There's talent on the Houston Dash, and much of it is on display at the CONCACAF Women's Championship as players — and even a coach — are on the brink of locking down spots for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.
The United States booked their passage to the semifinal rounds on Monday night with a 6-0 win over Haiti in Washington, D.C. The newest member of the Dash, Carli Lloyd, started the scoring in the 9th minute of play with a half-volley after failed punch by the Haitian goalkeeper for her second goal of the tournament.
Defender Meghan Klingenberg one-upped her in the 57th minute, however, with a searing (SportsCenter Top 10-worthy) goal from 25 yards out for her first-ever goal with the national team.
Meanwhile, the U.S. win also secured a semifinal spot for Randy Waldrum and Trinidad & Tobago. The Soca Princesses finished second in Group A with six points after recording wins over Haiti and Guatemala.
Our Mexican contingent of Ari Romero and Teresa Noyola finishes group play this evening against Jamaica (6:30 p.m. CT; Fox Sports 1) needing at least a draw to advance in the competition. Romero has appeared in both matches so far, starting one and coming in as a substitute in the other, while Noyola started and scored a stoppage-time goal in a 10-0 win over Martinique.
Getting to the semifinals puts teams in prime position to lock down a World Cup bid, as the top three finishers clinch a spot in Canada next year. The fourth place team will enter a playoff against Ecuador to decide the final spot.
Defender Osinachi Ohale and Nigeria are also closing in on a World Cup berth after they charged through the group stage of the African Women's Championship with three wins to put them through to the semifinals. Ohale did her part to help the team through, going the full 90 minutes in all three matches and even adding a goal in a 6-0 romp over Zambia. Nigeria faces South Africa on Wednesday; the top three teams in the tournament book their trip to Canada, so a win would clinch their spot. A loss means their bid would come down to the third place match, to be played on Saturday.
