United States (Women's Football)

The United States women's national team almost blew a chance to win the SheBelieves Cup for the fifth straight time. Alyssa Naeher made sure that didn't happen.

The USWNT goalkeeper made three saves in the penalty shootout and scored one herself, helping the Americans preserve a 2-2 win (5-4 in penalties) and secure a seventh SheBelieves Cup title.

It appeared that Sophia Smith was going to be the hero on the night, notching a brace that gave the Americans a 2-1 lead.

But Adriana Leon—who had both goals for Canada—scored the equalizer from the spot in the 85th minute, setting the stage for penalties.

From there, it was Naeher's time to shine and she didn't disappoint, helping secure the victory with an epic performance in the penalty shootout.

Social media graced her with some well-earned plaudits after that showing:

Any shootout win for the USWNT is a form of catharsis for the Americans at this point after a penalty shootout eliminated them from the 2023 World Cup against Sweden. Naeher described that loss as "heartbreaking."

"We've put a lot into this as a group, as a team," she told reporters at the time. "It's not just this tournament, it's not just these past few weeks, you know? For us, it's been three to four years of a build to get here. There's a lot of sacrifices, there's a lot of commitments. And you know, this is what you dream of. These are the moments you play for."

The United States has more moments ahead, however, namely at this summer's Paris Olympics. The Americans haven't claimed gold since 2012 after winning at the Summer Games four times between 1996 and 2012.

The United States was on shaky ground after the World Cup disappointment. But this group looks to have stabilized and then some, a promising sign heading into the Paris Games.

The United States women's national team renews its rivalry with Canada on Tuesday in the SheBelieves Cup final.

The match at Lower.com Field in Columbus marks the second time in a month in which the two sides square off in a competitive match.

The USWNT beat Canada in the semifinals of the Concacaf W Gold Cup in March on its way to the title in that event.

Alex Morgan, Lindsey Horan and Co. won four consecutive SheBelieves Cup and they are aiming for the seventh American title in the nine years of the competition.

Both sides will be fighting for a trophy, but there's a larger goal at hand. Tuesday will be one of the final matches before the Olympics for the two squads, which means one of the final chances for players on the fringe to make that competition to impress their respective coaching staffs.

USWNT vs. Canada Info

Date: Tuesday, April 9

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Live Stream: Max

Top Storylines and Preview

Neither team looked at its best in the semifinal round of the SheBelieves Cup on Saturday.

The Americans conceded an early goal to Japan before it scored two goals to earn a win. Canada needed penalties to knock out Brazil.

The USWNT's early concession against Japan was concerning, but it responded 20 minutes later through Jaedyn Shaw and went on to win the game.

An early let off can't happen again versus a dangerous Canada team that scored twice on the USWNT defense in March and scored multiple goals in four of its last six games.

Christine Sinclair is no longer playing for Canada, but it has an abundance of experience throughout its squad. Six players have over 100 international appearances and four of the forwards on the SheBelieves roster have double-digit goal tallies at this level.

The Americans know just how dangerous Jordan Huitema, Adriana Leon and Co. can be in the final third. That should provide the USWNT with a better test than the rain-soaked Gold Cup semifinal that it won in penalties.

The USWNT attack is equally as loaded. The 19-year-old Shaw has taken over the lead scorer role over the last six weeks.

Shaw netted four goals at the Gold Cup and scored against Japan on Saturday. At this point, she must be on the plane to Paris for the Olympics.

That means Alex Morgan could miss out on the 18-woman squad despite being one of the most accomplished players in USWNT history.

Shaw, Trinity Rodman, Catarina Macario, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith are all 25 years old or younger and have ushered in a new era in attack over the last few tournaments.

The USWNT would be fine without Morgan in Paris and better off bringing Horan, Abby Dahlkemper and Alyssa Naeher as the experienced players in the squad. The young depth is not as far along at other positions as it is at forward.

The deep American attack will be vital in breaking down the Canadian back line that conceded a single goal from open play and one regulation goal in its last six games.

The strong back lines of both sides could turn the SheBelieves final into a lower-scoring affair. That puts even more pressure on the attackers to finish the chances they do get, and potentially in Morgan's case, those attempts on goal could decide their Olympic roster fate.

Prediction: USWNT 1, Canada 0

Jaedyn Shaw has made just five starts for the United States women's national team. She's tallied a goal in each one.

The 19-year-old phenom continued her scoring ways on Saturday, scoring her seventh goal in 11 USWNT appearances during the country's 2-1 win over Japan in the SheBelieves Cup semifinals.

Lindsey Horan added the game-winning goal in the second half on a penalty, giving the United States the triumph on an afternoon that set an attendance record:

The USWNT didn't exactly come out firing, as Kiko Seike scored less than one minute into the game on a blistering Japan counter.

