SheBelieves Cup - March 1 thru March 7

Would the second change have had any significant impact of the final outcome of the past editions of SheBelieves Cup?

(Honest question: I don't remember and I didn't care enough to go checking )

 

I think the second change may be to build experience with the PK phase. That seems to me a good thing to do.

 

Significant? Not that I can recall. Minor difference? Possibly although it's hard to say without actually doing the PK's as that changes the total point standings. There have been quite a few games that ended in draws, but the tournament has been determined by the normal tie-breakers after total points (goal difference, goals scored, etc.) instead of going to any AET or PSO (except for in 2024, which had a tournament bracket format).

The only close year where it gets close to changing the overall winner of the tournament is 2019, which had England winning with 7 total points (2 wins and a tie to the US) and the US at 5 (1 win and 2 ties). Let's say the USWNT had then won both PSO's (against Japan and England) in their tied games. They would have tied England on a total of 7 points, but England would still have them on goal difference, all else remaining the same, even though the US would have England on head-to-head result.

I don't know if it would've made that much of a difference in other years except to 2nd or 3rd place teams, but not the overall winner.

I do think the rule change is about getting teams more experience in PSO's rather than changing overall tournament results. Actually, I'm sure both rule changes are ones that the USWNT coaching staff asked for: a 26 player roster with 23 dressing for each game day also makes it a lot easier for Hayes to bring in someone like Wilson to evaluate where she's at. It's not as big of a deal for the teams traveling in, i.e. I'd guess Argentina and maybe also Colombia would still only travel with the 23 for a friendly tournament.

 

I strongly tend to agree. However I do also tend to disbelieve that there is any such thing as a "friendly tournament." If a competition is friendly then it is not a tournament and if it is a tournament then it ain't friendly.
However I do not think that matches that are actually friendly are much use. But the USWNT really does not play friendly or nice. They seem, under current management, to play everything quite seriously. Kind of like their jobs and/or well being depend on performance.

That is actually one of the things I like most about Hayes. Everybody needs to "prove it" virtually all the time. Even the GK position that I thought was set (Tullis-Joyce) is proving to be competitive under Hayes while the earlier coaching train wreck would not have had the vision to go through the number of people Hayes has had in camp or actually played. I still think that Tullis-Joyce will end up being the choice, once she gets back into the rotation, but there are at least two others that I would feel confident about.
I wonder who will start each of the three matches upcoming. Or will each primary candidate get one. I would e in favor of the latter but Hayes has presently surprised me several times. I really like it when the coach proves to have vision.

 

I fully approve of both changes.

These are still glorified friendlies, so having 26 you can rotate makes is a more worthwhile evaluation process for managers. Ditto with the PKs. No need to tax anyone too much in a friendly. Straight to PKs.

 

Since these are friendlies masquerading as a tournament there is no real point to PKs either.
But PKs are better than risking players playing meaningless overtimes.

 

Just to be clear, the PSO is an add-on, we think to give players experience in that situation. In every year previously, SheBelieves has been a round-robin tournament with no AET or PSO in any game. (Except for 2024 which was a bracket-style tournament with each team only having two games instead of three in a round robin tournament, because SheBelieves had to fit into the April window of only 2 friendlies since the US was in the W Gold Cup during Feb-Mar that year)

 

I think I was remembering PKs in 2024 and thought that was the norm. Good point.

 

SheBelieves roster announced:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 7), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 5), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 4)
DEFENDERS (9): Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC; 6/0), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 71/1), Naomi Girma (Chelsea FC, ENG; 50/2), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC; 6/0), Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit; 10/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 113/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 5/0), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave FC; 3/0), Kate Wiesner (Washington Spirit; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Sam Coffey (Manchester City, ENG; 42/5), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 170/38), Claire Hutton (Bay FC; 13/1), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; 1/0), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC; 116/27), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 13/5), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC; 31/9), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 13/1)
FORWARDS (6): Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign FC; 2/0), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars FC; 2/1), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 49/13), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 14/6), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current; 15/6), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea FC, ENG; 26/3)

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...er-for-2026-shebelieves-cup-presented-by-visa

 

Notes from Hayes on a few missing from the roster:
-Sophia Wilson is not ready for play according to their return-to-play protocol, and Macario has a heel injury that made her unavailable for selection.
-Bethune hadn't been training enough with her move to the Current while Hutton trained the whole way through her move to Bay FC, making her ready for this camp

https://bsky.app/profile/scoutripley.bsky.social/post/3mf2yrldpzc2g

 

Well, a few surprising omissions. To me at least. Beyond Wilson & Macario, whom Emma touched on. Am assuming Cooper is still hurt and Davidson not ready yet. And Swanson/Biyendolo still on leave.

GKs: as expected.

