4 Takeaways From the USA’s SheBelieves Cup Title Run

Alyssa Thompson scored a late game-winning goal and the U.S. women’s 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 trophy. The U.S. was extra motivated entering this tournament after losing to Japan last year. “I’m so proud of the way we’ve grown up this tournament,” U.S. manager Emma Hayes said in reference to how the team had to find different ways to win against three challenging opponents. “We’ve shown we can win when we’re not at our best, we’ve shown our depth, we’ve shown our maturity.” Four different players – captain Lindsey Heaps, Jaedyn Shaw, Ally Sentnor and Thompson – 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 “core group” 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 – Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Catarina Macario and Tierna Davidson – but Hayes was pleased with the group’s overall performance. Here are takeaways from this year’s SheBelieves Cup: 1. Alyssa Thompson’s growth Let’s 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’s Super League and Chelsea, where she leads the team with six goals this season. She’s 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. 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’s been on another level. Her goal against Colombia was an example of the kind of threat she is from anywhere on the pitch. “It’s been a tremendous year for Alyssa, for both club and country,” Hayes said after the Colombia match. “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’s been doing that for Chelsea all year.” 2. “This team has endless depth” 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’s 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. “Take someone like Ally Sentnor,” Hayes said. “Ally Sentnor is super ambitious. She’s about doing that today, not tomorrow. She has set lofty goals for herself and she’s fine to live with those things. I’m so excited to see this year’s 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. “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’re 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.” 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’s World Cup in Brazil. “This team has endless depth,” Sentnor told the broadcast after that match. 3. How will Hayes use all this talent? That will be the question, especially once players like Swanson, Smith, Davidson, Macario, etc. are back with the team. 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? 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. “It’s not like the game needed changing, it’s not like we were losing,” Hayes said. “But I wanted to keep offering another version of ourselves and I think if people understand their roles and responsibilities and there’s clarity, it shouldn’t matter who comes in.” Hayes continued: “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’m really proud of our players. And I’m proud of the system. I’m proud of the development from our youth national teams into the U23 transitions and here [with the senior team].” 4. Developing the No. 9 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. Sentnor played the first two games and scored the winning goal against Canada off a corner kick. “I thought she was exceptional,” Hayes said. “Mencing. She was everywhere. Didn’t let people breathe.” Against Colombia’s low block, Hayes needed a different presence, so she turned to Shaw. “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’re in a much better position as a result of that. “I’m pleased knowing it is an area we have to develop. And we have to find those moments for development. But I think we’re in a better position than we were prior.” 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. 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. “[We can now] bring players on and maintain that quality,” Hayes said. 4 ½: What’s next for the U.S.? 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. “I think it sets us up perfectly to see where we stack up at the next stage,” Hayes said. 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. Her anticipated return will be a huge boost to the USWNT.