It was a night to forget for the U.S., although the mistakes that led them here likely won't be forgotten too quickly
The faces on the U.S. women's national team said it all. As they watched Japan collect their medals as SheBelieves Cup champions, the USWNT could only watch. They looked frustrated, and rightfully so. This is a tournament that the U.S. has traditionally dominated, but they were never close on Wednesday night.
Japan didn't dominate either, but they were deserved winners, both in the game and in the competition. They ended up winning the trophy with a 2-1 victory over the USWNT in San Diego, having only needed a draw to earn their status as champions. They did it one better with the victory, becoming the first team to hand the USWNT a loss in 18 games of this Emma Hayes era.
This was a setback for the USWNT, for sure. On both a collective and individual level, this wasn't the best night. From top to bottom, the USWNT was sloppy in this match.
You can point to the fact that many players are in preseason form, which Hayes stressed after the match. You can point to the grueling six-day schedule. You can point to inexperience and absences – with the likes of Naomi Girma, Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson not on the squad.
But, in reality, the U.S. weren't sharp enough to win. In reality, the mistakes they made weren't excusable no matter the excuse.
That's why they had those faces of frustration. Few will leave the stadium with their head held high. All will have better nights ahead in a USWNT shirt. This was a good lesson, one that will lead to those better nights, but, for now, the U.S. can look at Wednesday as a reminder of what happens when even a team as good as this one doesn't play its best.
“Our goals are beyond just the SheBelieves,” a disappointed Hayes told TNT after the match. “I’m not going to say I like losing, I don’t, but there’s no disgrace being beaten by a team that between them have 800 caps … let’s have perspective. It’s important to be calm in this moment.
“You want to learn this lesson now. It allows me to say these are the things we have to do at the highest level. That’s what development is. We’re not playing for the World Cup today. We’ll be back, don’t worry about it. We’ll be back.”
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Snapragon Stadium.
Getty Images SportWINNER: Japan
Traditionally, Japan has been one of the USWNT's toughest opponents. These two teams have played in so many big games on the world's biggest stages. Wednesday's SheBelieves Cup finale wasn't quite that, but it was the latest chapter in this rivalry. This one went Japan's way.
From the start of this tournament, Japan made sure that they were seen as the team to beat. They entered this finale with an advantage, having battered Colombia and Australia – scoring four goals in each match – to ensure they'd have the goal difference advantage over the USWNT. That, ultimately, didn't come into play, as Japan didn't just tie, they won.
Rightfully so, too. They were the better team on the day and throughout this week. Their midfield gave the USWNT fits. While the U.S. was sloppy, Japan were dynamic. They pressured the USWNT team into mistakes and the U.S. made far too many of them. Sometimes, soccer is simple: the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins. Japan made almost none this whole tournament.
They remain one of the world's best teams and one of the few that can legitimately go toe-to-toe with this USWNT group. They did that and more this time around, and that's why they're 2025 SheBelieves Cup champions.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Crystal Dunn
You can very easily chalk it up to form. Dunn, realistically, has hardly played since the fall. It's tough to get into a rhythm in that scenario, particularly against a team as good as Japan.
This performance, though, didn't do her any favors. Dunn is fighting to remain a starter with this USWNT but she didn't help her case on Wednesday.
From the start, Dunn looked just a step off, which can easily be attributed to her lack of minutes in recent months. Japan is too good to be at any level under 100 percent, and this definitely wasn't the best version of Dunn. She was sloppy and a little slow, which is so unlike Dunn, who has built a career out of being so reliable at any number of positions.
Don't rule her out, though. Now at PSG, Dunn will continue to play at a high level. She'll need to, too, if she wants to stay as this team's starting left-back.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Ally Sentnor
She has just a few caps under her belt but, in that one big moment, Sentnor showed the poise of a veteran.
It was a perfect run, one that split the defenders and put Sentnor on goal. To Catarina Macario's credit, it was a perfect pass in behind, too. Once the ball was at her feet, Sentnor made no mistake, providing yet another goal contribution. She had one of those in each of these last three games, making her the biggest winner for the USWNT during this tournament.
No matter the game or scenario, Sentnor has stepped up. She was the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year and, to kickstart 2025, she's quickly emerging as a legitimate candidate for real USWNT minutes. She's right there in that mix and, even if usurping Triple Espresso will be extremely tough, Sentnor has more than made her case.
That continued with Wednesday's goal, one that Sentnor can add to her highlight reel from this breakout tournament.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Jane Campbell
We'll start with a caveat: her defense did her no favors. On both Japan goals, Campbell was largely left out to dry. She was run over on the first and then made a save on the second, only to see Japan slam home the rebound.
That doesn't mean she was without blame, though. Campbell wasn't great. Particularly on the ball, Campbell didn't reach a high enough level to really go out and take that starting job for herself.
In general, though, Cambell just never felt sturdy. From the opening whistle, things just felt shaky. You can't really measure that statistically, but a team can sense that sort of thing. Stability begins at the back and, after giving the ball away a bit early, it never seemed as if the USWNT, and Campbell in particular, were on stable ground.
It happens. There was a lot of weight on Campbell's shoulders, particularly knowing that this goalkeeper race is ongoing. Unfortunately for her, this didn't really help her case, even if she remains part of the picture going forward.
