The USWNT hit the ground running on Thursday, taking down Colombia 2-0 to kick off the 2025 SheBelieves Cup with a bang.
Catarina Macario opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with her first international goal in almost three years, before 21-year-old Ally Sentnor put the game out of reach at the 60-minute mark with her first-ever international tally.
"Everybody is super happy, super proud, and I'm sure everybody back at Chelsea is too," US head coach Emma Hayes said of Macario’s strike, as the forward continues her long return from injury.
USWNT rookies show out
Hayes’s decision to feature less experienced players in the match paid off, with the winning side bolstered by numerous first caps, starts, and a screamer of a goal for the world No. 1 team.
In just her third cap and first start for the senior national team, Sentnor's efforts earned her praise from Hayes, who called the young attacker's performance "tenacious on both sides of the wall."
Also excelling in her first USWNT start was 17-year-old Lily Yohannes, who lofted the ball forward in pursuit of Macario’s opening goal and stood out as the most creative passer within a US midfield that completed over 500 passes.
"She's really switched on and someone who understands the importance of doing everything for the team and for that I really admire her," Hayes said after the match.
Hayes also continued her efforts to mint new USWNT players with a trio of first caps in Thursday's match. While forward Michelle Cooper and defender Gisele Thompson snagged their first USWNT minutes as late substitutes, center-back Tara McKeown grabbed a starting spot, then capitalized on the opportunity by registering an assist to set up Sentnor's jaw-dropping goal.
Hayes has emphasized the need for the USWNT to develop its future, but Thursday’s performance showed that the future might be closer than originally expected — especially considering the big names missing from this window’s USWNT roster.
Sonnett celebrates 100th USWNT cap
Alongside all the noteworthy firsts, the USWNT also had the chance to celebrate its veteran leadership on Thursday.
Prior to the match, the team honored Emily Sonnett for her 100th cap before the versatile defender captained the squad as a starting center-back on the night.
Notably, Sonnett's USWNT tenure includes competing in all 10 iterations of the SheBelieves Cup — more than any other player.
USWNT to face Australia in second SheBelieves match
Now sitting in second in the SheBelieves Cup standings, the USWNT trails only Japan due to goal differential after the Nadeshiko toppled Australia 4-0 on Thursday afternoon.
The struggling Matildas, who failed to register a single shot on goal against Japan, must now face the seven-time SheBelieves champion USWNT in Arizona on Sunday — a team Australia has only defeated once in the pair's 35 all-time meetings.
The last time the teams met, the US defeated the Matildas 2-1 in the final group stage match of the 2024 Olympics to advance to the quarterfinals.
This time out, expect heavy roster rotation from Hayes's squad as players look to stay healthy for their club seasons, with some still ramping up to full fitness before the 2025 NWSL season.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Australia in the SheBelieves Cup
The USWNT kicks off against Australia in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup at 5 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on TBS, Max, and Peacock.
Trinity Rodman is a rising star for the U.S. women’s national team, and she has had plenty of inspiration.
Speaking on Sunday, the 21-year-old pointed to a trio of forwards from the 2015 and 2019 World Cup-winning teams as role models for her own career journey: Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Tobin Heath.
“Megan Rapinoe has been a big one for me,” Rodman said. “Christen Press and Tobin Heath have been big ones for me.
“Obviously, playing with Pinoe, who’s amazing, to be there for her retirement was amazing. But she just works so hard, she’s changed the game of soccer and she brings her own personality and swag to the game. And I hope to do the same.”
While Rodman has played alongside Rapinoe in 2022 and 2023, her first and Rapinoe’s last years with the USWNT, she has not played with Press or Heath. Her first call-up came in January 2022, and neither Press nor Heath have played for the national team since 2021 as both have dealt with various injuries. Still, Rodman looks up to them, pointing in a different interview to Heath’s “creativity” as a particular inspiration.
Since the 2023 World Cup, Rodman has started to come into her own, both on the USWNT and in the NWSL with the Washington Spirit. At the World Cup, USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore saw a switch flick in Rodman, and since then the young forward has been on a tear.
Rodman scored in each of the team’s September friendlies against South Africa, and in her next NWSL match, a sign of what is to come for the forward as she continues to embrace her role.
Her Spirit teammate, 24-year-old defender Tara McKeown, also spoke about her role models, citing longtime USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn as a defensive paragon.
“Growing up I always looked up to Mia Hamm, and I used to be a nine so that kinda made more sense,” she said. “But now, switching to center-back, watching Becky Sauerbrunn has been a good role model for me and trying to learn from her game.”