Goals: USA—Lloyd 7’, 20’ - O’Reilly 13’, 23’ - Wambach 18’ - Alvarado 30’ (own goal) - Morgan 81’; Costa Rica—Granados 41’ - Villalobos 69’
Recap: The U.S. women’s national team continued their dominance over Costa Rica on Wednesday, defeating the CONCACAF minnows 7-2.
It took all of seven minutes for the defending champions to flex their proverbial muscle. A deflected free-kick from World Cup hero Carli Lloyd bested Dinnia Diaz. Heather O’Reilly doubled the United States' advantage just six minutes later, but inclement weather would interfere in the 15th minute. Severe thunderstorms delayed the first half for 84 minutes before returning to action. More of the same followed after the break.
Goals from Lloyd, O’Reilly, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan and Costa Rica’s own Katherine Alvarado sealed the 7-2 victory.
Key Moment: It wasn’t a key moment in terms of the match, but Cristin Granados’ goal carried significant weight in Costa Rican history. Entering the 41st minute, Las Ticas had been outscored 65-0 by the United States in 11 matches. Granados put an end to that embarrassing streak, scoring Costa Rica’s first-ever goal against the USWNT.
Woman of the Match: Lloyd didn’t disappoint on Wednesday. The Golden Ball winner’s brace put the match out of reach in less than 20 minutes.
Lesson Learned: Chattanooga, Tennessee is the new hotbed for soccer in the United States. Home of Chattanooga FC—a fourth-division side in the NPSL—the town filled Finley Stadium to capacity for a championship match against the New York Cosmos B on Aug. 10. The 18,227 in attendance helped set an amateur record. On Wednesday, 20,535 continued the trend.
The market still pales in comparison to others, especially to be considered for an MLS club, but the USL or NASL appears to be in the city’s future.
Up Next: The USWNT continue their victory tour against Australia on Sept. 17 in Detroit.
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