USWNT vs Canada result: Alex Morgan penalty clinches W Championship final win, 2024 Olympic berth

Simon Borg

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USWNT vs Canada result: Alex Morgan penalty clinches W Championship final win, 2024 Olympic berth image

The USWNT won the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship after a 1-0 win over rivals Canada in the final played at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico. An Alex Morgan penalty kick 12 minutes from time proved the game-winner, giving the Americans the North American continental title.

The victory earned the USA a berth in the 2024 Summer Olympics, which was the prize on the line alongside the North American trophy. It was also revenge for the USA after Canada ousted the Americans in the semifinals of the 2021 Olympics, forcing the Americans to settle for a bronze medal, while Canada won gold. That Canada victory also came via a lone penalty kick.

As the tournament runner-up, Canada will meet third-place finisher Jamaica in an Olympic playoff in September 2023 for the other Olympic berth available in the North American region. The Canadians will have to win that playoff in order to be part of the 12-team field for the women's soccer tournament in Paris 2024 and defend their gold medal.

The Americans were buzzing out of the gates and created the best opportunities of the match, but between emergency Canadian defending and strong saves by goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, Canada held their opponents at bay.

Then with about 15 minutes left in the match, Canada left back Allysha Chapman tripped up Rose Lavelle in the box for a controversial penalty kick and Morgan converted the spot kick for the decisive goal against Sheridan, who also happened to be her fellow San Diego Wave teammate.

Highlights showed that Chapman made contact with Lavelle's leg, but then the U.S. midfielder took a step before falling to the ground.

"In the moment all my staff who, you have the iPads and things, felt it was a soft penalty, or at least it should have been checked. But these things happen," Canada head coach Bev Priestman said in her postgame press conference.

The USWNT finished the tournament with five shutout victories from five matches. And by advancing to the semifinals, the Americans also clinched a spot in the 2023 FIFA World Cup. The Olympic berth that came by virtue of winning the final means the U.S. team came away with every prize on offer at the 2022 W Championship. 

DeCOURCY: USWNT show they're not ready to be brushed aside

Morgan won the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament, while Canada claimed the other two individual awards: Julia Grosso took the Golden Boot (three goals and one assist), while Sheridan won the award for best goalkeeper.

"I feel good overall. I'm happy, healthy, I feel confident, and I just feel like I'm able to contribute exactly what is being asked of me," Morgan told Paramount+ after the match. "And so with all that, I feel like I'm in very good form right now."

The USWNT have won nine regional titles and Canada have won the tournament twice. 

USWNT sets the tone early vs. Canada

The Americans put the Canadians on their heels from the opening kickoff, attacking relentlessly, playing direct balls, and swarming the Canada half with numbers — "We came out in the last game of the tournament with the best energy we had [in the entire tournament]," Andonovski noted. 

The USA's offensive combinations were quick, and the runs were explosive, leaving the usually composed Canada backline scrambling and throwing bodies at shots in order to escape danger.

"Credit to the U.S., they came right out of the box and we felt that," Priestman admitted postgame. "We needed halftime, and we regrouped ... They came out hunting today and you see that the result, and when they scored, it meant everything to them."

Mal Pugh, Sophia Smith, Lindsey Horan, and Morgan were generating the shots in the first half, and their efforts should have resulted in a lead, with Smith's attempt just before halftime getting stopped on the Canada goal line in a wild play.

USWNT's new young stars show they belong

Andonovski raised eyebrows when he said during this tournament that his team wasn't ready to win a World Cup and would need the upcoming year to further develop. That's because he's been introducing younger players into the squad and this tournament was part of the learning process.

"It's obvious that the team is significantly younger than the previous time we played Canada [at the 2021 Olympics]," he said. "These players are going to be here for three, maybe four World Cups. So get used to it."

The emergence of Mal Pugh and Sophia Smith during the W Championship under the tutelage of Morgan is one of the most notable takeaways from the tournament for the senior USWNT side. 

"To have Mal [Pugh] and Soph [Smith] on the field next to [Alex Morgan], that's a big win for us, that's a big win for the team, and for the country," Andonovski commented, "because those two [Pugh and Smith] they are are going to have to take that over [from Morgan]. What a better way to learn than on the spot from one of the best."

Canada stars come up short in big spot

After weathering the early storm, the Canadians got a couple of looks through left winger Nichelle Prince, who gave fits to U.S. right back Sofia Huerta but couldn't get a strong enough shot on target — "We knew we could get at the fullbacks," Priestman noted postgame.

But after the Americans made the necessary defensive adjustments, the Canadians were otherwise unable to trouble the Americans until they went down a goal and began throwing numbers forward late in the game.

