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USWNT clinch spot in 2019 World Cup with win over Jamaica: 3 takeaways

By Jordan Small

FRISCO, TX - OCTOBER 14: Megan Rapinoe of USA celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the semifinal match between Jamaica and United States as part of CONCACAF Women's Championship at Toyota Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
FRISCO, TX - OCTOBER 14: Megan Rapinoe of USA celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the semifinal match between Jamaica and United States as part of CONCACAF Women's Championship at Toyota Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images) /
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With a 6-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday night, the USWNT have officially qualified for the 2019 World Cup in France. Here are three takeaways from the game.

It seems like the same story each game for the US here in World Cup qualifiers. But Sunday night’s game was especially important for the US in a dominating win. The 6-0 win assured that the USWNT will be heading to France next summer. Goals from Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz helped the US move onto the finals of the CONCACAF tournament.

Hot starts continue to help the United States

So far in this tournament, the teams playing against the United States have opted for a bunker style defense. This was a really smart style for Jamaica to play especially because of their speed and the opportunity for counter attacks. That is why it was so important that the US found the back of the net early. Tobin Heath scored the first goal for the US in just the second minute, putting Jamaica on their heels.

This makes the job of the USWNT a lot easier and relieves much of the pressure. In turn, it is allowing them to put up crazy goal numbers, even if they are not playing all that well collectively. By breaking down the bunker style defense, it pulls teams apart and leaves them exposed. It’ll be a different story when they take on Canada on Wednesday, but a hot start is very important for this US team.

The ability to switch the field is vital

Another thing that helps break down bunker defenses is the ability to get the ball out wide. The USWNT were doing a great job of that on Sunday night. The best example of this type of play was on the goal by Megan Rapinoe. Abby Dahlkemper had the ball right around center field on the right side when she looked up and played it to Megan Rapinoe in the box on the left side. This allowed Rapinoe to be in open space and drive to the net with little opposition.

https://twitter.com/ussoccer_wnt/status/1051632967053791232?s=21

Not only were the switching balls there, but also the through balls. This allowed for runners to get in behind the high line of Jamaica. Even with their speed, the Jamaicans were unable to keep up with the strong passing game of the United States.

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Still something left to play for

Sure, the USWNT have accomplished what they came to accomplish in this tournament. But that won’t be good enough for them. With a matchup against archrival Canada on Wednesday, there is still a lot to play for if you are the US. Both teams have qualified for the World Cup, so it’ll be interesting to see what lineups the coaches go with. Regardless, it will definitely be a much closer contest than these past four games.

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