The United States women's national team will play its third and final group stage game of the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship on Monday night, hosting Costa Rica in Houston. The winner of this game wins Group A. A draw would still clinch a first-place spot in the group for the Americans. The winner of Group A will face the runner-up in Group B in the semifnal round, which will be Mexico or Canada, depending on the result of their final group-stage match. A win in the semifinals clinches a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
USWNT vs. Costa Rica
- Date: Monday, Feb. 3
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: BBVA Stadium
- TV channel: FS1
- Streaming: fuboTV (Try for free)
Storylines
USWNT: The U.S. should have no trouble here, even if most of the starters sit this one out. The bench for this team is so deep that most reserves would easily start for most national teams. Don't expect much of a drop-off if some starters are rested. After an so-so performance in the opener, the Americans got back on track in their second game and look to build off of it. Expect plenty of goals and another USA victory ahead of Friday's big game.
Costa Rica: Costa Rica has played well in this competition and will have a chance to qualify for the Olympics, needing to likely beat Canada or Mexico on Friday. But so far, so good. A 6-1 win over Panama was followed up with a 2-0 win over Costa Rica, but they know the focus will have to be defense in this one. The speed and technical ability of the U.S. can cause them trouble, so expect 10 players consistently behind the ball.
Prediction
Two early goals sets the tone, as the USWNT wins Group A with a perfect 3-0-0 record with no goals conceded. Pick: USA 4, Costa Rica 0