Twenty minutes later, however, Shaw struck back, and social media was yet again impressed with the ascendant star:

The United States has a wealth of young talent and appears to be in something of a transitionary phase, and Shaw is slowly becoming the face of that next generation.

"When it comes to Jaedyn, she is just a special player," Alex Morgan—who regularly led the line for the USWNT over the past decade—told Laken Litman of Fox Sports in March. "It's always so fun to play with her week in and week out and just see the game through her eyes. She has so much passion for soccer and she wants to talk with me about soccer every chance she gets—more sometimes than I want to. But she's eager to learn and that's all you can ask for from a teenager."

In the process, a USWNT squad that had a disappointing 2023—including a shocking departure from the World Cup in the Round of 16 against Sweden—has stabilized, winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup last month while putting themselves into the SheBelieves Cup final against either Brazil or Canada.

It's a good ramp-up for the team with the Paris Games looming this summer. The USWNT hasn't claimed gold at the Olympics since 2012, but Shaw and the next generation of American women are starting to look primed to end that streak.

Former USWNT and NWSL player Julie Ertz and Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz are expecting their second child.

Zach Ertz announced the news in a Saturday Instagram post.

"Happy Birthday Mama! We love you! Adding to the family Summer 2024!" Ertz wrote.

Zach and Julie Ertz have been married since 2017. The couple have a son, Madden Matthew Ertz, who was born in April 2022.

Julie Ertz made a comeback after Madden's birth to play in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. She previously helped lead Team USA to Women's World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019.

A longtime player for Chicago Red Stars, Julie Ertz played her final NWSL season for Angel City FC in 2023 before announcing her retirement from professional soccer last August.

Zach Ertz, who is heading into his 12th NFL season, signed a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders last month.

A former three-time Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles, Zach Ertz left the Arizona Cardinals after requesting his release and joined the Detroit Lions practice squad late last season.

Before Zach Ertz reunites with former Cardinals coach and current Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury next fall, he and Julie Ertz will prepare to welcome a new member of the family this summer.

Sophia Smith will reportedly be the highest-paid player annually in the National Women's Soccer League after she and the Portland Thorns agreed to a new deal Wednesday.

According to Jeff Kassouf of ESPN, the forward's new contract keeps her in Portland through the 2025 campaign with a 2026 option. While the specific numbers of the deal weren't shared, Smith will be paid more annually than the deals ranging between $2 million and $2.5 million that Mallory Swanson of the Chicago Red Stars, Racheal Kundananji of Bay FC and Barbra Banda of the Orlando Pride signed.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

This deal will keep Smith with the team that selected her with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NWSL draft and prevent her from becoming a free agent after the 2024 campaign.

Yet more than just familiarity played a role in her decision.

As Kassouf noted, "former Thorns controlling owner Merritt Paulson, under increasing fan pressure in 2022, eventually agreed to sell the team after multiple investigations detailed how he and Thorns management mishandled prior player complaints and enabled alleged abuser Paul Riley to continue working in the league."

For her part, Smith said having the Bhathal family purchase the team "changes everything" because she had "just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more."

Her decision to stay in Portland is welcome news for the team and its fans, as her resume includes a league MVP (2022), a Golden Boot (2023) and 34 regular-season goals. She also led the Thorns to the franchise's third NWSL championship in 2022.

Smith is just 23 years old and has also established herself as one of the faces of the next generation of stars for the United States Women's National Team. She has 16 goals in 44 appearances for the national team and started in the 2023 World Cup.

With the contract situation settled, she and the Thorns will look to turn things around after a slow start to the 2024 season.

They lost their opening two games to the Kansas City Current and NJ/NY Gotham, although Smith already has two goals on the campaign. Next up for Portland is a game against Racing Louisville FC on Saturday.

The United States women's national team now knows part of its path to a first Olympic gold medal since 2012.

The U.S. was drawn against Germany, Australia and one of Zambia or Morocco in Group B for the women's football tournament in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Germany is fifth in the FIFA Women's Ranking, one spot behind the United States. Australia is ranked 12th in the world with Zambia and Morocco sitting at 65th and 58th respectively.

The USWNT is coming off a victory in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup. It edged out Canada on penalties in the semifinal before Lindsey Horan's goal was enough to lift the Americans above Brazil in the final.

It was a positive sign amid a wider transition for the United States following its worst-ever showing in the Women's World Cup. Ever since the World Cup, the team has been in a holding pattern as it awaits the arrival of head coach Emma Hayes.

The hiring of Hayes sent shockwaves across the sport because she's widely considered one of the best coaches in the world. She has guided Chelsea to six FA Women's Super League titles and a seventh could be incoming this year.

