USA, Mexico achievements among W Gold Cup’s best moments

MIAMI, Florida – The 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup concluded on Sunday following the 1-0 victory for the United States over Brazil in the Final. There were many great moments from the last three weeks, yet these stood out the most.

United States display the heart of a champion

The road to the W Gold Cup crown was not an easy one for the United States, but through it all, they showed a tremendous amount of character to lift the trophy. After collecting wins against Dominican Republic and Argentina to start Group A, the U.S. suffered a 2-0 loss to Mexico, their first defeat to their southern rivals in 16 matches. They would finish in second place in the group, but bounced back nicely with a 3-0 quarterfinal victory against Colombia.

That set up a semifinal showdown with long-time rivals Canada. Twice the U.S. held late leads, only to see Canada equalize, both at the end of regular time and then again in extra time, resulting in a 2-2 draw. Matters had to be resolved in penalty kicks, where GK Alyssa Naeher emerged as the hero, saving three of

Canada’s attempts to help earn her side a 3-1 shootout victory. The momentum was with the U.S., and they used it to perfection, winning the Final 1-0 on a Lindsey Horan goal against Brazil team that had won every game in the tournament. It was a performance that only comes from the heart of a champion.

Jaedyn Shaw steals the headlines

As time goes on, people will most likely look back on this inaugural W Gold Cup as the international coming out party for U.S. FW Jaedyn Shaw. The 19-year-old was superb in scoring four goals, finishing as the top scorer for her team and earning the Best Player Award. Shaw scored the crucial opening goals both in the 4-0 group stage win against Argentina and in the semifinal versus Canada. With so many legendary players having recently retired for the U.S. Women’s National Team like Megan Rapinoe, the emergence of players like Shaw shows that the U.S. will be in very good hands for years to come.

Mexico register historic victory against U.S.

The Group A finale between Mexico and the U.S. will forever live in Mexican football lore, as El Tricolor got otherworldly goals from Jacqueline Ovalle and Mayra Pelayo to earn a 2-0 victory. It was a historic triumph, as it marked the first Mexico win against the U.S. since 2010, a span of 16 matches. Mexico also became the first team to score against the U.S. in 33 matches in Concacaf competition. It was the exclamation point on what was a very successful tournament for Mexico, who finished as semifinalists.

Leon a goalscoring machine for Canada

Adriana Leon of Canada claimed Top Scorer award honors for her prolific form in the tournament, with six goals in five matches. Leon scored a pair of goals in the opening 6-0 victory against El Salvador, and then followed that up with a hat-trick against Paraguay in a 4-0 win. Leon then delivered a massive goal for her team in the semifinals against the U.S. by converting a penalty in the final seconds of extra time to pull Canada even 2-2 and force a penalty shootout.

Puerto Rico’s come back win vs. Panama

One of the most exciting matches of the tournament came in the group stage when Concacaf sides Puerto Rico and Panama squared off on the second matchday of Group B. With both sides eager to secure their first win of the tournament, it was an intense match throughout. The Boricuas found themselves down 1-0 to Panama going into the final 20 minutes, but a goal in the 73’ from Madison Cox brought them level. Just when it looked like things would end in a draw, Danielle Marcano scored in the 90+3’ to give Puerto Rico a most dramatic comeback win.