EDMONTON, Alberta — It began as a fascinating match of the establishment against the insurgent, an evolutionary tug of war in women’s soccer, with the United States trying to maintain its hold as a traditional power and Colombia trying to break through to a new era of parity.
And for a half on Monday, Colombia held the Americans scoreless in their round-of-16 match at the Women’s World Cup with a sturdy, fearless young goalkeeper named Catalina Perez, who is but 20 and a redshirt sophomore at the University of Miami.
Then recklessness and inexperience trumped ambition for Perez, who was given a red card in the 47th minute for taking down Alex Morgan at the edge of the penalty area.