It's full steam ahead in the Concacaf W Gold Cup for the new-look U.S. women's national team. The tournament favorites defeated Argentina 4-0 on Friday to take control of first place in Group A, clinching a spot in the knockout stage in the process. Interim head coach Twila Kilgore used 10 different players in her starting lineup from her initial group match and the adjustments paid off. Jaedyn Shaw netted a brace while Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan rounded out the scoring in the victory. As always you can catch all the W Gold Cup action across Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Next up for the USWNT is Mexico on Monday to close out the group stage and their result against their Concacaf rivals will determine their knockout round path.
On Tuesday, 18-year-old midfielder Olivia Moultrie recorded a brace, but on Friday it was the 19-year-old Shaw who continued the trend of teenagers running the show. Shaw scored two goals in seven minutes during the first half, her first coming off a heads up set piece play with Horan.
"As a team, we just really executed the game plan. We really trusted the process and we came out on fire," Shaw said after the game. "I'm just taking as much information as I can in training and asking a lot of questions, going over film, and doing what I can to make the team better."
Shaw's efforts were on both sides of the ball and even added a yellow card to her resume with her defensive tenacity. Her ability to make difficult things look easy is just part of what makes her game so impressive at a young age. It's still early in the tournament but that just means there's more time for her to have an impact in more ways.
The USWNT have nine goals scored through two games with zero conceded, a result that captain Horan wants to maintain moving forward no matter the opposition.
"It's a big success. I mean, you look at this team, you know, [Argentina is] a difficult team to play against," Horan said. "They're feisty, they're a little cutthroat playing against them. So, they made it difficult for us. A good game for us to get four goals, and again, we move on to the next game."
As the group continues to navigate the Gold Cup, the coaching staff is still evaluating players as it is getting closer to the Olympics. Kilgore still feels like it's too early to narrow down an ideal 18-player Olympic roster and mentioned that those conversations are for her and the incoming Emma Hayes, but she will continue to make adjustments throughout the competition.
What's next
The USWNT will now prepare to square off against Concacaf rivals Mexico. The Mexican team is coming off a dominant 8-0 win over the Dominican Republic on Friday night. First place in the group is still up for grabs, but USA's victory against Argentina means they have sealed their spot in the knockout round.