USWNT 2-0 Canada: 3 takeaways as the U.S. completes tournament sweep

World Cup qualifiers are officially over and the USWNT have swept the tournament. Here are three takeaways from the win over Canada.

After the US qualified for the World Cup on Sunday night, a matchup with rival Canada in the final was all that remained for the tournament. A goal by Rose Lavelle in the second minute would be all the USWNT would need to take down their neighbors to the north and win the tournament.

Alex Morgan added a second goal late to double the lead. A shutout from Alyssa Naeher and the defense also closed out a perfect run defensively in five games.

Quick start would be all the US would need

The key for the US in this tournament has been a quick start. In all five games of the tournament, the team managed to score a goal in the first 10 minutes. On Wednesday night, it was Rose Lavelle in the second minute who managed to find the back of the net for the US. These quick starts have allowed the US to settle into the game while also putting the opposing team on the back foot.

Against Canada, this was especially important. With Canada being the most competitive team they’ve faced in the tournament, the USWNT couldn’t take any chances. Establishing the lead early forced Canada to spend much of the game pressing. This made it easier for the US to pounce on counterattacks.

The defense holds strong in first real test

So far this tournament, the US has not been challenged defensively. They had racked up four straight shutouts with only two shots on goal against over four games. Against Canada, however, they were put to the test. In the first half, Canada was able to get off one shot on goal, but applied a good amount of pressure on the US. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was even called into action and was forced to make a big save at the near post on Kadeisha Buchanan.

In the second half, the US continued to shut down Canada. On multiple chances into the box, the US was able to shut the Canadians down and avoid allowing the equalizer. It was the most pressure the US had had to deal with in the tournament, and this just proved that they were up to the challenge.

Rose Lavelle is heating up

It has been a while since Rose Lavelle has been fully healthy for either club or country. But this tournament gave the first real look at what a healthy Lavelle could bring. She scored the game-winning goal in the match against Canada on Wednesday night and added two more against Trinidad and Tobago earlier in the tournament. Not only has she been producing on the score sheet, but she is also proving to be a vital part of the midfield trio alongside Lindsey Horan and Julie Ertz. Horan and Lavelle have been combining well in the attacking part of the field and have played well with the front three of Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. If Lavelle can continue to stay healthy, she will play a huge part in the USWNT’s quest to repeat as World Cup champions.