USWNT Clinches 2019 World Cup Berth with Win vs. Jamaica

The United States women's national team defeated Jamaica 6-0 to advance to the final of the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship on Sunday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Tobin Heath scored the opening goal one minute, 41 seconds into the match, and the U.S. didn't look back from there. Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan also got on the score sheet.

With the victory, the USWNT sealed a place in the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.

Fast Start Ignites USWNT to Throttle Overmatched Opposition

In its three group-stage matches, the United States scored its opening goal in the third, fifth and ninth minutes. Then came Heath's first goal before Jamaica had an opportunity to get settled in after the kickoff.

It's one thing to beat a weaker opponent; it's another to jump on a weaker opponent early en route to a dominant win.

The USWNT isn't taking these matches lightly despite the gulf in class between itself and its opposition and is clearly making it a priority to start quickly out of the gates and remove any hope of an upset.

The longer a match goes scoreless, the more the atmosphere in the stadium can become tense, especially when one team is head and shoulders better than the other.

The fans are anxiously awaiting the opening goal and the players start pressing in order to break the deadlock, which can indirectly make the problem worse. It's a problem that has often dogged the U.S. men's national team in recent years.

The USWNT, however, is firing on all cylinders. Not only is the United States beating everybody in its path, but it's also doing so in decisive fashion.

Jill Ellis Zeroing In on Preferred Starting XI

Coach Jill Ellis has experimented a bit during the tournament, using all 20 players at her disposal in the group stage. The starting XI she used against Jamaica is almost certainly what Ellis has in mind for her optimal lineup.

Sunday's XI included a number of veterans with World Cup experience. Heath, Rapinoe, Morgan, Kelley O'Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn all have 100-plus national team caps.

Ellis wasn't overly dependent on the holdovers from the 2015 World Cup run, though. Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Abby Dahlkemper are all 25 or younger, while Ertz and Crystal Dunn turned 26 earlier this year.

The United States' fifth-place finish in the 2016 Summer Olympics indicated Ellis needed to make some changes to the team and start looking toward the next generation of stars. So far, Ellis has done just that while also keeping the USWNT at or near the top of the women's game.

The 2019 Women's World Cup kicks off in June, leaving players on the fringes enough time to impress Ellis, and it would be foolish for her not to consider tweaks to her lineup between now and the tournament.

The CONCACAF Women's Championship has provided Ellis with the framework for the roster she'll take with her to France.

CONCACAF Championship Game Huge Barometer for USWNT

This is the final fans wanted to see when the event started. The United States and Canada sit first and fifth, respectively, in the FIFA ranking.

Like the U.S., Canada rolled through the group stage, winning all three matches by a combined score of 17-1. The Canadians also dispatched Panama 7-0 in the semifinal.

The Tournament of Nations in August was the last time the United States got seriously tested. The team didn't look great in a 1-1 draw to Australia but bounced back with a 4-1 win over Brazil, which helped seal the title.

Playing Canada is an opportunity for the United States to prove the progress it's showing on the pitch is for real. The mood around the team is already positive, and a comprehensive win over Canada would have American fans over the moon heading into 2019.

Conversely, Canada would halt some of the USWNT's momentum by picking up a victory on American soil, and some of the hype surrounding the U.S. would quiet down.

What's Next?

The USWNT will play Canada in Wednesday's final, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET. The U.S. last played Canada in November 2017 in a pair of friendlies. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the first meeting and the United States prevailed 3-1 in the return fixture.