The USWNT plays Costa Rica today in the championship match of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
Costa Rica should be riding high over their qualification from their tense PK win over Trinidad & Tobago. What will they have left in the tank just two days later? Given that the biggest match of the tourney for CR was actually the semi, the quick turnaround to playing for a trophy might mean much less to them. The early stages of this match will tell the tale; should they fall behind early this game could get out of had quickly.
For the USWNT and Coach Ellis, it is both a chance to claim a title and a chance to clear a bench. The depth of the USA makes clearing the bench a lot less like it might be for other quads as there is experience and talent just waiting for the opportunity to get in there. The trophy on the line still makes this much more than a friendly for US players, but the actual consequences of this match are not horrible should either team fall. I have to imagine that there is still some lingering feelings of frustration over the tourney four years ago when the USA had to go through the play in, so I expect a fairly ruthless USA performance regardless of the line up.
The qualifying aspect of the tournament has the trophy winning element of the event all turned upside down. The argument can easily be made that the third place match with World Cup qualification on the line is actually more important than a title match for a team on home soil.
