HOUSTON -– The U.S. women’s national team earned its first competitive win under new coach Vlatko Andonovski, beating Haiti 4-0 on Tuesday during the team’s opener of the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament at BBVA Stadium. Goals from Christen Press, Lynn Williams, Lindsey Horan and Carli Lloyd lifted the Americans past a gritty Haiti team.
Although the U.S. won handily, the team struggled to get into a rhythm for much of the first half. USWNT defender Crystal Dunn said the Americans expected Haiti to be physical and try to disrupt the U.S.
“All the credit to Haiti — they came out and had a game plan,” Dunn said. “They stuck to it and they were really tough to break down and they definitely gave us a tough game.”
Within the opening 75 seconds, the USWNT took an early lead. Williams raced up the right flank and somehow her left shoe flew off , but she continued to play on, sprinted to the end line and crossed the ball to Press with her right foot. Press tapped the ball into the net, giving the U.S. its first goal of 2020 and the lead.
“I got the ball and [the Haiti defender] stepped on the back on my shoe, so it gave me a flat tire,” Williams said. “So the next step I took, my shoe was half on and I was like, ‘I can’t run with half a shoe.’
“I decided to take it off and thank goodness it worked out when I planted it and I didn’t slip.”
The crowd started to scatter in the 18th minute as rain poured into the open roof stadium. Haiti launched a corner kick that bounced through everyone and into the net. But as Haiti was celebrating, referee Odette Hamilton disallowed the goal and called it offside, a call replays suggested was incorrect.
The USWNT dominated the first half on paper with 66% possession of the ball, but the Americans went into halftime only up by one thanks to the referee’s controversial call against Haiti’s would-be goal.
In the 58th minute, Haiti goalkeeper Kerly Theus made back-to-back saves to keep her side in the match, stopping a sensational Samantha Mewis strike, but the goalkeeper’s heroics would only keep the USWNT at bay for so long. Press was replaced in the 62nd minute by Megan Rapinoe, who quickly made an impact.
Rapinoe launched a corner kick into the box and Williams took advantage on a slight deflection from a Haiti player, heading the ball into the back of the net to give the USWNT a 2-0 lead.
“[Rapinoe’s] entrance, once she got on the field, it gave us a little different dynamic, gave us something different, made the team more dangerous,” Andonovski said.
The goals kept coming in the home team’s favor, and once again Rapinoe had a say — in the 73rd minute, she crossed the ball to Horan, who headed it in for the 3-0 lead.
Most of the second half was played near Haiti’s territory as the USWNT kept the pressure on its opponent. Lloyd finished scoring for the U.S. shortly before time expired, pushing the lead to 4-0.
“The positives are that we were able to win the game 4-0 so, regardless, absolutely positive,” Andonovski said. “But the negative is that we couldn’t create more opportunities and I felt like we could have scored more goals. We were not able to, so we have to develop that ruthlessness and killer instinct when we are in and around the box and put away some of those opportunities.”
Next up, the USWNT faces Panama on Friday at BBVA Stadium, where the United States will try to take the top spot in Group A in Concacaf Olympic qualifying. The U.S. currently sits second in the group because Costa Rica beat Panama by five goals earlier Tuesday.