Women's Gold Cup Day 5: Place Holders Finalized As Group B Finishes Its Games

Gold Cup Day 5 finishes up, as Group B finishes up play. The USA took 1st place in Group B, as they won over Costa Rica 4-0, who took 2nd place.


Gold Cup Day 5 was just as exciting and entertaining as the past few days of the competition! Today, the place holders in Group B were finalized, as the Group finished up all of its games. Both the USA and Costa Rica will be moving on to the Semifinals. Here is a breakdown on today's matches:

Haiti vs. Guatemala- Haiti won this match 1-0 on a goal by Saintilmond. I got to see some of the 2nd half of the match. Lots of chances on goal, but none were finished. Haiti leaves the competition as 3rd place in the Group, while Guatemala leaves the competition in 4th place.


USA vs. Costa Rica- This game was a pretty fun one to watch. However, it was a much tougher game for the United States than its previous match-ups. The USA won 4-0 against Costa Rica, with goals from Wambach (penalty), Cheney, Averbuch, and Morgan.


The USWNT celebrates after Wambach puts a penalty away in the 32nd minute. This goal kick-started the action for the USWNT. Wambach is currently the tournament's top scorer, with 6 goals.


The beginning of the match was rather hectic for the USWNT, as Costa Rica had 2 or 3 great chances that were clear on goal. Luckily for the USA, Costa Rica failed to capitalize on each attempt. The USWNT had a difficult time keeping possession in the first 20 or so minutes, losing the ball frequently and not making any threats on goal. However, after that, the USWNT began to establish a rhythm and keep possession. Pia Sundhage opted to exchange Lloyd for Lori Lindsey, who came into the match and really did a great job. She was on her game today, and her presence definitely changed things for the better in the USWNT's midfield. I personally think Lindsey's entrance into the game was key in the United States' establishment of rhythm and their success from that point forward. In the 31st minute, Cheney was chopped down from behind in the box, and an unquestionable penalty was awarded to the USA. Wambach calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner, the shot's path not even threatened by the Costa Rica Keeper who began to dive right. The USA was up 1-0, and now momentum was in their favor. Halftime came and went. The 2nd half began, and the United States by this point had the rhythm down, controlling possession, and therefore controlling the game. Cheney would score after many chances just slipped out of her grasp. She capitalized on a rebound that came off a corner kick to make it 2-0 for the USA. Later, Averbuch would score a beautiful free kick from about 25 yards out to make it 3-0. She rocketed a shot that went high and straight over the head of the Keeper. Later, Alex Morgan would finish up the night for the United States, scoring from close range amidst a scramble in the 18. This made it 4-0 for the USA, meaning they would go on to grab first place in Group B.


So, The USA and Costa Rica were seeded into their respective Semifinals, and await to find out their Group A opponents.


Tomorrow, Group A finishes up play. Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago will face off for 3rd place of the Group, while Canada and Mexico will duke it out for 1st place in Group A. After tomorrow, all of the Semifinalists will be seeded into their respective matches, and will know who they'll be facing.


I'm pretty sure Guyana vs. Trinidad & Tobago is first up at 7pm tomorrow, and that Canada vs. Mexico is at 9:30pm. Catch it on concacaf.com's live stream!


Until then,

Denise