The USWNT lifted its eighth SheBelieves Cup on Saturday, when the world No. 2 team completed a three-game shutout sweep of the 2026 tournament with a 1-0 win over No. 20 Colombia.
In yet another chippy clash, forward Alyssa Thompson broke the deadlock in the 81st minute, striking the game-winner from just outside the penalty area.
"I think it's been a tremendous year for Alyssa for both club and country," US manager Emma Hayes said following the tournament-clinching win. "The consistency in her play is the standout for me in terms of being able to do things over 90 minutes and do it game after game, including a clutch moment like today."
The USWNT exits the March international window riding a seven-game clean-sheet streak, with the team now looking to continue improving connectivity after scoring just four goals in three matches.
"I think we've shown how to win when we're not our best," said Hayes, crediting Saturday's second-half substitutes after a lack-luster first half. "I think we've shown the versatility, I think we've shown the depth, I think we've shown maturity and as a coach, I'm happy about those things."
How to watch the next USWNT matches
The competition only rises from here, as the No. 2 US prepares to host No. 8 Japan for a three-friendly series in April.
The first clash will kick off at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday, April 11th.
All three friendlies against Japan will air live on TNT.
The USWNT is homing in on another international title, as the world No. 2 team looks to run the table and lift the 2026 SheBelieves Cup following Saturday's tournament finale against No. 20 Colombia.
The US sits squarely atop the four-team leaderboard with six points, needing only a draw against its South American neighbor to reclaim the title.
"The part I love about my job is that I could see they're really starting to understand both sides of the ball, their roles and responsibilities," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said of her developing squad's growth during the annual competition.
Hayes shook up her starting XI across the first two games, leaving fans expecting even more roster rotation in Saturday's final match.
"I always rewind back to the Olympics — I felt really clear about 14 players," Hayes said after Wednesday's 1-0 win over No. 10 Canada. "The gap was much bigger in terms of experience. If the Olympics were tomorrow, I think we're in a better place."
How to watch USWNT vs. Colombia in the 2026 SheBelieves Cup
Kicking off with a retirement celebration honoring US World Cup and Olympic champion Tobin Heath, the No. 2 USWNT will cap their 2026 SheBelieves Cup run against No. 10 Colombia in Heath's home state of New Jersey on Saturday.
The match will air live at 3:30 PM ET on TBS.
The world No. 2 USWNT sits atop the 2026 SheBelieves Cup leaderboard after blanking North American rival No. 10 Canada 1-0 in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday night.
Despite dominating possession throughout the match, the USWNT tallied just one goal — a second-half strike from attacker Ally Sentnor off of midfielder Rose Lavelle's corner kick — while goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce sealed the win with another US clean sheet.
"Honestly, our goal was just to win the game," Sentnor said postmatch. "I think going into a rivalry game, we knew what was going to happen."
USWNT manager Emma Hayes significantly rotated her starting XI after Sunday's 2-0 victory over No. 30 Argentina, leaning on more established players like defender Naomi Girma, midfielder Sam Coffey, and forward Trinity Rodman.
As a result, the US notched its seventh straight shutout on Wednesday, having not conceded a goal since last October's 3-1 win over No. 22 Portugal.
"Our control the last 10 minutes of the game — that, for me, is indicative of maturity in the performance," Hayes told reporters. "It was one of my favorite performances, because they're growing up."
How to watch the USWNT in the 2026 SheBelieves Cup
The No. 2 USWNT will look to claim the 2026 SheBelieves Cup with a win over No. 20 Colombia on Saturday.
The match will kick off live at 3:30 PM ET on TBS.
The USWNT returns to the pitch on Wednesday night, taking on rival Canada with a spot at the top of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup standings on the line.
Both the world No. 2 USWNT and No. 10 Canada enter the match with three points, though Canada sits atop the four-team leaderboard on goal differential after claiming a 4-1 win over No. 20 Colombia on Sunday.
"We all know that there is a historic rivalry between the two teams, so it's always going to be a competitive fixture," said US manager Emma Hayes, telling reporters she anticipates a tougher fight than the USWNT's 3-0 shutout over its Northern neighbor last July.
