5 extremely true things about the shebelieves cup

With all due respect to Arnold Clark, who was undoubtedly a father of daughters, the February international tournament with the funniest name is the SheBelieves Cup. The inaugural SheBelieves tournament kicked off in 2016, and we’ve just kept rolling with it. What does she believe? I’m not sure, and quite frankly, in some cases I’m scared to ask. Anywhomst.

Australia, Colombia and Japan are stateside to face the USWNT and each other in a round-robin style tournament, and that is very exciting. Each team has genuine stars, so every game will have plenty of intrigue and talent on display. Before she gets to believin’ whatever it is she believes, lets go through some things that are extremely true about this tournament.

the uswnt aren’t favorites imo

The USWNT has only lost the SheBelieves Cup twice (France, 2017; England, 2019), but a combination of factors could lead to a third. That wouldn’t be the worst possible outcome, we know in many ways this roster is somewhat experimental (I’ll have questions later about some of those experiments), but this always only works in theory. Whenever the USWNT step on the pitch, regardless of context, fans expect a) a show, and b) a win. Last summer’s gold medal buys Hayes and the squad some grace, but weird games and poor results could deplete those reserves.

The USWNT is still suffering the effects of ‘pain caves’ at the Olympics, with Triple Espresso (Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Wilson [née Smith]) having missed every national team window since. They’re also without the president and vice president of the ‘keep goals out of the net’ department, center back Naomi Girma and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. But absences aren’t the only reason the USWNT could do a lot of suffering in this tournament.

Colombia announced themselves on the international stage at the 2023 World Cup by beating Germany and preventing them from getting out of the group. They’ve had up and down performances since but have also proven themselves capable of getting under the USWNT’s skin. While that can lead to comedy, it could also lead to an undesirable result.

Australia can match the physicality of the USWNT and have a knack for baiting the Americans into weird soccer games. Additionally, Mary Fowler is currently one of the most in-form attackers on the planet, having notched two goal contributions in four consecutive games. Japan, meanwhile, used the 2023 World Cup to show the world that they’ve reloaded, and highlights of 19-year-old Momoko Tanikawa circulating the internet suggest they might actually still be in the process of reloading. (More on them later.)

The last time we saw the USWNT they were getting worked by Netherlands. They ended up getting an own goal, then late goal to win that game, which was funny, but also completely undeserved. Colombia, Japan and Australia aren’t likely to all be as wasteful as the Dutch were that day.

but also i dunno what japan is up to

Japan was the most entertaining and fun team to watch at the 2023 World Cup. Their then-head coach, Futoshi Ikeda, developed a fluid system that brought out the best in Japan’s known and then-unknown talents. His only mistake was benching Jun Endo against Sweden in the quarterfinal, which I, personally, will never forgive him for.

For reasons I’ve yet to understand, Japan decided to move on from Ikeda and landed on hiring Danish manager Nils Nielsen. He’s managed two women’s teams at the international level, Denmark from 2013-17 and Switzerland from 2018-22. Denmark were runners up in the Women’s EUROS in 2017, but that was by far his best result at the international level. My memory isn’t the best but I don’t recall a single interesting or impressive thing about his tenure at Switzerland.

What really concerns me is that neither of those teams, Denmark or Switzerland, have the depth of talent or fluidity that Japan has already shown on the highest levels. The move to hire Nielsen reads as an overreaction to losing to Sweden, and deciding you need a mediocre European manager to help Japan get over that hump. I hope that’s not it, because that would be silly, but it’s a thought I can envision someone having.

I’m hoping to be proven wrong, because I would campaign for jail time for anyone attempting to water down Japan’s style of play over the last few years. ‘Entertaining soccer can be winning soccer’ should be etched on my tombstone, which I will have an immediate need for if Nielsen trots out dastardly and ultra dull Proper Football Man lineups and tactics.

Also, I dunno what’s up with his hair but I don’t like it either.

three roster decisions will limit the uswnt’s ability to adapt

Not having Naomi Girma on the backline is going to teach us some things, particularly against these three opponents. I would feel a lot better about the USWNT’s chances to find something that worked if Alyssa Malonson, Hal Hershfelt and a true #9 made it onto the squad.

