in the knockout round. Regardless, it was clear in the postgame interviews that this team wanted more.
Next Matchup: vs Portugal / Tuesday, 8/1 at 3am ET - This team finds themselves in unfamiliar territory - needing a result to guarantee their progression to the knockout round. There are a lot of people talking about this game as a chance to run up the score to ensure a finish atop the group. But this could be a trap game. While unlikely, there is a chance that USWNT fans wake up on Tuesday morning to find that their team has been knocked out of the World Cup before the semifinals for the first time in history.
Haiti: 0-1 Loss vs China
Coming into this tournament, I expected Haiti to score goals and their downfall to be on the defensive side. It has been the exact opposite - they have held both England and China to just one goal each. Despite all of my grumblings about VAR, the main reason that Les Grenadières are in this position is because they haven’t been able to score a goal. With the attacking prowess of Corventina and Mondésir on the team, it has been surprising they haven’t found the back of the net yet.
Next Matchup: vs Denmark / Tuesday, 8/1 at 7am ET - Despite two losses to open the group, Haiti isn’t technically eliminated just yet. If they can beat Denmark by a few goals and England beats China they have a chance to advance. They will need Corventina to be at her best (even if she isn’t 100% healthy) because this team is clearly at another level when she is on the field. All to play for on decision day!
Jamaica 1 - Panama 0
It was an all Concacaf battle at the World Cup! Let that sink in…this is such an exciting time for the federation, especially in the women’s game. After an impressive draw against France, The Reggae Girlz came into this game confident even without their superstar Bunny Shaw. Panama had a rough outing versus Brazil and were looking to bounce back and stave off elimination. This game was tough and gritty - exactly the kind of Concacaf matchup you’d expect. Jamaica clearly missed Shaw in and around the box. In the second half, it was defender Allyson Swaby who broke the deadlock with a headed goal! In the end, that was enough to earn Jamaica their first World Cup win and to eliminate Panama.
Jamaica: Next Matchup: vs Brazil / Wednesday, 8/2 at 6am ET - Because of their draw against France, Jamaica hold a one point advantage over Brazil in the standings. The math is simple, if Jamaica can just get a result they are through to the knockout stage. The execution will not be so simple. The Reggae Girlz will have the boost of Bunny Shaw’s return but this loaded Brazil team have no intentions of crashing out in the group stage.
Panama: Next Matchup: vs France / Wednesday, 8/2 at 6am ET - Las Canaleras have been eliminated in their World Cup debut. Depending on the spirits of the team, this game against an elite team like France could get out of hand. My hope is that Panama can keep the game close and maybe get their first ever World Cup goal!
Recommended Content
Similar to the last update, I wanted to provide you with some other great resources if you would like to go deeper during this World Cup - while some of these aren’t specifically Concacaf, they are Conc-adjacent (see what I did there?)
Quintana: World Cup would be “watershed” moment for Panama - ahead of the inter-confederation playoff to reach the World Cup, Panama manager Ignacio Quintana spoke on the importance of Las Canaleras making it to the World Cup (click here). Despite their early elimination, this team has inspired their country and the Central American region and I believe that Quintana’s vision he shared below is coming to fruition:
“We know that when we have that World Cup ticket, the parents of families are going to trust more and take their daughter to train in football and break that paradigm that sadly still exists a lot in Latin America that only men can play football. It would make a huge difference to reach the World Cup, and would round out everything that we have been doing and working on these last two years”
How teenage phenom Linda Caicedo overcame ovarian cancer - a few days ago, you may not have known of Linda Caicedo. But if you have been following this World Cup, you probably saw her goal-of-the-tournament candidate in Colombia’s huge upset win over Germany (click here to watch). What you may not know about this prodigy is that she had a battle with ovarian cancer just a few years ago. This feature piece from My New Favorite Futbolista details more of her story and her battles on and off the pitch. This is well worth your time!
The upset-scoring Philippines women's soccer team has strong roots in the US - this brief piece from NPR highlights how the Philippines women’s team was constructed of mainly US born players (original link here). Also check out the reaction to their first ever goal at the World Cup - this is why we love the beautiful game!
Going into decision day, here is where we stand…2 of the 6 Concacaf teams have been eliminated and the 4 teams that remain have yet to guarantee their spots in the knockout round. Many of these games are going to be at difficult times to watch, but I highly recommend watching what you can and checking out the highlights of what you miss. Enjoy this decision day at the World Cup - it only comes once every 4 years!