USWNT 5-0 Panama: 3 things we learned
By Jordan Small
The USWNT continued to dominate CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on Sunday afternoon. Here are three takeaways from their win against Panama.
The USWNT are off to a great start in World Cup qualifying. After beating Mexico 6-0 on Thursday night, the U.S. thrashed Panama 5-0 on Sunday. The win all but assures the U.S. will finish in first place in their group. Here are three takeaways from the match.
The depth of the U.S. is special
It’s no secret the USWNT have a deep roster. Abby Dahlkemper and Julie Ertz are the only two players to have started both matches for the U.S. in qualifying so far. Especially in group play like this, it’s very important that they’re able to play an almost entirely second team. This allows plenty of players to gain experience heading into France in 2019.
The team didn’t seem to lose a step and were able to dominate both sides of the ball. Three different players got in on the scoring action on Sunday afternoon, with Carli Lloyd completing a hat trick in just 48 minutes of work. The score could have been much more lopsided, but the play of the Panama goalkeeper limited the bleeding.
3 Panama defenders vs. @CarliLloyd. Advantage: @CarliLloyd 😲pic.twitter.com/iurCxHgFlA
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 7, 2018
Panama’s goalkeeper stood on her head
At just 17 years old, Panama’s goalkeeper, Yenith Bailey, was thrown into the fire. The young, inexperienced shot-stopper was forced to play against the best team in the world and she rose the occasion. Despite allowing five goals in the game, she made eight phenomenal saves to keep the damage to a minimum.
Her team didn’t offer a ton of support and because of that, she was forced to make a lot of late desperation saves. Her biggest series of saves came early in the first half, when she denied Carli Lloyd on not one but two point blank opportunities. The score might not reflect it, but Bailey had a terrific game against a dominant United States team.
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Another blowout shows CONCACAF still has a ways to go
Sure it’s fun to watch the USWNT put up five or more goals a game. If you’re a fan of offense, these are the games for you. But these one-sided games prove one thing above all: How far CONCACAF still has to go.
So many players are playing some of the few matches they’ll ever get to represent their countries. Unsurprisingly, they’re struggling. This is a reflection of the different CONCACAF nations treat their women’s teams. As each cycle goes by, it would be nice to see ground being made up, so that these tournaments become more competitive all around.