If Canada has made strides toward closing the gap between them and the United States in women's soccer, it certainly didn't show on Sunday night. It took them until the dying minutes of the game to even get a shot off, and they failed to test Nicole Barnhart once in the USWNT's 3-0 win.
Canada vs. USA: Final score 0-3, Alex Morgan strikes twice
A dull first half gave way to an excellent second half for the United States in a convincing win over a lackluster Canada squad.
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Canada defended well in the first half as the United States struggled to break them down. Both teams packed the midfield, while Canada were conservative going forward. Without space to counter into, the United States struggled to create chances, but they looked like the much more likely team to score in the first half.
The U.S. had their first excellent chance of the game in the 53rd minute, when Alex Morgan was sent clear through on goal by Tobin Heath. She appeared to have a clear path to the goal, but 17-year-old defender Kadeisha Buchanan -- arguably Canada's best player on the night -- recovered to make a goal-saving tackle.
Eventually, the USWNT found holes in the Canadian defense, on the counter and down the left wing, away from Buchanan. In the 70th minute, Abby Wambach set up Morgan with a through ball which she ran onto before cutting inside of two defenders and finishing to the far post. Just three minutes later, she scored a near carbon copy of the first goal to complete a brace, with Heath picking up the assist the second time around.
Sydney Leroux, who was born in Canada and represented her country of birth at the Under-20 level, came on as a substitute in the 74th minute and added insult to injury for the Canadians with a stoppage time goal. Wambach set up the goal with a fantastic no-look, first touch through ball to Leroux, who made a great run down the same left flank that Morgan came from for her two goals. She rounded Erin McLeod before applying a calm finish to cap the win for the USWNT.
Leroux flashed the badge on her shirt at the less than amused crowd and was given a yellow card, which she enjoyed immensely.
