The inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup has been so far, so good for the U.S. women’s national team, and the regional heavyweights hope to keep it that way when they close out the group stage against Mexico on Monday.
The USWNT have already booked their spot in the quarterfinals after wins over the Dominican Republic and Argentina last week, and they could secure top spot in Group A with at least a draw. A draw would suit Mexico just fine, who have a three-point lead over Argentina and would be guaranteed to advance with at least a point but could lock up second place even with a loss.
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The main thing to keep an eye on during the group stage finale will be goal difference. The USWNT could be one of three group winners that win all of their matches, and considering the teams that advance will be ranked based on their point totals before placing them in the quarterfinals, the first tiebreaker of goal difference will be crucial. The USWNT have the best goal difference in the competition right now with plus-nine and are expected to add to that count which could be bad news for Mexico, but even if they lose and Argentina win, Argentina will need to overcome a goal difference gap of 12 to overtake them in second.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch
- Date: Monday, Feb. 26 | Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Dignity Health Sports Park — Carson, Calif.
- Live stream: Paramount+
Storylines
The USWNT have treated this competition as a chance to experiment with the wider player pool, and so each of their games have offered some important learnings. Chief among them is the fact that some players have truly risen to the occasion, with Olivia Moultire and Midge Purce shining in the 5-0 win over the Dominican Republic and Jaedyn Shaw standing out in the 4-0 win over Argentina.
Interim head coach Twila Kilgore has opted to heavily rotate and changed all her starters but one in between the two games — versatile midfielder Korbin Albert. With the knockouts nearing, there’s a big question ahead of the game against Mexico: Will the USWNT coaching staff use this occasion to experiment yet again, or begin to reward those who have performed well in training and games? Most everyone has started one game at this point so the lineup against Mexico could be a revealing one, or perhaps a last chance for those who have yet to make their case to do so before the knockouts begin.
Prediction
This might be an experimental version of the USWNT but it’s clear with tickets to Paris on the line, even a less traditional group is eager to perform. Regardless of the lineup Kilgore picks, the USWNT are expected to get the job done and advance to the knockouts on a high. Pick: USWNT 3, Mexico 0