Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle lead USWNT to 7-0 World Cup qualifying win over Trinidad & Tobago
The Americans will face upstart Jamaica in a semifinal game on Sunday. The winner goes to next year's World Cup in France.
This story has been updated.
The U.S. women's soccer team rolled into the semifinals of World Cup qualifying with another blowout win. Rose Lavelle and Alex Morgan scored twice each as part of a 7-0 rout of Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
It didn't take long for the American attack to get going. The U.S. unleashed a relentless barrage at Trinidad's net early on, firing 11 shots in the first 20 minutes. But just one went in, a nifty flick by Alex Morgan of a cross from Tobin Heath in the ninth minute.
Not until the 42nd minute did the U.S. score again. Their 25th shot of the game — including four that hit the posts or crossbar — was a thunderbolt by Rose Lavelle from nearly 30 yards. Trinidad goalkeeper Sandra Baron had no chance to stop it.
Lavelle struck again 86 seconds later, this time from close range, to make it 3-0. Dunn delivered the the fourth in the 44th with a smash from the edge of the 18-yard box.
Lindsey Horan made it 5-0 in the 49th minute with another long-range hit. Alex Morgan made it 6-0 barely a minute later with a shot from just off the goal line that hit both posts on the way in. Heath tapped in the seventh in the 58th.
Having topped Group A with style, the Americans will face Jamaica in the semifinals on Sunday (8 p.m., Fox Sports 1 and Univision Deportes) in Frisco, Texas. Jamaica took second place in Group B thanks to a 1-0 upset of Costa Rica this past Monday.
Panama finished second in the U.S.' group thanks to an even bigger upset: a 2-0 win over Mexico earlier Wednesday. Mexico will miss a women's World Cup for the first time since 2007. Panama will play Group B winner Canada in Sunday's first semifinal (5 p.m., FS1).
Jamaica beat Cuba 9-0 and Canada beat Costa Rica 3-1 to conclude Group B on Thursday.
The two semifinal winners and the winner of the third-place game (Oct. 17, 5 p.m., FS1 and Univision Deportes) will book tickets to next year's World Cup in France. The loser of the third-place game will play a home-and-away playoff against Argentina in November.
Wednesday's games coincidentally came a year to the day after Concacaf's history-making final day of qualifying for this year's men's World Cup. Panama made history then, too, securing its first ever World Cup berth; and of course, there was the U.S. men's team's infamous loss at Trinidad that kept them out of Russia.
The U.S. Soccer Federation marked the anniversary with a social media campaign promoting the men's team's future. An American team with many young players will host star-studded Colombia in Tampa on Thursday (7:30 p.m., FS1 and UniMás.).
Meanwhile, the U.S. women keep winning. They've been the best women's national team in the world over the last 12 months, and are now one win away from making their present look even better.