Cover Photo: Kassel Leventhal
April 8, 2024 (COLUMBUS, OH) – The SheBelieves Cup moves from Atlanta, GA to Columbus, OH for the final, the US Women’s National Team face off against Canada, and Nadeshiko Japan play Seleção Feminina of Brazil.
Nadeshiko Japan vs Seleção Feminina
- April 9, 2024 – 4:00pm ET
- Lower(.)com Field, Columbus, OH, USA
- TBS, UNIVERSO, HBO MAX, Peacock
Nadeshiko Japan shocked the USWNT in the semifinal in Atlanta, scoring a goal some thirty-odd seconds into the match. However, their continued efforts (despite finding any success) in playing out of the back, combined with their inability to get anything going from the wide channels led to the US equalizing with a goal from Jaedyn Shaw and a PK from captain Lindsey Horan sealed the comeback victory for the hosts.
Nadeshiko Japan captain Saki Kumagai noted that the change to a back four as to the back five was likely not the right call, but the tactic wasn’t to blame for the loss. Japan found success at the recent 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia with a 3-4-3/5-2-3 look that included a shock 4-0 win over Spain, who currently are ranked the #1 women’s national team by FIFA.
On the other side you have Seleção Feminina, Brazil, a team that, to be transparent, looked like the better team in Atlanta against Canada. In possession, specifically in transitional moments, Brazil’s ball movement looked otherworldly – “jogo bonito”. The Brazilians drew a penalty in the first half, but failed to capitalize on their multitude of chances to extend their lead, allowing Canada to find an equalizer in the 77th minute. The match, after 90 minutes of regulation, went straight to PKs, where Brazil missed 2 of 4, one of which was taken by the legend herself, Marta.
These two nations will face off over the summer in the Olympics. When asked about the match, knowing that they’ll face each other again in Paris, Nadeshiko Japan head coach Futoshi Ikeda emphasized the importance of playing as a team.
“We have a match, so it’s a given that the players, the team, we’re playing to win. It’ll also be important to see what we can gain out of the match. Ideally, of course, we do both. But ultimately, it’s important that we stick together as a team.”
Futoshi Ikeda, Nadeshiko Japan Head Coach (Translated from Japanese)
USWNT vs CANWNT
- April 9, 2024 – 7:00pm ET
- Lower(.)com Field, Columbus, OH, USA
- TBS, UNIVERSO, HBO MAX, Peacock
A rematch of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup Semifinal, between USA and Canada is set to take place in hopefully a better pitch (forecast certainly looks that way for now, knock on wood).
For the USWNT, it’s a chance at another SheBelieves Cup title, looking to go 7 of 9 all-time. This, technically speaking, will be their first appearance in a SheBelieves Cup Final, as all the prior eight iterations of the tournament have been in a group stage, round-robin format.
For Canada, they’ll be looking for revenge, after losing in PKs in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup Semifinal. A pitch covered in water affected the play on the match so much. USWNT defender Tierna Davidson reflected back on the match on Monday, saying that they couldn’t play the ball on the ground and it made the match more physical as a result.
Both the USWNT and CANWNT showed their resilience in Atlanta, USA erasing an early first minute goal to win 2-1 in regulation and Canada equalizing against a dominant Brazil side to send the match to PKs.
An extra special match for USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore, as this will be her last match as the interim head coach of the USWNT.
“I’m not focused on myself at this point. I have a job to do and I’m just focused on doing everything we can to win this next game. Of course, as a whole, looking at where we were post World Cup and the position that we’re in now, from everything in terms of the feel of the group, some of the changes that have happened in the group, everything we’ve been through up to our last performance, it’s a really good space to be in and I feel really proud. But again, we have a job to do and this is all about preparing for the game that’s in front of us and also preparing for a world championship this summer and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Twila Kilgore, USWNT Interim Head Coach (U.S. Soccer)