The return of Trinity Rodman should bolster the US lineup, as the star forward was back in training this week after exiting Sunday's chippy 2-0 win over No. 30 Argentina with a back injury.
However, the team will be without Gotham FC defender Lilly Reale, with the 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year departing USWNT camp after taking a knock to the foot in Sunday's match.
"We want these opportunities," Hayes said of Argentina's physicality. "If we were seeking perfection, then I might be approaching something differently, but I'm here to develop a whole squad to be ready for these situations."
How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada in the 2026 SheBelieves Cup
The No. 2 USWNT will kick off against No. 10 Canada at 6:45 PM ET on Wednesday, airing live on TNT.
The world No. 2 USWNT opened their 2026 SheBelieves Cup campaign with a win, taking down No. 30 Argentina 2-0 in a chippy showdown on Sunday night.
Captain Lindsey Heaps opened the scoring with a long-range strike in the first half, before forward Jaedyn Shaw sealed the deal in the second half.
The USWNT also saw goals from forward Jameese Joseph and attacker Ally Sentnor reversed on tight offside calls, adding to the tension already in play on the Nashville pitch.
The evening's physicality came to a head after final whistle, when US star forward Trinity Rodman suffered an apparent knock to her back in stoppage time.
"This is what tournament football is," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said postgame, emphasizing the SheBelieves Cup's value as a group-stage simulation where emotions run high. "Provocation's gonna happen with different types of opponents. How you handle that, for me, is a testament."
"We want these opportunities," she continued. "If we were seeking perfection, then I might be approaching something differently, but I'm here to develop a whole squad to be ready for these situations."
How to watch the USWNT in the 2026 SheBelieves Cup
The 2026 SheBelieves Cup next travels to Columbus, Ohio, where the No. 2 USWNT will kick off against North American rival No. 10 Canada at 6:45 PM ET on Wednesday, airing live on TNT.
The world No. 2 USWNT retakes the pitch on Sunday, opening the 2026 SheBelieves Cup against No. 30 Argentina as the US looks to take back its tournament crown.
The USWNT already made two defensive replacements to the SheBelieves roster in training camp this week, with Avery Patterson taking over for Kate Wiesner due to a calf issue while a hamstring knock saw Jordyn Bugg swapped out for Emily Sams.
Despite the changes, US manager Emma Hayes remains focused on honing roster stability, entering the three-game round-robin tournament armed with both NWSL stars and European standouts.
The US has never lost or even drawn Argentina, holding an all-time record of six wins over La Albiceleste while tallying 35 straight goals against the Latin American squad since their first meeting in 1998.
That said, the USWNT still has something to prove, as the team looks to return to the top of the SheBelieves podium after No. 8 Japan snapped its five-tournament winning streak last year.
There are slight shifts to the annual competition this year, however, with US Soccer allowing the four participating teams to name their 23-player game-day lineups from their larger training camp pools.
The federation also enacted a format change that will see any tied match go directly to penalty kicks, with teams winning in regulation awarded three points, penalty-kick winners earning two points, and shootout losers taking one point in the race to claim the most total points and win the tournament.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Argentina at the 2026 SheBelieves Cup
The No. 2 USWNT welcomes No. 30 Argentina to Nashville for their first match of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup on Sunday.
The clash kicks off live at 5 PM ET on TNT.
The world No. 2 USWNT racked up another big win on Tuesday, defeating No. 47 Chile 5-0 to close out their two-friendly January series.
Midfielder Croix Bethune, forward Jameese Joseph, and defender Emily Sams all scored their first-ever USWNT goals in the victory, with wingers Emma Sears and Trinity Rodman also each finding the back of the net.
"This has certainly opened up the year with what we've identified as the key themes to take us through to qualification," US head coach Emma Hayes said postgame. "This camp has given us the reference points… for the players that come back for SheBelieves, it will be really clear what that looks like."
A refreshed starting XI took the pitch against Chile, as the USWNT fielded the least-experienced lineup in 25 years while Hayes managed NWSL preseason demands.
Midfielder Riley Jackson and defender Ayo Oke made their first senior team appearances, with the year's first-cap count now tallying five.
