CHESTER, Pa. – Costa Rica simply had no answer for Abby Wambach. Or anyone else on the US women’s national team, for that matter.
In a fitting conclusion to a dominating tournament run, the United States routed Costa Rica 6-0 on Sunday to win their fifth CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
Wambach, the USWNT’s all-time leading scorer, led the way with her second four-goal game, setting the American record for career World Cup qualifying goals with 18 in the process. Michelle Akers previously held the mark with 17.
Carli Lloyd added a goal and two assists for the United States, who outscored their opponents 21-0 during their five wins in the tournament that determines which CONCACAF teams qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Canada.
The United States and Costa Rica had both already secured World Cup spots thanks to their semifinal victories over Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively, on Friday. But that didn’t stop swarms of fans from descending on PPL Park and creating a lively, highly charged atmosphere at the Philadelphia Union’s home stadium. The US certainly gave the crowd plenty to cheer about from the opening whistle.
Wambach’s first goal came in the fourth minute when she headed home a low, driven cross from 21-year-old University of Virginia midfielder Morgan Brian. Wambach played a hand in the next goal too, heading a Megan Rapinoe corner kick toward goal, and Lloyd flicked it into the back of the net for her fifth goal in her last five games.
Lloyd and Wambach teamed up twice more in the first half to put the dagger in Costa Rica. In the 35th minute, Wambach skied for a header on a clever chip from Lloyd to give the US a 3-0 lead. Six minutes after that, Wambach completed her first-half trick with another header on a Lloyd cross.
Wambach scored her fourth goal of the game – and the 177th of her illustrious international career – in the 71st minute with a chip over Costa Rica goalkeeper Dinnia Diaz after a feed from second-half sub Sydney Leroux.
Two minutes later, Leroux – who hit two posts in Friday’s semifinal win – got on the board when she deposited a cross from Tobin Heath.
The US could have taken more than a 4-0 lead into halftime, if not for defender Meghan Klingenberg hitting the crossbar in the 37th minute. Lloyd and Wambach also had a couple of shots go just high or wide, and Diaz made an important save on Lauren Holiday in the 12th minute.
Diaz also made a difficult stop in the 89th minute on Heather O’Reilly. But by then it hardly mattered as the US improved to 27-1 all-time in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
Earlier on Sunday, Mexico booked their World Cup spot following a 4-2 extra-time win over Trinidad and Tobago in Sunday’s third-place game. Trinidad and Tobago can still qualify for Canada but, as CONCACAF’s fourth-place team, they have to beat Ecuador in an intercontinental playoff later this year.
