Let this result serve as a reminder: this stuff isn't easy. The U.S. women's national team has largely made it look so throughout the last year. They ran away to an Olympic gold medal last summer and have swatted away all in their path since. That was until Wednesday night.
Japan wouldn't simply be wiped away. In fact, it was Japan that did the swatting. Needing only a draw to lift the SheBelieves Cup, Japan did one better, winning 2-1 on Wednesday night in San Diego to become just the fourth different country in the tournament's 10-year history to earn silverware.
The USWNT had won each of the last five, and seven of the first nine, but from the opening whistle, it was clear that this was Japan's night and - more importantly, Japan's tournament.
They scored just minutes into the match, with Yuka Momiki taking advantage of some sloppy USWNT defending. The USWNT responded well, equalizing on a fantastic Ally Sentnor goal - her second in as many starts in her national team career.
They needed just that little bit more, though. They needed to take the lead, to secure the win. It never happened. Japan found the goal they needed, with Toko Koga scoring just five minutes into the second half to effectively put the game to bed. The USWNT pushed and pushed but never really broke Japan down. They were the better team on the night and, ultimately, the better team over this three-game tournament, scoring 10 goals in total.
The result will feel like a measure of revenge for first-time winners Japan, which lost 1-0 to the U.S. in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics as Hayes led the team to the gold medal in Paris.
Success isn't a birthright and it certainly doesn't come easily. Without several key starters - including Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Naomi Girma - the USWNT wasn't able to take down one of the game's elite in the end. They managed without those stars in wins over Colombia and Australia, but in a match against a talented Japan squad? Not enough.
Prior to the loss to Japan, Hayes had won 15 and drawn two of the first 17 matches she coached since her tenure as U.S. manager started in June of 2024. It happens and, at this point in the cycle, it's OK. Painful, but OK. This was a good lesson, one that may actually pay off in a few years time.
“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."
This USWNT group has grown leaps and bounds over the last year. The program is in a far better place now than it was just 12 months ago. This team, though, is still a work in progress - especially as the youth continues to work into the lineup - and this SheBelieves Cup finale made that clear enough.
GOAL rates the USWNT's players from SnapDragon Stadium.