Emma Hayes effectively summarized it all after a 2-1 loss to Japan Wednesday night. The U.S. women’s national team were disappointed, yes, and losing is never fun, particularly when you’re part of this program. The SheBeleives Cup, in particular, has historically been a coronation moment for the USWNT.
Not this time. This time, they’d lost, no doubt about it.
Not all losses are created equal, though. Some, in a roundabout way, turn out to be wins. That’s how Hayes sees this. That’s why, despite the frustration on her players’ faces after the match, Hayes was still relatively optimistic despite how the SheBelieves Cup wrapped up with the loss to Japan.
“I always go back to what our objectives were in the first place,” Hayes told reporters after the game, “and that was to deepen our playing pool with opportunities in high-pressure situations against top opponents. That’s what tonight especially is about.”
Hayes set that goal from the start, naming a squad filled with inexperienced newcomers. Some were rising stars with big accolades on the youth level. Those players, by and large, stepped up, showing why they’re ready to push the more senior members of the USWNT. Those veterans, as always, can use the push. A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say.
In many ways, this tournament was about those micro moments, not the macro result. The USWNT lost because of those moments, lapses in judgement that, ultimately, doomed them in Wednesday’s finale. Individual players, meanwhile, took advantage of their opportunities.
Catarina Macario returned from injury. Lily Yohannes rose to the occasion. And Ally Sentnor created more moments than anyone, showcasing her leap from young player to rising star, all in two terrific starts.
That’s what Hayes will be analyzing more than anything: the individual moments. And, when looking at those, she’ll be rather pleased, even without lifting a trophy at the end of it all.
So who stood out? Whose stock rose at the SheBelieves Cup, and whose fell? GOAL takes a look.