Initially seen as among the favorites to earn one of the four direct tickets to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Mexico have immediately put themselves in an unexpectedly difficult situation after kicking off the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship with a 1-0 loss to Jamaica on Monday.
The tournament, in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, was set to be a showcase of the progress made by a national team program that has not only lived in the shadows of the United States and Canada, but also had failed to qualify for the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
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Coupled with a young but flourishing women’s top flight through Liga MX Femenil, and a new generation of talent that was guided by national team manager Monica Vergara — who coached Mexico in their run to second place at the 2018 U17 Women’s World Cup — El Tri Femenil were ready to step out and become a powerhouse in the CONCACAF region.
Or, as goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez put it in an interview with ESPN earlier this year: “Not only a sense [to be able to reach the next level], but a responsibility.”
With a 10-game undefeated streak heading into Monday’s match, which included nine wins and 52 goals scored, Mexico had high hopes in their opener against Jamaica.
That is until eight minutes into the game at the Estadio Universitario.
Leaping literally and metaphorically higher than Mexico was Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who stunned the home team with a perfect header to put Jamaica up early on. The hosts pushed forward but almost looked dazed as they kept running into a sea of yellow jerseys that did well to absorb pressure, cut out midfield options, and hit Mexico on counters.
Late into the first half, Jamaica would then win a…
Source : espn
