SB Nation CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying
In the first game of the second day Mexico beat Guatemala big, then the United States made everyone forget about it with the largest win in their women's national team's history.
Jan 21, 2012 - The second day of CONCACAF women's Olympic qualification was like the first, with the favoured Mexicans and Americans picking up heavy victories. But while Thursday's games were at least occasionally competitive, when the United States faced the Dominican Republic and Mexico played Guatemala, both games were over almost before they began.
The United States delivered full value for their number one seeding, beating the Dominican Republic by the poorly-balanced-video-game score of 14-0. At that stage, match commentary becomes superfluous: you imagine perfect domination and that's just what happened. When the game was over, American coach Pia Sundhage credited the most one-sided game in American history to the team's early goals: it took only 37 seconds for Abby Wambach to collect a cross from Heather O'Reilly and knock an almost uncontested header past gallant but overwhelmed Dominican goalkeeper Heidy Salazar. In the fourth minute the Americans struck again when Wambach toed an Amy Lepeilbet cross off the post, only to see Carli Lloyd clean up the trash. Rachel Buehler poked in a corner in the seventh minute to make it 3-0 before the entire crowd was seated.
What astonishing is the number of chances they missed. Wambach scuffed a completely clean breakaway well wide jogging in from the top of the box. She rang a shot off the post in the sixteenth minute. Lauren Cheney could have had a hat trick twenty minutes in if she'd been a bit luckier and a bit more disciplined. In the second half, Alexd Morgan had five incredible scoring chances and somehow, somehow, missed every one in a display of mis-shooting that would have been memorable in any other game. The Americans tried to play it through the Dominicans like they weren't there, which is fine because usually the Americans were right. The score was 7-0 at half. Sundhage had made all three of her substitutions by 45 minutes; Amy Rodriguez replaced Tobin Heath and scored five second-half goals.
The final scoreline alone makes imposing reading. Dominican Republic 0 - 14 United States (Wambach 1' 19' Lloyd 4' Buehler 7' O'Reilly 17' 32' 78' Heath 30' Rodriguez 47' 50' 58' 71' 75' Cheney 64'). It is the highest scoring game in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying history and the United States women's record victory.
The Dominicans were dreadful and their performance will live in soccer infamy. By the fifteenth minute they had effectively stopped trying; when the ball was on their boots by skill or by luck they would hoof it down field, or pass it uselessly, or not infrequently try to beat the entire American lineup by themselves with sub-playground-level ball skills that got only as far as the American defenders let them. But nobody who saw the wide eyes and big grins on the Dominican Republic players as they saw themselves on the Jumbotron during the national anthem would be willing to take that away from them; the only way weaker squads like this can experience a higher level is in tournaments like this, by playing their betters. At the same time, you can't call this competition because it isn't and wasn't almost from the opening kickoff.
It's hard to think of a solution that wouldn't eliminate the point of international soccer itself, where the Turks and Caicos might someday be up against the United States and every team, regardless of stature, is given its fair chance to make miracles. Games like this are part of the bargain; allowing small nations like the Dominican Republic a chance to develop and to play as far as their skill can take them will occasionally result in debacles like this. Still, it sure made for awful viewing.
The few serious concerns in this laugher were regarding Alex Krieger, who was carried off on a stretcher after the forty-second minute and whose status remained unclear at the post-game press conference. There were also Sundhage's exuberant celebrations, which some said were disrespectful and Sundhage said were anything but, that she was paying tribute to a serious opponent by showing pleasure in the work her team did to beat them. Fourteen times.
The first game of the doubleheader was less one-sided on the field but almost as decisive on the scoreboard. A 5-0 victory over Guatemala flattered Mexico slightly, but the favourites took advantage of some serious Guatemalan mistakes, took their chances, and wound up with a heavy win.
Mexico found themselves up against what was, at first, a surprisingly plucky Guatemalan squad. The two sides traded chances with rapid, ambitious, if sometimes erratic play: a half-chance for Guatemala's Cinthya Lopez was cut out by Alina Garcinamendez, then the Mexicans turned it the other way with a lovely cross from Renae Cuellar just hook-slid out of danger by a diving Shannon Brooks. However, by the twelfth minute Mexico had the lead as a Dinora Garza corner just eluded Amarillis Lohaiza's attempted clearance, bounced off goalkeeper Maricruz Lemus, and right onto the foot of Marylin Diaz who slotted the shot away.
Even to this point Guatemala enjoyed some counterplay, as midfielder Katherine Ramos and free-playing winger Amarillis Lohaiza combined to lead a dangerous Guatemalan attack. However, Guatemala let mistakes creep into their game and Mexico capitalized. In the 24th minute, leading Mexican star Maribel Dominguez corralled a long ball from Garciamendez. Brooks lost her footing trying to cover Dominguez who stepped nimbly around the charging goalkeeper and banked a shot home off the post.
The Guatemalan attack largely ceased; their passes became more erratic while Mexico's aggression got results. In the 38th minute, Dominguez intercepted an awful pass from Brooks and set up a sprinting Garza with one touch, who took a couple steps around a recovering Brooks and a desperate Marilyn Rivera before scoring in the bottom corner. Only six minutes later Dominguez struck again; a botched Kimberly De Leon clearance came to Ocampo who danced towards the Guatemalan area, past Londy Barrios, and fired an accurate cross to the Mexican captain who scored easily.
In the second half Mexico largely eased the pressure while Guatemala kept their heads held high, allowing them to get a very good chance from Amarillis Lohaiza that teenage Mexican goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago nimbly tipped over the bar. But Mexico retained the bulk of the possession and, in the 67th minute, Dominguez scored her hat trick goal from the spot to make it 5-0 Mexico. A spectacular 81st-minute chance by Guatemalan captain Wendy Pineda on a shifty run and firm shot was stopped exceptionally by Santiago, just to add a little insult to injury.
Guatemala showed a more spirit and skill than the Cubans did on Thursday against a far stronger opponent. However, costly turnovers and nasty defensive mistakes sank the Guatemalans, effectively eliminating them from contention one game in despite surprisingly decent support in the crowd.
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