Rose Lavelle always seems to have a smile on her face. But don’t let it fool you — she will absolutely destroy your soul if you come between her and a USWNT victory (or her dog, Wilma).
(Editor’s Note: This story originally ran on Oct. 3, 2018, before the USWNT vs Mexico match in the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship. It has been updated to preview the Feb. 7, 2020, USWNT vs Mexico match in Olympic qualifying.)
With top spot in Group A “up for grabs” at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, it took four minutes for Christen Press to effectively take it.
Costa Rica had never beaten the USWNT, lost 6-0 in a friendly back in November and smartly decided to rest seven starters with both eyes on a crucial semifinal matchup against either Canada or Mexico, but any notion of this being an entirely worthless exercise for the viewer at home was put to bed thanks to Press’s stunning early strike.
Despite having been torched for six goals on Tuesday playing a high line, Panama wanted to maintain its defensive style against the USWNT on Friday night. The Americans attacked it early and often and cruised to a dominating 8-0 win despite never really looking like they broke a sweat in Concacaf Olympic qualifying in Houston.
The USWNT and Panama will play under Friday night lights in Houston in attempts to qualify for the Olympics. The USWNT is riding a 24-game winning streak and has scored two or more goals in 21 of those games. It will look to continue its hot streak when it faces Panama to continue Group A play on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET at BBVA Stadium in Houston. The match can be viewed on Fox Sports Plus and TUDN XTRA 4, as well as streamed on FoxSports.com with an FS1-level login.
Michelle Akers began her career at Shorecrest High School outside of Seattle where she was a three-time All-American. It wasn’t until she attended the University of Central Florida when her career took off, where she became a four-time All-American and all-time leading goal scorer in UCF history. In 1988-89 Akers was named UCF’s Athlete of the Year and became the first woman to receive the Hermann Trophy.
This past summer, USWNT superstar Carli Lloyd went viral when she showed off her kicking skills at a Philadelphia Eagles practice. Lloyd hit a perfect field goal and rumors flew around that she would be joining the NFL in the near future.
Alex Morgan is pregnant, expecting a child in April. Her No. 13 jersey is doing just fine without her.
Lynn Williams, wearing the lucky No. 13 jersey, had a goal and an assist to help the USWNT eventually beat a tough Haiti 4-0 in the opener of the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship on Tuesday in rainy Houston.
According to a press release from FOX Sports, the network has landed an exclusive multi-year English-language rights deal with CONCACAF for coverage of the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cups as well as men’s and women’s Olympic qualifiers and the CONCACAF Champions League.