USWNT bounce back against Colombia, roll into the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinals

The football world eyed a response. Against a 2023 Women's World Cup quarterfinalist, the USWNT delivered thanks to a more confident and fluid display in the City of Angels on Sunday evening. Three goals prior to the first-half whistle including two from players 23 or younger catapulted the Red, White, and Blue into the final four of this ultra-entertaining CONCACAF W Gold Cup.

Twila Kilgore was bold. She trusted the youth, and it paid off. Five out of the 11 players that Kilgore gave the nod to start the 90 minutes were under the age of 24. Alex Morgan was given the surprising start, silencing a lot of people with her standout unselfish display in that No. 7 kit on Sunday. Naomi Girma, and Tierna Davidson, two of whom missed out on the Mexico match added that much-needed stability ahead of the veteran goalkeeper.

It was what you would expect from a knockout stage match of football---physical. 31 fouls and seven yellow cards. At some points, it looked like professional wrestling. The aggression. The emotions. It all made for a compelling football contest. Kilgore managed her players well, taking off some of the individuals at risk of missing the next match before disaster had a chance to strike.

Captained by a high press executed extremely well by Shaw, Morgan, and Trinity Rodman, Colombia looked out of its element, putting itself under pressure via its own mistakes out of the back. Don't forget about Alyssa Naher in her 100th cap. Coming off a night in which Kailen Sheridan pulled some magic out of her hat, the USWNT keeper knew she had to do the same. No. 1's made two world-class reaction saves in those opening 45 minutes at a time in which the momentum very well could have flipped on its head.

She spoke with CBS Sports post-game about what stood out to her the most about the performance, stating, "The intensity we started from minute one all the way through the 90th minute... Obviously we were disappointed in the result against Mexico."

The star goalkeeper continued, "Three quick goals nice and early set the tone for us. It was not an easy game, Colombia is a great team. I'm just proud of the team tonight."

With Shaw between the white lines, you can see the amount of purpose this nation plays with. It's not just her creativity. Her defensive attributes often go unnoticed. The San Diego Wave FC attacker was paired up with NJ/NY Gotham FC's Jenna Nighswonger on the left flank who is quietly making a case to earn an Olympic spot this summer.

It didn't take long before the Colombians found themselves behind. The work ethic of the two-time World Cup-winning forward set up the first goal, forcing the South Americans into an error. No. 7 then drew a penalty which captain Lindsey Horan calmly slotted away. The connection between Girma and Morgan manufactured the next one. The grit of Morgan in the air found Nighswonger flying in with one thing on her mind. No. 3 in white made no mistake, drilling a left-footed shot past the outstretched arms of Natalia Giraldo.

The 19-year-old wrapped up the scoring at the home of Angel City FC yesterday evening. Emily Fox's persistence to win the ball made it all happen. Rodman made a top-quality pinpoint pass into Shaw who intelligently got on the inside of right-back Carolina Arias before firing it home.

She became the second player in this team's storied history to find the back of the net in each of her first three starts. The other---National Soccer Hall of Famer Shannon Boxx. Not bad company if we had to say so ourselves. She is on a list of four players that includes Mexico's Lizbeth Ovalle in this W Gold Cup with at least three goals so far.

For the United States, this was a statement result. Even though we didn't see any breakthroughs in the second half, the home side controlled the entirety of it. The tests are only going to get more challenging from this point on. A rematch of the August 2, 2021 Olympic semifinal is upon us. That swagger the crew in white competed with on Sunday under the lights has to carry into the next one. More football is on the horizon, but as for the quarterfinals, the USWNT did what its fans hoped it would do---respond with intent.

Canada meet the Red, White, and Blue in the semifinals on March 6 in the first match of the night at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.