The United States women's national team now has a chance to win another trophy this week. The Americans beat Australia 2-1 on goals from Lynn Biyendolo (formerly Williams) and Michelle Cooper, and will now get Japan in the SheBelieves Cup final showdown on Wednesday.
The USWNT seemed to have another shutout locked up until Michelle Heyman headed home Hayley Raso's cross in the 80th minute. It was goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn's second-ever start for the U.S., and she was tested by the Matildas throughout the day. The Americans tried to extend their lead late on chances from Korbin Albert and Ally Sentnor, but failed to finish those and escaped with the W anyway.
Japan, meanwhile, has cruised through this tournament, crushing Australia 4-0 in its first match last Thursday and then defeating Colombia 4-1 earlier on Sunday afternoon.
ADVERTISEMENT
As expected, coach Emma Hayes rolled out a completely different lineup. There were 11 changes from the group she started in Thursday's 2-0 win over Colombia, which is just the sixth time in program history that a lineup has changed every single starter in consecutive games. According to U.S. Soccer, this is the first time it's happened in 25 years.
Of course, this wasn't surprising given Hayes' desire to give more and more young players experience as she continues to expand and evaluate the pool ahead of the next World Cup in 2027.
This was a particularly young and inexperienced group. It included another debut, this time by 19-year-old midfielder Claire Hutton, who Hayes believes "could have a big future for the national team." Sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson made their first start together (Gisele earned her first cap vs. Colombia). It's only the fourth time in USWNT history that sisters have started a match together and the first time since July 2021 when Sam and Kristie Mewis were in the lineup vs. Mexico.
Here are takeaways from the match:
Play of the game:
In the 68th minute, Cooper scored in just her second cap to give the USWNT a 2-0 lead. Hutton collected the ball near the top of the box and served a low pass to Sentnor inside. She dribbled through multiple defenders until she got a bit tangled, and that's when Cooper came in and nailed the shot into the back of the net for what ended up being the game's winning goal.
"I looked at Ally and said, ‘I'm so sorry!" because I basically stole it from you," Cooper joked on the broadcast after the game.
Turning point:
It only took 42 seconds for Biyendolo to score and give the USWNT a quick 1-0 lead.
Emma Sears streaked down the left wing and cut inside before finding Jaedyn Shaw who was making a run behind her. Shaw took a couple of touches before slipping a cross to Biyendolo waiting in front of goal. There was some thought Biyendolo might have been offside, but there's no VAR in the SheBelieves Cup so the goal stood.
Biyendolo nearly had another goal eight minutes later, but she was ruled offside.
This was also her first USWNT goal using her married name — she married her husband Marley, who is from Australia, in December.
Key stat:
Another example of how Hayes is preparing more inexperienced players:
What's next for the USWNT?
The U.S. heads to San Diego to play Japan in the SheBelieves Cup final on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The last time these sides met was in the Paris Olympics quarterfinal last summer. That's when Trinity Rodman showed off her individual brilliance by scoring the winning goal in extra time to secure the USWNT's spot in the semifinal. The only thing is that this time, Rodman isn't on the roster as she's still recovering from an injury ahead of the NWSL season. But as we've learned through two games, Hayes is giving more players experience so that when Rodman and the rest of the "Triple Espresso" aren't available, there will still be solid options on hand.
Even so, the Americans are well aware of what facing Japan means: that their opponent will be in a well-organized low block that is always difficult to break down. It will be a test for this group of players, many of whom were not at the Olympics and have not played against a senior Japan squad.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.