Defenders:

Patterson. Could still be hurt/not fully fit after leaving the last camp. Mildly surprised no Sams, but she is on the fringe. Assuming Davidson is clealy not fully fit yet.

Midfield.

Shrader's omission isn't necessarily a surprise, given recent history, but I think something needs to be clarified there. She is ahead of Heaps & Yohannes at club level, to my eye.

Jackson's inclusion is a surprise to me. Even absent Shrader, I thought La'Bonta or Meza or Hershfelt would be ahead of her. But like Sams, those players are kind of on the fringe.

In attack, with Wilson not ready, Swanson/Biyendolo on leave, and Cooper presumably still hurt, I was not surprised to see Joseph. Nice to see Dahlien get another look as well.

EDIT: And Bethune is also unavailable.

 

Lynn announced she was pregnant on 10/25/25. IDK when she is expecting, but presumably, she is months away. I would not read too much into it.

For comparison, Wilson announced on 3/5/25, almost 8 months earlier.

 

Canada's SheBelieves roster (24):

Goakeepers: Emily Burns (FC Nantes), Melissa Dagenais (Ottawa Rapid FC), Kailen Sheridan (North Carolina Courage)
Defenders: Gabrielle Carle (Washington Spirit), Sydney Collins (Bay FC), Brooklyn Courtnall (Bay FC), Vanessa Gilles (FC Bayern Munich), Marie Levasseur (Montpellier HSC), Jade Rose (Manchester City WFC), Janine Sonis (Denver Summit FC)
Midfielders: Marie-Yasmine Alidou (Portland Thorns FC), Jessie Fleming (Portland Thorns FC), Simi Awujo (Manchester United WFC), Julia Grosso (Chicago Red Stars), Kaylee Hunter (AFC Toronto), Emma Regan (Denver Summit FC)
Forwards: Annabelle Chukwu (University of Notre Dame), Jordyn Huitema (Seattle Reign FC), Cloé Lacasse (Utah Royals FC), Delaney Baie Pridham (Ottawa Rapid FC), Nichelle Prince (Boston Legacy FC), Evelyne Viens (AS Roma), Holly Ward (Vancouver Rise FC), Olivia Smith (Arsenal W.F.C.)

The call has been answered! 📞🇨🇦

Here are your 24 #CANWNT players for the SheBelieves Cup!

MORE: https://t.co/ddBzE5t0Jd pic.twitter.com/BcmHbvxVW2

— CANWNT (@CANWNT) February 18, 2026

 

A bit inexperienced on defense as their missing Buchanan, Lawrence, Zadowski & Rivière

Their midfield always been meh

at least the promising Smith & Chikwu could provide much needed offense to the usually underpowered Huitema

 

I don't think Davidson will be fully fit until at least summer. Sams also has fitness issue and is on minute restriction as well.

 

When I look at this roster. I'I'm little worried about our ST depth. We only have Cat and Sophia that are proven ST. Cat isn't a traditional ST.

 

https://www.noticiascaracol.com/gol...ia-femenina-para-la-shebelieves-cup-2026-rg10

Colombia released its Shebelieves roster:

La lista de convocadas de la Selección Colombia femenina para la SheBelieves Cup 2026:

• Arqueras: Catalina Pérez - Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (FRA), Katherine Tapia - Palmeiras (BRA), Natalia Giraldo - América de Cali.
  
• Defensas: Ana María Guzmán - Palmeiras (BRA), Carolina Arias - América de Cali, Daniela Arias - San Diego Wave F.C. (USA), Daniela Caracas - R.C.D Espanyol (ESP), Jorelyn Carabalí - Boston Legacy F.C. (USA), Mary José Álvarez - Olympique de Marseille (FRA), Yirleidis Quejada - Pachuca (MÉX), Manuela Vanegas - Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. (ENG).
  
• Volantes: Daniela Montoya - Gremio (BRA), Leicy Santos - Washington Spirit (USA), Marcela Restrepo - Monterrey C.F (MÉX), Gabriela Rodríguez - Cruzeiro F.C. (BRA), Ilana Izquierdo - Tigres U.A.N.L. (MEX) y Liced Serna - Pumas (MEX).
  
• Delanteras: Gisela Robledo - Corinthians (BRA), Valerin Loboa - Portland Thorns (USA), Greicy Landázury - Palmeiras (BRA), Wendy Bonilla - Pumas (MÉX), Linda Caicedo - Real Madrid (ESP) y Manuela Pavi - Toluca F.C. (MEX).

 

Was looking forward to watching the promising newbie Olivia Smith, but she was carried out on a stretcher & rushed to the hospital yesterday after receiving a serious head blow in the match she was playing in.. It’s most likely she’ll miss the SBC

 

I called the Vatican this morning and they agree with me that we should receive 1 point per match based on our awesomeness.