Janine Beckie was virtually erased by U.S. left back Emily Fox, and legend Christine Sinclair didn't make an impact in the attack. Jessie Fleming was attempting to seek out spots on the field to make a difference, but it wasn't easy. Winger Deanne Rose was unavailable due to an injury, and Jayde Riviere's forced injury substitution on the hour mark didn't help matters.

But Canada fans will be left wondering whether one or more of Julia Grosso, Adriana Leon, or Jordyn Huitema could have impacted the game sooner, and perhaps even from the very start.

USWNT vs Canada final score

  1H 2H Final
USWNT 0 1 1
Canada 0 0 0

Goals:
USA — Alex Morgan (penalty kick) — 78th min.

USWNT vs Canada live updates, highlights from W Championship

Final: USA 1, Canada 0

95th+ min.: Canada's Julia Grosso fires the last shot of the match and Alyssa Naeher saves it. It's the final kick of the game. The USA win.

89th min.: USWNT Subs — Midge Purce, Trinity Rodman, and defender Naomi Girma on for the front three attackers Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith and Mal Pugh. And there are five minutes of stoppage time coming. The Americans going to five in the back.

88th min.: A header by Canada forward Jordyn Huitema is off the mark after a long cross into the USA box. It's desperation time for Canada.

84th min.: Canada's Jessie Fleming has time on the ball and she just rips a shot toward goal, but it's central and right at the 'keeper. Les Rouges are now upping the urgency level.

78th min.: Alex Morgan steps up to bury the penalty kick past her San Diego Wave club teammate Kailen Sheridan. The USWNT takes the lead!

76th min.: Penalty USA! Rose Lavelle went down in the box after Allysha Chapman makes contact with Lavelle's leg.

71st min.: Chance USA! Andi Sullivan with the searing blast that misses the top right corner of the goal. Good enterprising

68th min.: Canada SUBS — Jordyn Huitema and Adriana Leon are in for Christine Sinclair and Nichelle Prince.

64th min.: Another great chance for Sophia Smith! Alex Morgan sends her through with a penetrating ball, and Smith beats the goalkeeper to the ball. But she can't get her body turned around to shoot on an empty net and the ball finished wide.

61st min.: Canada SUB — Jayde Riviere can't continue, and Allysha Chapman comes on for her. Chapman will play at left back and Ashley Lawrence will switch to right back.

59th min.: Another injury stoppage, and now it's Canada's Vanessa Gilles staying on the ground after Sophia Smith inadvertently stepped on her arm.

57th min.: Canada SUB — Julia Grosso comes on for Quinn in midfield. Riviere is also back into the game for Canada.

56th min.: It's been a quiet start. There's an injury stoppage with Jayde Riviere who stayed on the ground. It looks like she's trying to stay into the match.

46th min.: Second half is underway. No subs. And Sinclair is booked straight away with a reckless tackle on Andi Sullivan.

Halftime: USWNT 0, Canada 0

Halftime: That was a fun first half. Two heavyweights going at it. The USWNT came out on fire and had Canada's defenders scrambling. But Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles, and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan came up big. Sheridan made the biggest save of the match on the goal line at the end of the half. Canada's Nichelle Prince was responsible for her team's chances as she was getting the better of U.S. right back Sofia Huerta down the flank.

It's an evenly matched first half, but the USWNT looks to have more weapons in attack between Pugh, Morgan, and Smith (10-4 in shots for USA). Canada can't get its other attackers into the match: Janine Beckie, Jessie Fleming, and Christine Sinclair have been quiet. But the Canadians have fresh options off the bench.

44th min.: What a chance for the USWNT! A low Sofia Huerta cross finds a charging Sophia Smith, but she can't bundle the ball over the line and past goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who somehow stops the ball. That was almost a goal.

41st min.: Lindsey Horan gets a yellow card for pulling back Janine Beckie, who danced by her on the dribble. It's a good call. Beckie was back in her own end to help defensively.

39th min.: Lindsey Horan starts a counter after intercepting the ball, but her pass to Mal Pugh on the left is short and Pugh's shot is high.

31st min.: Fantastic save by Canada 'keeper Kailen Sheridan on a solo run by Mal Pugh down the right. Sheridan just snatched that ball out of the air. Sheridan has been alert and sure-handed early on.

26th min.: Sophia Smith and Mal Pugh have switched wings for the USWNT. And Sophia Smith creates space for herself wide left and fires toward goal, but the shot is wide. The USWNT energy is not what it was in the opening minutes.

21st min.: Janine Beckie and Jessie Fleming with consecutive shots. Canada are gaining a foothold in the match, creating and keeping possession for slightly longer stretches.

17th min.: The USWNT can't stop Nichelle Prince. She goes to the end line and earns a corner as Sophia Smith comes all the way back to help defend. Nothing comes of the corner.

