After running roughshod over their competition in Group B play, winning by a combined scored of 18-0 in three games, the world's number one ranked women's soccer team, the United States, suffered a loss that could jeorpardize their chance to make the field for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup and, most assuredly, strip them of their top global ranking as host country Mexico defeated them 2-1 Friday in the semifinal of the CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Cancun.
The win moved the Mexican women, who finished second in Group A play, into the tournament championship game Monday against Canada, who won the group and beat second-place B team Costa Rica 4-0 in the other semifinal and both Mexico and Canada now automatically qualify for the 2011 tournament in Germany.
The USWNT had won 24 of its last 25 games against Mexico and outscored them 106-9 before Friday's shocking upset.
Marile Dominguez scored her sixth goal of the tournament for Mexico and Veronica Perez also had a goal.
Carli Lloyd had the lone goal for the US team.
Now, for the US to compete at the 2011 Women's World Cup, they will have to beat Costa Rica in Monday's third place game in Cancun and then face the fifth-place team in European qualifying, Italy, in a two-game total goal series, with the winner earning the final berth in the tournament field.
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