The U.S. women’s national team notched their second win of the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday, this time a 1-0 win over Canada that posed unique challenges – and begun to answer some questions as head coach Emma Hayes inches closer to locking in a core group of players.
Hayes made 10 changes to the lineup that won 2-0 against Argentina on Sunday, swapping out a rotated team for one that looks closer to a first-choice version of the USWNT. Wednesday’s lineup included star Trinity Rodman, who returned to the pitch unscathed after an injury scare at the end of Sunday’s match, when she received a knee to the back. A handful of rising talents cracked the lineup, including midfielder Claire Hutton and forward Ally Sentnor, who scored the game’s lone goal in the 55th minute.
The goal set the tone for an improved second-half performance from the USWNT after a back-and-forth first half in which both teams created chances for themselves but struggled to create meaningful chances. Hutton and Sentnor lead a group of young players who increasingly feel like mainstays in the USWNT but lineup questions still persist for Hayes, the U.S. struggling to strike the right balance in midfield at times against Canada.
With the win, the USWNT solely occupy top spot in the SheBelieves Cup table with six points and will next face Colombia, who are coming off a 1-0 win over Argentina, in the New York suburbs on Saturday. The U.S. only need a draw against Colombia to win their first SheBelieves Cup since 2024.
Here is what to know ahead of the final game on Saturday:
Ally Sentnor makes her case – again
Even if the triple espresso of Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson have not played together since the Olympics, the trio’s collective absence can be hard to ignore at times. An evolving national team stops for no one, though – several players have made up the difference in terms of goalscoring output, though few have been as impactful as Sentnor.
The 22-year-old lined up alongside Rodman and Alyssa Thompson in a front three, growing into her role as a regular fixture on the USWNT. On the goal alone, she showcased the finisher’s instinct Hayes likes to point out when discussing Sentnor’s skillset – Thompson sent an inswinging corner into the box, the ball bouncing a couple of times before landing at Sentnor’s feet. The ball initially popped in the air but she was patient as it started to come down, the slight pause in the play enough to allow Sentnor a perfect finish from close range.
Sentnor has been one of the most noticeable beneficiaries of Hayes’ project to expand the player pool, notching her seventh international goal in 17 caps since making her international debut in November 2024. There are certain limitations to her game – she’s much more effective in and around the box than she is further away from goal but even with room for improvement, Sentnor has fully seized the opportunity in front of her. For a forward of any skillset, goals are currency and she keeps finding a way to score. Even if Swanson and Wilson return to the fold in fine form, Sentnor is arguably a key player for the USWNT regardless. Singlehandedly, she is a reminder that the U.S.’ historic depth in attack is still a strength – and the good news for Hayes is that Sentnor is actually just one reminder in a player pool full of them.
No flourish, no problem
The theme of the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup run so far has been professionalism, finding ways to win without looking at their best. Hayes’ period of experimentation, while necessary, was likely destined for some uneven performances at some point or another, regardless of the circumstances. While a rotated team struggled to build chemistry and solve problems against Argentina, a more experienced version of the USWNT had to cope with the expected competitiveness Canada will always bring to a match defined by a decades-long rivalry. Each time, though, the U.S. were resilient, demonstrating enough emotional control to survive games that were not going entirely to plan and eventually scoring enough to collect wins.
An organized back line led the way against Canada, surviving the visitors’ early spell of possession and eventually limiting them to just one shot on target. It afforded the U.S. time to find their groove in attack, highlighting an underrated habit of Hayes’ team. They have conceded just three goals in their last 16 games, some of which can be attributed to facing opposition that are clearly outmatched by them. That said, the run of defensive stability has come despite Hayes introducing new players to the fold and slowly introducing them to her stylistic preferences, costly mistakes few and far between.
That defensive organization was the foundation in a game against Canada that felt a little bit more like a grind than a showcase of the USWNT’s overall skill, epitomized by the fact that the game’s lone goal came off a set piece. It was also the starting point of a performance that ensured the U.S. grew into the game, eventually outshooting Canada 16 to five.
Midfield questions linger
For the second game in a row – but with an entirely different midfield – there was a sense of disconnect in the middle of the park, more so in the first half. It appears as if Hayes has yet to settle on her top choices in those positions, something that remains understandable with several months to go until World Cup qualification and with many options at her disposal.
Hutton started at the base of the midfield, once again demonstrating that the team is better with her on the pitch than not. She was joined by Sam Coffey and Rose Lavelle, the trio churning out a perplexing performance initially – it was not hard to understand their selection, each of them having their moments during that first half. The group found success drifting the ball out wide to the right, setting up Lavelle to set up the front three, even if the shot did not always come off in the end. There was something disjointed about the flow before the halftime break, though, things eventually improving over the course of the second half.
It sets up for a fascinating question that Hayes needs to answer at some point, especially with the likes of Lily Yohannes and Olivia Moultrie waiting in the wings. The head coach still feels inclined to balance youth and experience as she rotates through her options at the SheBelieves Cup, stretching the longstanding question of what the USWNT midfield should look like – a question that predates Hayes’ arrival – at least a little while longer.
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