14th min.: The USWNT again combining and pushing forward and Lindsey Horan launches the volley, but it's off target. Canada are in a rare position of having to block shots and resort to some emergency defending.

6th min.: Nichelle Prince with a shot on goal for Canada. It's end-to-end action. Prince beats Sofia Huerta, but her shot on goal is a slow roller to U.S. 'keeper Alyssa Naeher. Moments later the exact same play happens a second time!

4th min.: Alex Morgan just misses the net! She takes a curling shot after a well-worked, quick combination play by the USWNT forwards. The Americans are playing fast and direct.

1st min.: The USWNT kick us off. And the Americans go straight down the field and Kadeisha Buchanan needs to make a defensive intervention. Seconds later U.S. winger Mal Pugh rips a shot from a tough angle and Canada 'keeper Kailen Sheridan has to punch the ball out for a corner.

10:06 p.m. ET: Teams are now out on the field and so is the trophy:

9:59 p.m. ET: We have a few minutes before the match kicks off. Enough time to take in these videos on the rivalry:

9:55 p.m. ET: The CONCACAF W Championship anthem will be played live in-stadium by Skip Marley ahead of the final kickoff.

9:44 p.m. ET: Teams are warming up on the field at Estadio BBVA. Meanwhile, Canada's Deanne Rose is still not ready to play.

9:08 p.m. ET: The 3rd-place match is forcing the final into a slight delay.

9 p.m. ET: Lineups are out:

8:39 p.m. ET: How are the USWNT players receiving these words from Christine Sinclair:

8:30 p.m. ET: Kaylyn Kyle put her compatriots on the spot with a series of USA vs. Canada questions. (Spoiler alert: They didn't all go Canada's way.)

8:25 p.m. ET: Two teams with identical records so far in the W Championship.

8 p.m. ET: This video sets up the match perfectly:

USA vs Canada lineups

USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski opts for veteran Alyssa Naeher over Casey Murphy, along with two changes at fullback. Emily Fox has emerged from COVID protocol and takes back her left back spot. Kelley O'Hara has played well, but Sofia Huerta gets the start at right back.

Ashley Sanchez, Midge Purce, Megan Rapinoe and Kristie Mewis have made important contributions during the tournament, and they could be asked to be difference-makers off the bench if the USWNT struggles against Canada. 

USWNT starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): 1-Alyssa Naeher (GK) — 19-Emily Fox, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 3-Alana Cook, 8-Sofia Huerta — 10-Lindsey Horan, 17-Andi Sullivan, 16-Rose Lavelle — 9-Mal Pugh, 13-Alex Morgan, 11-Sophia Smith

USWNT subs (12): 18-Casey Murphy (GK), 21-Aubrey Kingsbury (GK), 12-Naomi Girma, 14-Emily Sonnett, 5-Kelley O’Hara, 2-Ashley Sanchez, 22-Kristie Mewis, 24-Sam Coffey, 20-Taylor Kornieck, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 6-Trinity Rodman, 23-Midge Purce

Canada manager Bev Priestman does not veer away from her trusted starting lineup during this tournament. Julia Grosso has made a strong case to be a starter and Adriana Leon was impressive in her sub appearance during the last match; however, Priestman will look to them to be attacking sparks off the bench. Along with Jordyn Huitema, they're sure to be among the five subs used by Priestman based on recent matches.

Canada starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): 21-Kailen Sheridan (GK) — 10-Ashley Lawrence, 14-Vanessa Gilles, 3-Kadeisha Buchanan, 8-Jayde Riviere — 5-Quinn, 11-Desiree Scott, 17-Jessie Fleming — 15-Nichelle Prince, 12-Christine Sinclair, 16-Janine Beckie

Canada subs (12): 18-Sabrina D'Angelo (GK), 2-Lysianne Proulx (GK), 4-Shelina Zadorsky, 23-Bianca St. Georges, 2-Allysha Chapman, 21-Zoe Burns, 7-Julia Grosso, 13-Sophie Schmidt, 20-Cloe Lacasse, 19-Adriana Leon, 6-Deanne Rose, 9-Jordyn Huitema

MORE: CONCACAF W Championship results, highlights and final standings

USA vs Canada TV channel, live stream

  In USA In Canada
Date Mon, July 18 Mon, July 18
Time 10:10 p.m. ET 10:10 p.m. ET
TV TUDN Telus (Ch. 980), CBC
Live Stream fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX fuboTV, OneSoccer, CBC Gem

USA: Monday's championship match will be televised by TUDN, which is streamed on fuboTV. CBS Sports streaming platform Paramount+ will carry the English-language broadcast and ViX will have the Spanish-language feed.

Canada: The match will be carried by OneSoccer (Telus Channel 980), which is also streamed on fuboTV. CBC will also televise and stream the final.

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.