The U.S. women's national team's 2023 campaign has come to an end. It finishes, technically, as one without a defeat, although no one will ever remember it that way. It was a year defined by an early World Cup exit, a frustrating performance that will go down as one of the worst in USWNT history.
However, the second half of 2023 was also a year for hope and optimism. In the wake of that World Cup failure, a generational shift began as new faces - and a few older ones - joined the team on the rapid road to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The face of that new generation may just end up being Jaedyn Shaw. All signs, so far, suggest as much, as the teenager simply can't stop making things happen whenever she's on the field.
Shaw will leave this camp, one that featured 3-0 and 2-1 wins over China, as the big winner. Her stock has been boosted in a big way as she continues to answer any challenges thrown at her. Is she ready for what's next? We'll find out soon, but these two games showed more than enough to think she may be.
Next summer's tournament will be here before you know it, even if there's plenty to figure out by then. Incoming coach Emma Hayes will have been watching from afar as she looks to piece together what this team will look like when she does arrive.
The final games of 2023 showed her plenty, for sure, and GOAL has you covered with the winners and losers of the USWNT's two victories...