Your guide to watching the USWNT in the SheBelieves Cup
The USWNT is trying to become the first back-to-back winner in tournament history. Four elite national soccer teams from around the globe will face off from February 18-24 in the SheBelieves Cup in Orlando, Florida. Of them, only the United States has won the tournament previously, but Canada, Argentina, and Brazil will all have the chance to prove themselves against the reigning World Cup champions.
2021 marks the sixth year of the round-robin style tournament. The dominant USWNT will seek out its fourth SheBelieves title. If successful, it’ll be their first back-to-back win in the tournament’s short history. The winner is determined by total points (three of which are awarded for a win, and one for a draw). In the event of a tie, the winner is selected by goal differential. Got it? Here’s everything else to know before you watch.
How to watch
Fans in the United States can watch the tournament broadcast on Fox Sports 1, or stream live through fuboTV, Hulu, or Sling. Games will also be broadcast in Spanish on TUDN.
SheBelieves Cup storylines
How much of a rivalry should you expect out of the neighboring American and Canadian teams? I’ll leave that to Stephanie Yang of our women’s soccer site All For XI to describe:
“While US fans enjoy the USWNT beating our northern neighbors, there’s not really a burning need to bring the hammer down, not the way there might have been five or 10 years ago. That’ll happen when you have as lopsided a W-L record against your “rival” as the USWNT does against the Canada WNT.”
So while a rivalry certainly exists between these two teams, it’s been a fairly unbalanced one as of late— and definitely nowhere near as cutthroat as these countries’ competition in some other sports (say, ice hockey, for example). But although Canada will be missing some major stars like Christina Sinclair due to injury, the tournament nonetheless marks the beginning of a new era as Bev Priestman’s debut as the team’s head coach.
A more balanced matchup might come from Canada and Brazil, both of which are currently ranked No. 8 in the world by FIFA. If you know anything about women’s soccer, you know that Brazil is led by the formidable veteran Marta, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. They’ll also have some fresh young talent in players like Ivana Fuso, who will make her first international appearance with Brazil at the tournament.
Argentina presents an exciting wildcard element to the SheBelieves Cup. Replacing Team Japan, which withdrew due to health concerns relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, Argentina is a newcomer to the tournament. Although they’re the underdogs (and also missing goalkeeper Vanina Correa, who is ineligible after testing positive for Covid-19), they’re also on the rise, only narrowly missing the knockout round in the 2019 World Cup.
SheBelieves Cup 2021 Schedule & Scores
February 18
Brazil vs Argentina – 4:00 p.m. ET (Update: Brazil won, 4-1)
United States vs Canada – 7:00 p.m. ET (Update: United States won, 1-0)
February 21
United States vs Brazil – 3:00 p.m. ET
Argentina vs Canada – 6:00 p.m. ET
February 24
Canada vs Brazil – 4:00 p.m. ET
United States vs Argentina – 7:00 p.m. ET
USWNT roster for SheBelieves Cup
Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders: Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Margaret Purce (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit)
Midfielders: Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Jaelin Howell (Florida State), Rose Lavelle (Manchester City), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash)
Forwards: Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Manchester United), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage)
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