By Meg Linehan, Steph Yang, Jeff Rueter and Tamerra Griffin
A dramatic penalty shootout featuring three saves and a made spot kick by Alyssa Naeher decided a wet and dramatic CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinal between the United States and Canada, sending the U.S. into the final after the game had finished 2-2 after extra time.
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But beyond the late drama and Naeher’s performance in penalties, the main story of Thursday’s win for the USWNT — and Canada’s loss — was the state of the field at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, which was, in a massive understatement, quite wet – enough so that the referee appeared to appeal for the game to be paused, only to be overruled by an official.
“The game was a little bit unplayable in the first half,” U.S. forward Sophia Smith Smith said after the match on CBS Sports. “So we knew that we just had to get the ball up and in behind, and figure out where to score.”
It looked like U.S. forward Sophia Smith had found the winning goal for the USWNT in the first half of extra time, cleanly finishing a redirected header from Rose Lavelle for the lead. It wouldn’t last though, with a major turn happening in the second half of stoppage time. With Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles running at full steam into the USWNT box, Naeher and Tierna Davidson converged — with Naeher getting both fists to Gilles’s face rather than the ball. A penalty was awarded to Canada, and the tournament’s leading scorer Adriana Leon converted to send the match to penalties.
The win on penalties means the USWNT will face Brazil in the final on Sunday. Earlier on Wednesday, Brazil defeated Mexico 3-0 in the first semifinal.
What happened, and why was the U.S. made to play on a field that resembled a swimming pool? Let’s recap as best we can.
Swimming pool or playing field?
It was clear within seconds of kickoff that playing normally would be all but impossible. The field was a Slip ‘N Slide for the vast majority of the match, scattered with puddles and making it impossible to predict where the ball would go, or how far. Combined with the chill — it was about 55 degrees at kickoff, which is freezing by Southern California standards — the conditions tested the teams more than they could test each other.
In fact, they led directly to a U.S. goal, as Shaw put the U.S. up 1-0 in the 20th minute. Pouncing on a back pass from Canada that slowed suddenly due to the conditions, Shaw finish her San Diego Wave teammate and Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan for the opening goal.
JAEDYN SHAW RIDING THE STORMMMM 🔥🤩 pic.twitter.com/0gq2tkR2sa
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) March 7, 2024
There were plenty of worrying incidents before that point, though. In the fourth minute, match official Katia García ran the ball over to the sideline to show someone — likely the match commissioner functionally responsible for deciding whether to delay the game — that the field conditions were unplayable. The ball barely rolled a few feet before stopping dead in a puddle. Whatever feedback García received sent her back to captains Lindsey Horan and Jessie Fleming, whose teams both gamely attempted to play on a field where no one could make more than a few consecutive touches. More often than not, passes ended abruptly in a soggy dead stop.
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“It is solely at the discretion of the referee as to whether the field is safe and playable,” a CONCACAF spokesperson told The Athletic. Another CONCACAF representative said the only protocol they had been given prior to the match was that if lightning occurred within eight miles of the stadium, they would delay the game for about 30 minutes.
“Technically and practically by law it is always in the ultimate decision of the referee to make that decision,” professional referee and CBS rule analyst Christina Unkel said during the halftime broadcast. “That being said, practically speaking, there is a match commissioner at each of these CONCACAF matches. As we saw within the first minutes of this game, the referee went and demonstrated that the ball was not in fact rolling when she went over to near the fourth official station, which is where the match commissioner stands. It was very clear from her demonstrative showing that she does not necessarily think this is a safe condition, but is being told to continue this match by that match commissioner.”
Reaction on social media to the playing conditions was universally negative. Former USWNT player Julie Foudy posted, “This is so insane. STOP THE MATCH.” San Diego Wave head coach Casey Stoney, whose NWSL team plays at Snapdragon Stadium, was concerned for the players on the field — including multiple representatives from the Wave — writing, “So dangerous!! Make the right call for player safety!”
“Why are the players being put in this situation? No chance these are safe playing conditions,” former USWNT player Sam Mewis posted.
VAR room, we have a problem
Going into the second half, it was clear the referee crew had a serious technical issue with their communications equipment. First they had to delay kickoff to try to get the equipment working, then the center ref and an assistant ref switched gear.
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It appeared to be for naught as the center ref seemed unable to determine if she was being told to pause for VAR after an incident in the 48th minute, when Tierna Davidson stabbed at a ball and tripped Jessie Fleming in the box. Neither team seemed to understand what was going on as play stopped, except that ultimately the penalty wasn’t given even, though upon replay it was clearly a foul in the box.
Late madness
For around an hour, the United States seemed content to dare the Canadians to find a way to breach its moat and find an equalizer. Around the 80-minute mark, the rain had subsided long enough for some of the pitch to be more favorable to ball movement. Perhaps as a result, Canada found it easy to string the passes together to unsettle their rival — and, in one such sequence, find a breakthrough using the aerial route.
It was a great sequence of movement on and off the ball, resulting in both an unsettled Naeher and an ideal in-box mismatch. As Ashley Lawrence sent a cross to the opposite side of the box, the United States goalkeeper was left to flail in hopes of covering as much of her net as possible. Having come on in the 56th minute, Huitema had provided fresh energy to the frontline press and a physical presence thanks to her 5’11” frame. Lawrence’s cross found her, its intended target, towering over Emily Fox.
JORDYN HUITEMA WITH THE EQUALIZER 😱🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Yz628rXzXB
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) March 7, 2024
The half-foot of height difference was crucial on a surface that provided little leaping traction, and Huitema placed her header in the opposite direction of Naeher’s pounce. It was Huitema’s third goal of the tournament, an encouraging return after she managed just four goals across all of 2022 and 2023.
The conditions still impacted the way the U.S. built up for its second goal of the night. Emily Sonnett hit a speculative ball upfield, Rose Lavelle did well to head it down to Sophia Smith, and Smith finished while hardly having to carry the ball at all (in part because the pitch helped hold it up into her path).
SOPHIA SMITH IN OT 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/8TyQg36jYd
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) March 7, 2024
That Smith goal figured to have brought an epic contest to an end, but the late penalty call after a foul on Naeher gave Adrianna Leon the chance to equalize with the last kick of extra time.
She did, and set up Naeher’s heroics in the process.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)