{"id":3045,"date":"2026-03-08T22:04:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=3045"},"modified":"2026-03-08T22:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:04:32","slug":"4-takeaways-from-the-usas-shebelieves-cup-title-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=3045","title":{"rendered":"4 Takeaways From the USA&#039;s SheBelieves Cup Title Run"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Alyssa Thompson scored a late game-winning goal and the U.S. women\u2019s national team beat Colombia 1-0 to win its eighth SheBelieves Cup title over the weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>The USWNT faced Argentina, Canada and Colombia over the course of seven days and shut out all three opponents on their way to hoisting that trophy. The U.S. was extra motivated entering this tournament after losing to Japan last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>&#8220;I\u2019m so proud of the way we\u2019ve grown up this tournament,&#8221; U.S. manager Emma Hayes said in reference to how the team had to find different ways to win against three challenging opponents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>&#8220;We\u2019ve shown we can win when we\u2019re not at our best, we\u2019ve shown our depth, we\u2019ve shown our maturity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Four different players \u2013 captain Lindsey Heaps, Jaedyn Shaw, Ally Sentnor and Thompson \u2013 scored goals, while goalkeepers Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Claudia Dickey kept clean sheets. The roster Hayes called in for this camp was more in line with the &#8220;core group&#8221; she has in mind when it comes to preparing for World Cup qualifying later this year. Of course, there were still some key players out \u2013 Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Catarina Macario and Tierna Davidson \u2013 but Hayes was pleased with the group\u2019s overall performance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Here are takeaways from this year\u2019s SheBelieves Cup:<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6><strong>1. Alyssa Thompson\u2019s growth<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>(Photo by Brad Smith\/ISI Photos\/USSF\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Let\u2019s start with Thompson, who was named MVP of the tournament. The 21-year-old winger is unstoppable and should be on the field at all times. Thompson left the NWSL and Angel City last September for the Women&#8217;s Super League and Chelsea, where she leads the team with six goals this season. She\u2019s the worst kind of player for defenses to face with her combination of speed on and off the dribble as well as beating teams in transition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Thompson burst onto the senior national team scene just before the 2023 World Cup. She was young and inexperienced, but was part of that roster in Australia and New Zealand. Then she fell out of the team for a bit, due in part to injury. Since Hayes took over, she\u2019s been on another level. Her goal against Colombia was an example of the kind of threat she is from anywhere on the pitch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>&#8220;It\u2019s been a tremendous year for Alyssa, for both club and country,&#8221; Hayes said after the Colombia match. &#8220;The consistency in her play is standout for me in terms of being able to do things over 90 minutes and do it game after game. That clutch moment she had today, she\u2019s been doing that for Chelsea all year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6><strong>2. &#8220;This team has endless depth&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>(Photo by Michael Miller\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Since the U.S. won gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024, everything has been about developing the player pool. As part of her overall strategy, Hayes has given 32 players caps in 32 games. She\u2019s placed a newfound importance on the youth national teams and the U23 program. And the team is reaping the benefits as it inches closer to World Cup qualifying later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"Take someone like Ally Sentnor,\" Hayes said. \"Ally Sentnor is super ambitious. She\u2019s about doing that today, not tomorrow. She has set lofty goals for herself and she\u2019s fine to live with those things. I\u2019m so excited to see this year\u2019s version of Ally Sentnor or Claire Hutton or Lily Yohannes. That is the aim of development and creating competition. I feel like we are in a much stronger position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"I always rewind to the Olympics. I felt really clear about 14 players. The gap, I felt, was much bigger in terms of experiences. We\u2019re closing the gap [more] between now and qualifying. When we hit the ground for the qualifying campaign, this team will be even further along than it is already.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>In the 1-0 win over Canada, Hayes brought in Heaps, Shaw, Yohannes and Emma Sears off the bench in the second half. Heaps, of course, is the team captain and normally starts. The other three have started and could be regular starters by next summer\u2019s World Cup in Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"This team has endless depth,\" Sentnor told the broadcast after that match.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6><strong>3. How will Hayes use all this talent?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>(Photo by Howard Smith\/ISI Photos\/USSF\/Getty Images)<\/span> --><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>That will be the question, especially once players like Swanson, Smith, Davidson, Macario, etc. are back with the team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>When they get to qualifying in the fall, or even the World Cup next summer, what will the starting lineup look like? Will the front line be all Triple Espresso? What would that mean for the likes of Thompson or Macario or Shaw?<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Rather than view this as a problem, having a deep roster allows Hayes to give opponents different looks. Like in the Colombia match when Heaps, Shaw, Sears, Tara Rudd, Olivia Moultrie and Jameese Joseph all came on in the second half.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>&#8220;It\u2019s not like the game needed changing, it\u2019s not like we were losing,&#8221; Hayes said. &#8220;But I wanted to keep offering another version of ourselves and I think if people understand their roles and responsibilities and there\u2019s clarity, it shouldn\u2019t matter who comes in.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Hayes continued: &#8220;The difference now [versus when she was first hired ahead of the Olympics] is you can bring in Emma Sears and it will add value and quality. I\u2019m really proud of our players. And I\u2019m proud of the system. I\u2019m proud of the development from our youth national teams into the U23 transitions and here [with the senior team].&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6><strong>4. Developing the No. 9<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>(Photo by Roger Wimmer\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Had Wilson (maternity leave) and Macario (injury) been available for this camp, they would have been called up. But their absences created opportunities for more development in the No. 9 position.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Sentnor played the first two games and scored the winning goal against Canada off a corner kick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"I thought she was exceptional,\" Hayes said. \"Mencing. She was everywhere. Didn\u2019t let people breathe.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Against Colombia\u2019s low block, Hayes needed a different presence, so she turned to Shaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"I thought Jaedyn did really well and held the ball up differently,\" Hayes said. \"Linked with Olivia [Moultrie], so I thought the 9 and 10 did well. And then when you need to close the game and want a stretch 9, you can go to Jameese Joseph. We\u2019re in a much better position as a result of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"I\u2019m pleased knowing it is an area we have to develop. And we have to find those moments for development. But I think we\u2019re in a better position than we were prior.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>This will be an intriguing position battle to watch, especially once Wilson and Macario return. Wilson was the go-to at the Olympics, while Macario led the team in scoring in 2025. Then you have the younger players who are proving themselves each chance they get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Whoever Hayes goes with in any given game will be more indicative of how she wants to play against that particular opponent rather than who she thinks should be a regular starter. That could be said for almost any position, which is a testament to the overall growth and development of this player pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"[We can now] bring players on and maintain that quality,\" Hayes said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6><strong>4 \u00bd:\u00a0What\u2019s next for the U.S.?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>The United States will play Japan three times in April. This will be a good measuring stick for the squad as Hayes said Japan is \"at another level than all three teams we played\" in this window. Japan beat the U.S. in 2025 and won the SheBelieves Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>\"I think it sets us up perfectly to see where we stack up at the next stage,\" Hayes said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>The next camp could also feature Wilson, who over the weekend played in her first match since returning from maternity leave. Wilson came on in the 75th minute for the Portland Thorns in a 5-1 preseason win over Liga MX club Monterrey.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-d515c0f6>Her anticipated return will be a huge boost to the USWNT.<\/p>\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY Alyssa Thompson scored a late game-winning goal and the U.S. women\u2019s national team beat Colombia 1-0 to win its eighth SheBelieves Cup title over the weekend. The USWNT faced Argentina, Canada and Colombia over the course of seven days and shut out all three opponents on their way to hoisting that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}