Because she's finishing out the 2023-24 season with the Blues, Hayes hasn't officially taken her post. The Summer Olympics is her first major tournament in the role.

Fans will be curious to see how much Hayes builds on the tactics interim coach Twila Kilgore has been utilizing and the extent to which she puts her own stamp on the team so early into her tenure.

With that in mind, judging the Olympics solely on whether the USWNT earns gold elides how this period is about building a long-term foundation rather than chasing short-term success.

It's not as though U.S. Soccer tore everything down and started from scratch in the wake of the World Cup failure. Horan, Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher, Crystal Dunn and Becky Sauerbrunn all have 100-plus caps and represented the U.S. in the Gold Cup.

However, the starting lineup against Brazil included three players (Naomi Girma, Korbin Albert and Trinity Rodman) who are 23 or younger. Nineteen-year-old Jadeyn Shaw and Sophia Smith, 23, also came in as substitutes.

What's considered a disappointing showing in Paris can have a silver lining if it lays the foundation for the USWNT to claim the crown as the best in the world in 2027.

The United States Women's National Team may have won the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but their group stage loss to Mexico on Feb. 26 has proven more costly than initially believed.

The USWNT dropped to No. 4 in the latest FIFA World rankings behind Spain, England and France. It marks the team's lowest-ever ranking.

Prior to Friday, the U.S. women had never been ranked below No. 2 in the world.

The USWNT defeated Brazil 1-0 in the Gold Cup final on Sunday but fell to Mexico 2-0 in their final group stage match in what is being considered one of the most surprising upsets in team history.

The U.S. women's loss was just the second time they had been defeated by Mexico in 43 fixtures and the first time they had fell to the country since 2010.

The USWNT's latest spot in the FIFA World rankings is perhaps the biggest sign that the team isn't the powerhouse it once was and that it is in somewhat of a rebuilding phase following last year's World Cup disappointment.

The Americans won just one of their group stage matches at the 2023 World Cup, a 3-0 win over Vietnam, and posted a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands and a 0-0 draw against Portugal.

In the knockout stages, the USWNT fell to Sweden on penalties in the Round of 16. After the tournament, Vlatko Andonovski stepped down as head coach and Twila Kilgore has served as interim head coach ever since.

While the USWNT aren't the threat they once were, it's important to recognize that other countries have invested more in their women's programs over the last decade, which is why countries like Spain, England and France are emerging as leaders in the women's game.

"It just shows how far the game is coming and there's no easy games anymore," Kilgore told reporters after the team's loss to Mexico. "If we don't take care of business and we don't execute, this is to be expected and we'll step up and take ownership of that."

With players like Megan Rapinoe now in retirement and Alex Morgan in the latter half of her career, the responsibility lies on the likes of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Naomi Girma to lead the program into the future.

The U.S. Women's National Team clinched the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup with a 1-0 win over Brazil Sunday night after beating Canada in penalties in the semifinal.

In this latest win, the USWNT did exactly what was needed to come away with a huge win, continuing to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Mexico earlier in the W Gold Cup.

The team's lone goal came on a header from Lindsey Horan, marking her third goal of the tournament. Emily Fox delivered the ball perfectly into the box, leaving Horan to find the net, which she did to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead in extra time of the first half.

The USWNT found the net again in the second half, but an offsides call brought it back.

Sunday's performance was applauded on social media:

Up next for the USWNT is the SheBelievesCup against Japan in April. The team will look to keep up the positive momentum heading into the summer where they will look to take home gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The United States women's national team faced a tough test from Canada in the Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinals on Wednesday night, but goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher emerged as the hero the team needed.

After a pair of goals by each team in extra time led to a score of 2-2, the game went to a shootout, and that's where Naeher shined. Not only did she save three out of the four penalty kicks by Canada, but she even made one PK of her own to help give the USWNT a 3-1 edge to advance to the Gold Cup final.

Both teams had to overcome a rain-soaked field at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. Players were clearly frustrated as the playing surface was obviously far from ideal, which led many to question whether the match should've been postponed.

When it was all said and done, the USWNT went home happy thanks to Naeher's impressive performance. The team's goals in regulation were scored by Sophia Smith and Jaedyn Shaw. Smith and Lindsey Horan converted the other two penalty kicks.

Fans on social media were blown away by Naeher's heroics, and they showered her with some well-deserved praise:

The USWNT will face Brazil in the W Gold Cup final on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium.

Brazil defeated Mexico 3-0 in Wednesday's other semifinal, which denied the USWNT its chance at revenge following its upset loss to Mexico in the group stage.

Sunday's match is still sure to be an exciting showdown between two powerhouse squads.