U.S. Clinches World Cup spot
CHESTER, Pa. — After the United States’ path to the World Cup hit a snag four years ago, Carli Lloyd was happy to help send the team through smoothly this time.
Lloyd scored a pair of goals in a 3-0 semifinal victory over Mexico on Friday night, securing the United States a trip to next year’s World Cup and a spot in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship title match Sunday.
The U.S. women will face Costa Rica, which earned its first World Cup appearance by beating Trinidad and Tobago on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the earlier match at PPL Park.
The top three finishers in the championship for the North, Central American and Caribbean region earn World Cup bids and the fourth-place finisher will have another chance in a match against Ecuador next month.
In 2010, Mexico surprised the United States in CONCACAF qualifying, forcing the team to wait to earn its ticket to Germany.
“I can kind of breathe now,” Lloyd said. “I think obviously four years ago we went through a little bit of a rocky qualifying, so we didn’t want that to happen this time. So it just feels really good to have that one over. But we’ve got one more and we want to win that one, so we’ve got to refocus our attention on Sunday’s game.”
Mexico will play Trinidad and Tobago in the third-place match on Sunday.
“They have so many weapons, they have so many tools,” Mexico coach Leo Cuellar said about the U.S. team. “Very hard to prepare a game against them.”
Lloyd scored in the eighth minute on a header off a bouncing cross from Tobin Heath to give the United States the early lead. She added a goal on a penalty kick in the 30th minute.
“It was a world-class serve by Tobin. She whipped it in and those are the things I’ve kind of been working on my own, getting inside the box, working on my heading. It was great to get that one,” Lloyd said.
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