🇺🇸 How the USWNT hopes SheBelieves preparation leads to World Cup success
PLUS: Haiti, Panama make it SIX Concacaf teams at the World Cup
FRISCO, Texas — After each player had her name read out, the fireworks began. Then it was time for the trophy lift, sparks flying from behind the platform set on the north end of Toyota Stadium.
The United States, for the fourth time in a row, earned the SheBelieves Cup trophy, an accomplishment that will forever stay in the memor-Well, maybe not.
“I don’t think we’re going to talk a lot about the title,” U.S. manager Vlatko Andonovski said after the 2-1 win over Brazil. “We’re actually going to talk a lot about the play and details. We’re going to use these games to prepare more for the World Cup.”
And that’s what it’s all about for the U.S. right now. While the Americans will be happy with three wins in three matches against fellow World Cup qualifiers, this edition of the SheBelieves tournament is all about getting ready for the (Northern Hemisphere) summer when the U.S. will defend its title as the champion of the world.
Anything else that happens along the way is something of a bonus or material used for learning.
Andonovski and his staff now get to work analyzing footage from this tournament plus studying future opponents’ matches during the international break. The team also will meet Ireland in a pair of April friendly matches, but it’s getting to be that time when there won’t be many more data points to help make roster choices or tactical decisions.
Still, the tournament’s utility goes beyond what happened over 270 minutes of play. During the SheBelieves Cup, the U.S. staff looked to match the routine of a World Cup as well as possible.
“We have a lot of new faces, people who haven’t been to a World Cup and seen the stress it can bring. To mimic that is super nice and will be beneficial for us,” said forward Mallory Swanson, who scored the second goal for the U.S. on Wednesday to extend her streak to at least one goal in six straight matches for the Stars and Stripes.
That included flying charter from Orlando to Nashville to North Texas, even as other teams in the competition went commercial. The U.S. also adjusted the timings of trainings and other activities in an effort to replicate the schedule it will be on this summer.
“We’re trying to mirror what the World Cup is going to look like - at least in the group stage if nothing else,” Andonovski said. “We’re sure we’ll have charter flights when we’re in the World Cup, so that’s why we wanted to gauge what it’s going to take from rest, recovery, what the timings are going to look like.
“Another thing is when the games are played, how’s that going to impact the refueling schedule and all that.
“There’s a whole department in charge of that, but I’m sure they know what they’re doing and we trust their expertise.”
The U.S. also was able to see three different styles of play during SheBelieves, something that can be beneficial in the knockout stages of a World Cup when there isn’t as much time to go over scouting reports to find out what strengths and weaknesses can be exploited.
Even though this year’s SBC was more about preparing for what’s to come in five months, the time together served the U.S. well, with veterans and hopefuls arriving and competing from the opening day.
“I feel like the intensity has been there the whole tournament and whole camp,” midfielder Lindsey Horan, effectively the only player on the roster not in preseason, said before Wednesday’s finale. “It’s another trophy to win and another game for preparation for the World Cup.”
If the U.S. team once again is able to lift the World Cup, there will be few flashbacks to last night’s celebration in Frisco. But it’s possible this month’s tournament will have played a role in helping the team understand how to overcome the challenges it will face along the way in its title defense.
Haiti, Panama make it six for Concacaf in Aus/NZ
Three teams advanced from FIFA’s 10-team Women’s World Cup intercontinental playoff tournament, and two of them were from the Concacaf region.
Haiti and Panama both won their first-round matches and then won the second game by a goal over opponents from South America. Each qualify for the tournament for the first time.
Apart from the individual accomplishment from these two countries, it’s worth highlighting the region’s success on the top stage.
There’s a reason CONMEBOL is excited to have its women’s teams in the first edition of the Gold Cup as guests. It’s the type of competition Concacaf’s top men’s teams want against the best squads from South America.
With Haiti and Panama booking their spots in the tournament proper, Concacaf fairly can claim to be the top confederation when it comes to the women’s game, and not just because the current world champions and the current gold medal holders are both in the region.
There is depth as well, depth that should only get stronger with the Gold Cup and Nations League initiatives, bringing the women’s side of the sport up to speed with the men’s side when it comes to the number of games and tournaments.
The region also put six teams in the World Cup as one of its sleeping giants continues sleeping. Women’s soccer is booming in Mexico, with tens of thousands of fans turning out for Liga MX Femenil matches and young players developing at those clubs and moving abroad. Yet, after failing to qualify for even the playoff on home soil, Mexico’s next chance to return to the World Cup will come in 2027. 1
For now, the focus will be on the teams that are qualified. Even with Jamaica and Costa Rica suffering reverses during this window and Canada in a chaotic moment inflicted by its federation, the future feels bright for the region’s top women’s teams in both the short-term and long-term.
No host has been announced for the 2027 WWC. FMF president Yon de Luisa put his hand up for Mexico to be a potential host well before announcing this week he is leaving his position