Naeher the hero as USA hold off Canada in rain-soaked W Gold Cup semi-final

Alyssa Naeher had three saves in the penalty shootout after a rainy 2-2 draw against Canada on Wednesday night that earned the United States a spot in the Concacaf W Gold Cup final.

The United States led 3-1 on penalties and will play Brazil in the final on Sunday evening. Brazil defeated Mexico 3-0 in the earlier semi-final.

The game was a sloppy mess with standing water on the field at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego due to heavy rain in San Diego. The players had difficulty with control. Canadian Vanessa Gilles twisted the front of her soaked sweater to squeeze out some rainwater.

Jaedyn Shaw scored in the 20th minute. A Canadian defender tried to return the ball to goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, but the ball stopped on the waterlogged field and Shaw ran over and scored. Shaw is the first American player to score in each of her first four starts.

Jordyn Huitema equalized in the 82nd minute with a header that was beyond the reach of American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Smith broke the deadlock in the 99th, falling to her knees in celebration before being mobbed by her teammates. But Naeher collided with Gilles in the 120th minute and Canada were awarded a penalty, which Adriana Leon calmly converted to tie the match at 2–2.

Naeher had two saves to open the shootout, but converted on a penalty of his own. She stopped Jesse Fleming to send the United States to the final.

Former US midfielder Sam Mewis was among the most vocal critics of the decision to play the match, despite heavy rain showers in the build-up that left deep puddles of water all over the pitch.

“Why are the players put in this situation?” Mewis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “There is no way these are safe playing conditions.”

Brazil’s victory denied the United States a revenge match against Mexico, which pulled off the biggest upset of the group stage by beating the United States 2–0. It was only the second time that the Americans lost to their southern neighbors in 43 meetings.

The United States bounced back from that loss with a 3–0 victory over Colombia in the quarterfinals. Canada, which scored thirteen goals in its group without conceding a single goal, won 1-0 in extra time against Costa Rica in the quarter-final. It was the fourteenth time the United States faced Canada in the knockout round of a competitive tournament. The US has won 11 of the previous 13 meetings. Canada’s only win came in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics.

It was Canada’s first major tournament without captain Christine Sinclair, who retired from the national team last year as the all-time leading scorer among men or women with 190 career goals.

Mexico eliminated Paraguay 3-2 in the quarter-finals. Brazil defeated Argentina 5-1. Brazil got goals from Adriana Leal, Antonia and Yasmin, while Mexico left a player behind after Nicolette Hernandez was sent off in the 29th minute.

The tournament was the first women’s Gold Cup, designed to give teams in the region meaningful competition. Four of the participating teams – the United States, Canada, Brazil and Colombia – will compete in the Olympic Games this summer.