Alyssa Malonson had a better year than Jenna Nighswonger and, relative to domestic competition, Hal Hershfelt had a better year than Korbin Albert. Hayes is already familiar with Albert and Nighswonger as well, and could have used this time to grow familiarity with and assess other talented players in the pool who can provide different dimensions.

Hershfelt and Malonson’s skillsets are more suited to the types of games the U.S. should expect to endure throughout this tournament. Albert and Nighswonger also started that extremely cursed match against Netherlands. Nighswonger’s defensive liabilities forced Hayes to sub her at halftime, and Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams) scored the winner five minutes after Hershfelt replaced Albert. Hershfelt didn’t have a touch of the ball in the buildup to the goal, but her more natural ability to defend and find space in a deeper role allowed Lily Yohannes the freedom to get forward and head the ball to Yazmeen Ryan, who eventually assisted Biyendolo.

Then there’s the issue of not having a more traditional #9 among the group. One quick way to invite pressure and get jumped in midfield is to lack a central striker capable of holding the ball. Catarina Macario is an exceptional player but plays more of a false 9 when deployed in that position, which can lower the attacking line if central spaces are well defended. It would have been a good opportunity to see Ashley Hatch or Ella Stevens among the group. Stevens’ varied skillset and comfort in wide areas would have added a unique dimension and opportunity for Hayes to give defenses a different threat to manage.

phallon tullis-joyce ain’t no training player

With Alyssa Naeher retired from international soccer, this tournament could serve as an audition for the USWNT’s next #1. However, not only did Hayes not call up presumed starter Casey Murphy, she has Phallon Tullis-Joyce − the best performing goalkeeper in the world − listed as a training player. This can of course change ahead of one of the three matches with the pressing of a send button on an email, but it’s a bit silly that’s even required.

I’ve long been a fan of Phallon Tullis-Joyce. She’s an incredible goalkeeper with a deep passion for marine life and conservation, which is why I often refer to her as several octopuses in a trench coat (complimentary). She’s also grabbed the #1 starting spot at Manchester United this season, and has proceeded to anchor them to the best defensive record in the WSL. In thirteen league games they have only conceded five goals. She has started each one, and has had a 100% save percentage in all but three matches.

So while I’m glad she took a bold and risky decision to swap Reign for Manchester United, it’s a bit frustrating that her otherworldly performances have only dropped her into a training spot. Of the three keepers she’s the only one in midseason form, with Jane Campbell and Mandy McGlynn (formerly Haught) ramping up for the start of the NWSL season.

It seems like it would have been easy to name another outfield player as a training player, bring Phallon to the main group, give her a start, then let her get back across the Atlantic Ocean. Hopefully this is the plan in some way, it would be a major miss if Hayes didn’t take this opportunity to give Tullis-Joyce a deserved start in goal.

protect trans kids, always

At SheBelieves in 2022 the entire USWNT wrote ‘PROTECT TRANS KIDS’ on their wristbands. After scoring a goal, Catarina Macario walked towards the crowd and camera, holding up her wrist and pointing to the message. The gesture was a rebuttal to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s targeting of trans kids through the vehicle of sports. That iteration of the USWNT understood the assignment, and met a moment.

It saddens me, but this iteration of the team is unlikely to follow in these footsteps — at least not right now. Not only has Emma Hayes showed a willingness to coddle and protect Korbin Albert after her promoting homophobic and transphobic messages on her Instagram account, but rapid transition and retirements have left the team without examples of leadership in this area.

There’s also the uncomfortable truth that we’re not sure where several players stand politically. Only Tierna Davidson has discussed Albert’s anti-LGBTQ+ posts in a critical way, with other choosing to follow Hayes’ lead in brushing it aside and/or talking about how important it is to support Albert through a difficult moment.

Not only is this frustrating given the legacy of the team, which includes the legacies of icons like Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn, now is also so not the time. Several marginalized groups are being targeted by one of the most powerful governments in the world. Abandoning them now, when just three years ago they felt the love and solidarity from a team representing an America that could exist, would be a sad and cowardly thing to do.