The USWNT took down good teams in Colombia and Australia before falling to a great one in Japan, but plenty of reason for optimism
Emma Hayes effectively summarized it all after a 2-1 loss to Japan Wednesday night. The U.S. women's national team were disappointed, yes, and losing is never fun, particularly when you're part of this program. The SheBeleives Cup, in particular, has historically been a coronation moment for the USWNT.
Not this time. This time, they'd lost, no doubt about it.
Not all losses are created equal, though. Some, in a roundabout way, turn out to be wins. That's how Hayes sees this. That's why, despite the frustration on her players' faces after the match, Hayes was still relatively optimistic despite how the SheBelieves Cup wrapped up with the loss to Japan.
“I always go back to what our objectives were in the first place,” Hayes told reporters after the game, “and that was to deepen our playing pool with opportunities in high-pressure situations against top opponents. That’s what tonight especially is about.”
Hayes set that goal from the start, naming a squad filled with inexperienced newcomers. Some were rising stars with big accolades on the youth level. Those players, by and large, stepped up, showing why they're ready to push the more senior members of the USWNT. Those veterans, as always, can use the push. A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say.
In many ways, this tournament was about those micro moments, not the macro result. The USWNT lost because of those moments, lapses in judgement that, ultimately, doomed them in Wednesday's finale. Individual players, meanwhile, took advantage of their opportunities.
Catarina Macario returned from injury. Lily Yohannes rose to the occasion. And Ally Sentnor created more moments than anyone, showcasing her leap from young player to rising star, all in two terrific starts.
That's what Hayes will be analyzing more than anything: the individual moments. And, when looking at those, she'll be rather pleased, even without lifting a trophy at the end of it all.
So who stood out? Whose stock rose at the SheBelieves Cup, and whose fell? GOAL takes a look.
Getty Images SportSTOCK UP: Lily Yohannes
If you don't own stock in Yohannes, invest now. She has no ceiling.
Truthfully, this wasn't quite Yohannes' signature breakout, largely because those typically to come at the world's biggest tournaments. For now, though, this was that closest thing to it. Yohannes went from USWNT prospect to USWNT contributor before our very eyes.
From the opening moments of the Colombia game, Yohannes made it abundantly clear that she is a different sort of player, one that can do things with the ball few, if any, of her teammates can.
Her ball over the top to kickstart Macario's goal in that opener was sublime, and there seemingly dozens of others that could have eventually led to the same result. Yohannes, at just 17, has the ability to dictate a game in that way, even against some very good teams.
She still needs seasoning and is very clearly not a finished product. This week, though, Yohannes made it clear that she's here to stay with the USWNT, making her a member of this team both in the present and for, hopefully, for years to come.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportSTOCK DOWN: Crystal Dunn
Let's be clear: Dunn gets a pass. Her track record speaks for itself and, given her lack of game time over the last six months or so, it's understandable that she would look a step off the pace. This is Dunn we're talking about. When she's at her best, and she has been so many times, she's the one that makes everyone else look and feel a step slow.
Still, you have to acknowledge that she's in a race at that left-back position, and her performances in this camp didn't put that discussion to bed.
Dunn has been holding off Jenna Nighswonger. She did it at the Olympics last year and, in this tournament, she seemingly did it again by starting two games. Fortunately for her, Nighswonger didn't exactly knock down the door herself, but Dunn didn't really do herself many favors.
At 32, Dunn was the oldest player in the squad and fighting off these young stars will be difficult. To do so, she'll have to play at the highest of levels. Her move to PSG could allow her to do that but, in this camp, Dunn looked like she still needs time to get to that level after a long time away.
ImagnSTOCK UP: Catarina Macario
It had been so, so long since we'd seen this version of Catarina Macario in a USWNT shirt. She returned briefly in 2024, but never quite looked to be the player that had been so dominant prior to all of these injuries.
We got a glimpse of that this week, and that was more than enough to give real hope for a future with Macario in it.
Macario opened camp by scoring against Colombia, showcasing her ability in a not-quite-natural position. Without a true No. 9 in the team, Macario was placed into that role and she didn't miss a beat, showing both the instincts and finishing touch needed to get her goal relatively early into her USWNT return.
The Chelsea star looked even more like herself against Japan. She created one of the few bright moments in Wednesday's finale, holding off a defender and playing Ally Sentnor in on goal. Macario has always been hailed as an elite creative force. Injuries, unfortunately, have too often gotten in the way of that.
Hopefully, that won't be the case going forward and, if it is, the USWNT will be getting a whole lot better. Can Macario push for a starting spot? On talent alone, absolutely. She still needs games under her belt and consistent performances for club and country. This was a start, though, one that showed why she's one of the few players in the pool who can really step into the A-team and take it to a different level.
Getty Images SportSTOCK DOWN: Jane Campbell
It's not even really that Campbell's stock went down. It is fair to say, though, that she didn't really boost it and, in a tournment like this, that's a missed opportunity.
Campbell is right in the thick of a race to be Alyssa Naeher's replacement and, in many ways, was given her big audition over this past week. She started two of these games, the first and the third, as Hayes clearly gave the Houston Dash goalkeeper her moment in the spotlight. Those moments have been few and far between for Campbell, who has certainly earned this chance. Now that it arrived, though, it didn't quite go to plan.
Every goalkeeper will dream of making a series of diving saves to impress a coach. Campbell made one in two games, and it was immediately fired into the back of the net on the rebound. When Campbell did get a chance to participate with the ball at her feet, she was just a bit too sloppy and inaccurate.
Campbell is still in the race, but she din't put any real distance between herself and Casey Murphy, Aubrey Kingsburg and Mandy McGlynn, who are all in the mix, too. That's a missed opportunity and, while it wasn't all of Campbell's doing, it still detracts from her case.
