Four USWNT takeaways from the 2025 SheBelieves Cup
Four USWNT takeaways from the 2025 SheBelieves Cup
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Megan Rapinoe on what Coach Emma Hayes brings to the USWNT
Megan Rapinoe explains why she's all in on Coach Emma Hayes and what she brings to the U.S. Women's National Team.
Sports Seriously
The U.S. women's national team didn't win the SheBelieves Cup, but that doesn't mean the tournament was a total loss. Far from it, in fact.
For the first time in six years, the USWNT fell short in the SheBelieves Cup, as Japan took home the tournament by defeating Emma Hayes' side 2-1 in the finale.
The U.S. began the tournament with a comfortable 2-0 win over Colombia, before a 2-1 victory over Australia.
Hayes will have learned plenty from the USWNT's successes and failures over the three-game event, even if she won't necessarily be pleased to have lost her first game as the team's head coach.
Part of that learning came from some notable absences. The USWNT's "Triple Espresso" front line, center back Naomi Girma, and midfielder Rose Lavelle were all absent, creating opportunities for Hayes to see other options.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the SheBelieves Cup.
Midfield is in good hands
If we weren't aware before the SheBelieves Cup, we know now: The USWNT is going to have an absolutely fierce competition at central midfield moving forward.
That was underlined by the emergence of two teenage stars during the tournament, Lily Yohannes and Claire Hutton. Both players were superb in their first USWNT starts — Yohannes against Colombia and Hutton against Australia. Yohannes wasn't quite as effective against Japan but also provided some moments of true quality. Also: she's 17.
The emergence of Yohannes and Sutton figures to put real pressure on Sam Coffey and Korbin Albert in defensive/holding midfield roles. Coffey appears to be more entrenched than Albert, but the latter continues to enjoy plenty of trust from Hayes.
Jaedyn Shaw is undoubtedly a key piece of the USWNT's future, but there are two main questions surrounding the 20-year-old: How soon is that future, and where will she be playing?
On evidence of the SheBelieves Cup, Shaw looks much more comfortable as a No. 10, where she thrived against Australia, than as a winger, where she struggled against Japan. But breaking through as a 10 will be a major challenge because of two USWNT mainstays over the past decade: Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Heaps.
Lavelle turns 30 this year and continues to be hampered by injuries. Heaps is already 30 and in truth, hasn't been at her best for the USWNT for the better part of the last year (want proof? Just ask her). Lavelle missed the SheBelieves Cup due to injury, while Heaps again failed to make a major impact.
Both players still have a role to play for the USWNT if fit and firing, but it's worth questioning whether the best version of the team's central midfield includes either player right now.
Goalkeeper still a major question
One of, if not the biggest issue to resolve for Hayes in 2025 revolves around the team's goalkeeper position.
After several years as the team's unquestioned starter, Alyssa Naeher retired from international duty at the end of 2024. That left a wide-open competition to be her replacement, which Hayes wants to have down to the final three by the end of the SheBelieves Cup.
If Hayes was hoping for one of her two rostered goalkeepers for the SheBelieves Cup to grab the position by the scruff of the neck, she'll probably come away disappointed.
Jane Campbell started two of the team's three games, neither of which resulted in the Houston Dash goalkeeper putting in a standout display. Against Colombia she had zero shots to save and precious little to do. Against Japan, she wasn't directly at fault for either goal, but could have done better on both as well.
But Mandy McGlynn didn't make her best case either. Given a chance against Australia, the Utah Royals shot-stopper was shaky in a couple moments while also doing well to punch away a number of balls lofted into the box. The Matildas' only shot on goal was a close-range header McGlynn could do little about.
Hayes' roster selections for April's friendlies against Brazil will be telling. Will she bring either goalkeeper back? Will she give Phallon Tullis-Joyce — who was a training player on this roster — a chance to play in a game? Or will names like Casey Murphy, Aubrey Kingsbury, Angelina Anderson or Claudia Dickey get back in the mix?
Ally Sentnor is ready for this
It was only fitting that Ally Sentnor's first international goal was a long-range banger.
The strike against Colombia meant five of the Utah Royals forward's first six career goals came from outside the box. But that goal wouldn't be Sentnor's last in a breakout SheBelieves Cup.
Sentnor also scored the USWNT's only goal against Japan, in addition to an assist against Australia. She was the only USWNT player to score multiple goals in the tournament, and led the team with three goal contributions.
Perhaps no USWNT player boosted their stock more in this SheBelieves Cup than Sentnor, who only debuted for the national team late last year and now looks like one of Hayes' top forward options behind Triple Espresso.
'Ally has demonstrated in her rise through the youth national teams and in her first pro year that she's got qualities that can decide a game,' Hayes said after the loss to Japan.
'She certainly finishes the very minimal chances she might get, and that's what top players possess. I think she's got that, and it will build her confidence to have had this tournament and be given a couple of starts.'
The USWNT has plenty of depth behind Triple Espresso, but at 21, Sentnor has shown she is a valuable piece for the future — and the present.
Mission accomplished for Hayes
The SheBelieves Cup is a somewhat nebulous competition when it comes to judging its importance. Sure, it's called a "tournament" but for official purposes, it's really just three friendlies in a row.
With more than two years until the next competition the USWNT truly cares about, the World Cup, Hayes took advantage of the chance to experiment with her player pool at the SheBelieves Cup.
'I always go back to what our objectives were in the first place, 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 said after the Japan game.
Hayes' goal was also helped by some absences of key players. With no Triple Espresso, Girma or Lavelle, there were open positions across all three lines of the USWNT's lineup.
Having a full compliment of players may have resulted in the USWNT, you know, actually winning the tournament, but the outcome of this year's competition could prove more beneficial than an alternative reality where a full-strength USWNT beats Japan.
There is no better experience for a player like Yohannes than to face the ferocious press of Japan, or for a player like Shaw to be the conductor of the team's attack against Australia. Tara McKeown, who only converted to defense a couple years ago, got significant minutes in all three games. The list goes on.
'You want to learn this lesson now," Hayes said on TBS after the Japan game. "It allows me to say these are the things we have to do at the highest level. That's what development is. We're not playing for the World Cup today. We'll be back, don't worry about it. We'll be back.'
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