MONTERREY, Mexico – The 2022 Concacaf W Championship is down to the semifinal stage in which four teams, already qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand, will now try to be Concacaf champions but also qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and the first ever W Gold Cup in 2024.
The United States, Canada, Jamaica and Costa Rica all boast a wealth of talent on their rosters, including legendary players like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Christine Sinclair, Shirley Cruz and Khadija Shaw, who between them have won World Cups, Olympic medals and the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Needless to say, for the football-loving fans in Monterrey, it is the opportunity of a lifetime to see these star-studded women’s footballers.
Alex Morgan, United States
At age 33, Morgan has already won so many individual and team awards that it is impossible to list them all. The U.S. FW has made 194 appearances for her Senior National Team, scoring 117 goals and contributing 45 assists on her way to helping the U.S. win the 2015- and 2019-Women’s World Cups, plus a runner-up finish in the 2011 Women’s World Cup.
Morgan also earned a Gold Medal at the 2012 London Olympics, the Bronze Medal at Tokyo 2020 and was a member of the Lyon side that took home the 2016-17 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Morgan is a habitual top performer in Concacaf tournaments, winning the 2014 and 2018 CWCs with the U.S., plus the 2012 and 2016 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championships. It is only natural then that she has been the Concacaf Women’s Player of the Year four times, in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Christine Sinclair, Canada
When talking about Canadian football, it is impossible to not mention the legendary Sinclair. At age 39, she has been part of the Canadian Women’s National team since 2000, and two years later she finished tied as the top scorer in that year's CWC, with seven goals. However, that was only the beginning of the legend she would become, as she repeated that accomplishment in the CWC of 2006, with two goals.
The Canadian FW has made 313 appearances for her Senior National Team, starting 306 times, scoring 190 goals, ranking her as the all-time leader in international goals among all men’s and women’s players. Sinclair has been a playmaker, too, with 53 career assists.
She helped Canada become Concacaf Champions in 2010, Olympic Bronze medalists in 2012 and 2016 and Olympic champions in 2021. Sinclair was also a key member of the Canada team in the 2002, 2006 and 2018 CWCs, when they earned the runner-up position.
Megan Rapinoe, United States
Rapinoe is a player who seems to get better with age. The 37-year-old U.S. winger, who has 62 goals and 72 assists in 191 Senior Team appearances, continues to perform at a top level, just like she has been doing her entire career.
Rapinoe was a key member of the U.S. team that was a runner-up at the 2011 Women’s World Cup and then helped spearhead the U.S. conquests of both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. It was at France 2019 where Rapinoe really shined, winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot. It is no wonder, then, that she was honored as the 2019 The Best FIFA Women’s Player.
She also formed part of the U.S. team that captured the Gold Medal at the 2012 London Olympics and the Bronze Medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and in Concacaf competition, she helped the U.S. claim the 2014 and 2018 CWCS, along with the 2020 CWOQ.
Khadija Shaw, Jamaica
The Jamaican Women’s National Team have been making a lot of history of late and legendary striker Khadija Shaw is a big reason for that. The 25-year-old currently is tied as the top scorer in the 2022 CWC with three goals, but has been carving out a goal-scoring legacy for ages.
Shaw may have just 38 senior Team caps with Jamaica, but she has already amassed 54 goals in that time. Sixteen of those goals came in 2018 CWC Qualifying, and then she followed that up with another three goals in the 2018 CWC, helping the Reggae Girlz qualify for their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup for France 2019. It was made even more significant by the fact that Jamaica became the first Caribbean nation to qualify for a Women’s World Cup.
Shaw’s goalscoring pace is showing no signs of slowing down, as she added another nine goals in 2022 CWC Qualifying to go along with her three goals in Monterrey.
Shirley Cruz, Costa Rica
Making a name for herself and putting her country on the women’s football map, at age 36, Shirley Cruz is history for Costa Rica Women's National Team. The midfielder is the second player from her country to play abroad when she joined French club Olympique Lyonnais in 2005, winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2011 and 2012.
Costa Rica’s women’s football history can’t be described without Cruz. She has competed for the Senior National Team since 2002 when she took part in qualifying for the 2003 Women’s World Cup.
But Cruz’s landmark achievement was in 2014 when she led Costa Rica to their first Women’s World Cup qualification. At Canada 2015 she was captain for Las Ticas, playing in all three matches. Last week in the 2022 CWC group stage, she made her 100th international appearance, making her the most-capped Costa Rica women’s player ever.
