SAN DIEGO — Jaedyn Shaw and her teammates on the United States Women’s National Team figured to enjoy a home-field advantage on Wednesday night in their CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer semifinal against Canada at Snapdragon Stadium.
A home-field edge indeed showed up in the 20th minute.
Only it wasn’t what anyone had in mind when the event was booked for the San Diego venue several months ago.
When the soccer ball stalled on the rain-soaked, bog-like field to foil Canada’s backward pass into the box, Shaw pounced on it and chipped a 10-yard strike past goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan – her San Diego Wave teammate – for the lead before a crowd of 15,245.
The United States appeared headed to a semifinal victory until the 82nd minute, when Canada’s Jordyn Huitema tied it. The U.S. and Canada traded extra-time goals, with Sophia Smith giving the Americans a 2-1 lead nine minutes in before Adriana Leon reknotted the score with a free pick in the final minute of stoppage time.
The match came down to a penalty shootout. Smith, Alyssa Naeher (a goalkeeper) and Lindsey Horan all connected on their shots for the United States. Naeher then stopped Jessie Fleming’s shot to end it.
“Being able to adjust to any sort of conditions is always a part of it and it takes a certain mentality to do that,” USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore said. “We did that today and we’re not going to shy away from celebrating that because it’s not easy.”
The soggy Americans move on to Sunday’s 5:15 p.m. final, also at Snapdragon Stadium, where they’ll face Brazil. Brazil beat Mexico, 3-0 in Wednesday’s first semifinal.
Calling into question whether the game should have been played, the rain created conditions unfit for soccer by leaving puddles on the field.
Well-struck passes came to a rapid halt or skipped ahead, depending on how much water the ball encountered.
The randomness of where the ball might end up forced the players to slam on the brakes or speed up at a high rate. It looked treacherous and prompted a pointed comment from Casey Stoney, the Wave’s coach and former captain of England’s national team.
“Player safety?????” Stoney posted to social media.
“It is solely at the discretion of the referees as to whether the field is safe and playable,” a CONCACAF spokesperson said.
Afterward, Kilgore was asked whether the game should have been played.
“Probably not. But those decisions aren’t my decisions,” she said. “If the referees make those decisions, and the game goes on, it’s our job to figure out how to win.”
Delaying the 7:15 p.m. start might have been the best decision, given that the rain vanished for most of the second half. Postponing the game until Thursday, though an inconvenience, would have been a better choice, too, although it would have shortened the winner’s recovery time by a day.
Shaw has shown herself dangerous in an array of conditions, beginning with her professional debut in steamy Chicago two summers ago. She scored a game-winning goal, becoming – at 17 – the youngest player in her National Women’s Soccer League debut.
Though all five of her goals with the Wave came in Mission Valley, as did her first goal with the national team in October, Shaw has scored in her hometown of Frisco, Texas, twice in Carson and once in Los Angeles, contributing to three U.S. victories.
The 5-foot-6 forward/midfielder, an excellent passer as well, has netted Wave goals with her head and each foot, either off a pass or on her own, either on the run or from a set spot. Shaw, 19, is the first player to score in each of her first four starts with the U.S. national team.
She was joined in the lineup Wednesday by Wave teammates Naomi Girma and Alex Morgan.
SMART MOVE
Inviting Brazil strengthened the tournament’s 15-team field.
Playing at a higher level than most CONCACAF-region teams can, Brazil overwhelmed Mexico in the first semifinal behind superior passing, ball control and shooting.
El Tri just couldn’t match up. In the first half, Mexico gave up two goals, lost the possession game (69% to 31%) and put no shots on goal.
Mexico’s fans showed resilience. They mustered chants of “Mexico, Mexico” as their team trailed 3-0 in the 65th minute.
BRAZILIAN MYSTERY
Just how good is Brazil?
The team stands 11th in FIFA’s world rankings. In the Western Hemisphere, it trails only the U.S. and Canada, at second and 10th.
Brazil’s performances can span a large spectrum. Last summer the country failed to reach the Final 16 of the World Cup for the first time since 1995. Bouncing the Brazilians from the event, Jamaica earned a scoreless tie, sending the Reggae Girlz to their first quarterfinal.
Lately, Brazil has tapped into playmaking depth. Twelve different players have scored in the five CONCACAF matches, all victories. Brazil has won its past three matches by scores of 3-0, 5-1 and 5-0 against Mexico, Argentina and Panama.
Brazil has no titles from its nine World Cup appearances. Afforded much better financing, Brazil’s world-renowned men’s program has won five titles in 22 appearances although none in the past five Cups.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The U.S. leads the all-time series against Brazil, 31-3-5. The Americans won the most recent match, 2-1, in February 2022 behind goals from Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson in Frisco, Texas.