USWNT Recap: United States 4 - Argentina 0

USWNT book their spot in the knockout stage of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup following their second shutout of the Group Stage!

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Soccer

The United States Women’s National Team returned to Concacaf W Gold Cup group stage action Friday night, as they faced Argentina inside Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Interim head coach Twila Kilgore and the USWNT entered Friday’s match on the heels of a 5-0 victory over the Dominican Republic on Tuesday that saw Olivia Moultrie net a brace along with a trio of goals from Lynn Willimas, Jenna Nighswonger, and Alex Morgan.

Friday’s match saw a staggering ten changes from Tuesday’s lineup as Kilgore rolled out a 4-3-3 formation. Casey Murphy got the start in goal while Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, and Casey Kruger comprised the back line. Lindsey Horan, Korbin Albert, and Rose Lavelle formed the midfield, while Trinity Rodman, Alex Morgan, and Jaedyn Shaw were up top.

Argentina’s Romina Nunez nearly caught the United States sleeping in the 9th minute as she found herself unguarded in a pocket of space in the midfield. Realizing the lack of coverage, Nunez rifled in a chip from a distance.

Murphy doubled back and leaped upward, trying to prevent the goal. Luckily for Murphy, Nunez’s chip had too much on it as it reverberated off the crossbar and away from danger.

A great display of intelligence by Horan in the 10th minute after the U.S. won a free kick on the left side of the box. She caught the defense off guard as she quickly restarted things with a short pass to Shaw. Shaw then drove at goal and slotted the ball past Oliveros to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead.

Argentina leveled the game in the 12th minute after a free kick landed directly at the feet of Mariana Larroquette yards away from goal. Larroquette found the back of the net and celebrated with her teammates but the celebration was cut short as the assistant referee indicated Larroquette was offside in the leadup, as the goal did not stand.

A series of give-and-go passes in the 17th minute led to Lavelle alone on the left flank. After a few seconds, Lavelle chipped the ball centrally, where Shaw ran onto the ball and stung it into the goal to net her second goal of the night as the U.S. took a 2-0 lead.

Kruger was at the right place at the right time in the 19th minute as she got onto a loose ball on the right flank. After maneuvering around her defender, Kruger whipped a cross centrally towards Morgan. The forward leaped over her defender and headed the ball past Oliveros to give the United States a 3-0 lead.

Argentina’s Miriam Mayorga was the first to enter the referee’s book, as she received a yellow card in first-half stoppage time after fouling Horan. Kilgore made two changes before the start of the second half as Sophia Smith and Emily Sonnett came on for Morgan and Albert.

The United States nearly caught Argentina off guard on a free kick in the 56th minute as Rodman received the ball in the right flank and crossed the ball centrally to Horan. Unfortunately, Horan couldn’t get a strike on it as the ball bounced off her torso and right at the keeper.

Shaw received the United States’ first booking after the referee handed her a yellow card in the 59th minute for fouling Mariana Larroquette. Two changes then came in the 60th minute as Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger replaced Kruger and Dunn.

Shaw came close to getting the hat trick in the 73rd minute as Jenna Nighswonger’s deflected shot landed at her feet. Shaw tapped the ball toward the net, but the shot lacked accuracy as it deflected off the goal post as Oliveros dove onto it.

Fortune came the United States' way in the 74th minute as the referee was sent to the monitor to review a potential handball inside the box during the initial shot. After review, the referee awarded the U.S. a penalty kick after the ball deflected off Miriam Mayorga’s hand. Mayorga, who already had a yellow card, received a second as Argentina was down a player.

Horan stepped to the spot as she looked to tack on another point to the U.S. lead. She drove the ball past Oliveros and into the left side of the net to give the United States a 4-0 lead.

One final change for the U.S. came in the 78th minute as Samantha Coffey replaced Jaedyn Shaw.

Horan caught Laurina Oliveros off guard in the 90th minute as she chipped the ball from the left flank over her and into the back of the net to give the United States a 5-0 lead, but the lead wouldn’t last long as the goal did not stand after the assistant deemed Horan offside in the lead-up to the chip.

It was a solid outing for Kilgore and the USWNT as they secured a 4-0 victory over Argentina and remained undefeated in the Group Stage. Friday’s win saw the U.S. secure their spot in the knockout stage of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup.

Kilgore and the U.S. sit atop the Group A table with six points and a plus-nine goal differential. The USWNT close out the Group Stage portion of the tournament on Monday, February 26th, as they face second-placed Mexico at 10:15 PM ET.