"I always feel the best thing I can do to support the NWSL is to give players these experiences and send them back to their clubs hungry," Hayes told the TBS broadcast. "They want more of this — they want packed crowds singing their names."
How to watch the next USWNT matches
The No. 2 USWNT will return to the pitch to take on No. 30 Argentina at 5 PM ET on March 1st, No. 10 Canada at 6:45 PM ET on March 4th, and No. 20 Colombia at 3:30 PM ET on March 7th at the 2026 SheBelieves Cup.
The first two matches will air live on TNT, with TBS broadcasting the final game against Colombia.
The world No. 2 USWNT returns to action on Tuesday night, taking the pitch for the first time in Santa Barbara, California, to close out the team's January friendlies against No. 47 Chile.
Tuesday also marks the final match before US manager Emma Hayes begins narrowing her player pool ahead of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup in March, with competition mounting in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup qualifiers in November.
"I have a really good idea of the pool," Hayes told reporters prior to Tuesday's friendly. "I know which group of players we're going to be building around."
With a roster comprised entirely of NWSL players, Hayes will also be managing fitness as the team gears up for their second game in four days.
"One thing I have almost agreed to do, knowing where the players are at this stage of the season with their NWSL club, is to not start a player for two games," Hayes said.
"I'm putting together a whole new lineup," she continued. "Which itself will bring another set of challenges, whether that be first caps, whether that will be inexperience, [or] collectively playing together."
Three January call-ups remain uncapped, as North Carolina Courage midfielder Riley Jackson, Denver Summit defender Ayo Oke, and Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz look to make Tuesday night's starting XI.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Chile
The No. 2 USWNT will close out their January friendlies against No. 47 Chile at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on TBS.
The No. 2 USWNT is stacking their 2026 dance card, as US Soccer announced three spring friendlies against No. 8 Japan on Saturday.
The series will kick off in San Jose, California, on Saturday, April 11th, before moving to Seattle on Tuesday, April 14th, with the teams closing out the trio of friendlies in Commerce City, Colorado, on Friday, April 17th.
"Playing the same opponent three times is unusual but it presents a great challenge and a chance to test ourselves against a top-quality opponent," said USWNT manager Emma Hayes in the federation's Saturday statement.
The friendlies will follow the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, with the US set to face No. 30 Argentina, No. 10 Canada, and No. 20 Colombia starting on Sunday, March 1st.
The USWNT last met Japan at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup Final in San Diego, with the Nadeshiko beating the tournament hosts 2-1 — the second Japan victory over the US in their 42 all-time meetings.
"Japan is one of the best teams in the world," Hayes continued. "I'm a big admirer of how they play and I have tremendous respect for their team."
Notably, April's second friendly will see the USWNT return to Seattle for the first time since 2017, with Lumen Field swapping artificial turf for natural grass ahead of this summer's 2026 Men's World Cup.
How to buy tickets to USWNT vs. Japan friendlies
While ticket presales began on Monday morning, general sales for all three April friendlies will begin at 10 AM local venue time on Thursday.
The world No. 2 USWNT kicked off 2026 in style on Saturday, taking down No. 46 Paraguay 6-0 behind a bombardment of five second-half goals — all scored in a span of 12 minutes.
Portland Thorns forward Reilyn Turner opened scoring in first-half stoppage time — earning her first international goal in her USWNT debut — before a brace from Kansas City's Ally Sentor plus goals from Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman and Racing Louisville's Emma Sears combined with a Paraguay own goal to silence the opposition.
"There was a lot of inexperience for us, and there's a lot of nerves that come with that," USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said postgame. "But I thought the team handled themselves really well."
With Rodman wearing the captain's arm band for the first time, the USWNT's starting XI on Saturday averaged just 9.6 international caps — the most inexperienced US lineup in 25 years.
"Having done 25 years as a coach during preseason, it's the perfect game to play," Hayes said as the team gears up for the 2026 SheBelieves Cup in March. "These players are building towards the start of their season."
Prior to their emphatic Saturday victory, the team honored retired two-time World Cup champion Christen Press in a pre-game ceremony, with Press and her wife and former teammate Tobin Heath in attendance.
How to watch the USWNT this week
The No. 2 USWNT will close out their January friendlies against No. 47 Chile at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on TBS.