USWNT wins SheBelieves Cup with 3 wins in 3 games

With a 3-1 win over a technical but relatively non-threatening Japanese side, the USWNT walked away as winners of the SheBelieves Cup.

The first half of Wednesday’s game was all about the United States. More often than not, Japan found themselves looking like young girls playing against women.

Japan is a technical team intent on keeping possession, however in their obsession to merely keep the ball they lacked any kind of threatening forward movement, instead tending towards conservative back passes.

It didn’t take long for the United States to strike. A Japanese player dragged Lindsey Horan down by the jersey in dramatic fashion before falling awkwardly on top of her and crushing her arm. The resulting free kick just 7 minutes into the game led to a beautiful Megan Rapinoe shot that curved swiftly into the left side of the goal giving the United States the lead and the upper hand.

Unsurprisingly, it was Christen Press who drew blood next in the 26th minute.

The Japanese goalkeeper, Ayaka Yamashita, made a sloppy error kicking the ball out of her box and sending it right to the feet of Rapinoe. A simple pass to Press in the middle of the field was followed by a wicked chip over the goalkeeper.

Press not only continues to score, but she continues to score spectacular goals. When she was eventually subbed out in the 71st minute, she walked off the field to a standing ovation from the crowd.

Japan came out hungry for a goal at the start of the second half and had far more success going forward. They managed to pull together a series of skillful moments in the 58th minute with a cut-back cross and a calm, collected finish from Mana Iwabuchi.

Their play continued to be spotted with inspiration, eventually leading to a shot off the post from a tight angle in the 74th minute that gave the United States a bit of a scare.

Just as Japan’s confidence surged, the United States nearly put one in at the other end with a gift of a cross from Mallory Pugh to Carli Lloyd who was unmarked. Though she’s finished plenty of opportunities of far greater difficulty, Lloyd sent this particular shot wide of the goal, letting Japan off the hook.

Japan continued to hold on to a glimmer of hope until the 83rd minute when a Lindsey Horan header goal off of a corner kick gave the United States a 3-1 lead and full control of the game. She jumped a full head above the Japanese defender, distancing herself enough to whip the ball cleanly into the back of the net.

A tie would have won them the SheBelieves Cup, but with a 3-1 win, they also walked away from the tournament with 3 wins in 3 games. Coach Andonovski has plenty to be proud of as the USWNT inches ever closer to the 2020 Olympics.