Kristie Mewies scored a goal in the throes of the match on Monday night as the USA Women’s Team beat Mexico 1-0 to secure top spot in Group A at the CONCACAF W Championship. The women’s triathlon has been left without any option to compete in the World Cup next year.

Mewis took advantage of a rebound inside the box to register the goal in the 89th minute of the game played at Monterrey University Stadium. The Americans appeared to be in an advanced position when Mewis scored, but the play was not reviewed.

The current world champions made the odds count as they qualified for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Mexico played shorthanded in the 73rd minute when midfielder Lizbeth Ovalle was sent off for a foul on Rose Lavelle.

The United States, still chasing a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics, will face Costa Rica in one of the semi-finals.

The tournament between eight countries distributes four tickets for the next World Cup, while the champions will attend the next Olympic tournament.

In the other key, Canada, who beat Costa Rica 2-0, will face the Jamaicans, who beat Haiti 4-0.

Mexico conceded their third defeat in as many games. They also failed to score a single goal.

“I know it’s a failure, but at least it reassures me that the country was able to see a generation with potential, with incredible football,” said Tri coach Mónica Vergara. “To compete in these scenarios, you have to work in a different way to capture what you work on day to day.”

The setback for the women’s team accentuated a series of fiascos in Mexican football. The men were also ruled out of the Under-20 World Cup and the Paris Olympics by succumbing in the quarter-finals of the pre-world championships in Honduras a few weeks ago.

“It’s painful, we didn’t prepare for these results,” Vergara said. “This is the second cycle in which we have been left behind.”

Mexico entered the game with dim hopes of at least a spot in the international qualifiers and bravely faced the two-time world champions, who gave up their weakest game of the tournament.

Margaret Purce had the best approach for the Americans in the first half with a shot from the left post in the 14th minute.

The Americans won the game when Emily Sonet hit a header that was deflected by the Mexican keeper and the rebound went to Mewies, who came inside the penalty area to ram the ball into the net.

“I was very happy with what we saw at the end, how to get the result,” USA coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “It was not a good game but to be able to win in important tournaments, sometimes you have to attack and that’s what we did”.

Earlier, thanks to an early goal from Jessie Fleming, Canada beat Costa Rica 2-0 to clinch top spot in Group B.

Fleming scored her goal in the fifth minute and Sophie Schmidt added another in the 69th for the Canadians, who conceded in the first round.