Welcome to this special edition of Goalside Gossip where we prepare you for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup in Atlanta Georgia!

The SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, is just one part of U.S. Soccer’s SheBelieves initiative to inspire and empower women and girls to achieve their goals in sport and beyond. The tournament, which will feature six total games, was first played in 2016. The USA won the inaugural edition, France took top honors in 2017, the USA won again in 2018, England finished first in 2019 and the USA returned to the top of the podium in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The tournament format for the 2023 SheBelieves Cup is the same as the first seven years. The winner will be determined by total points (three for a win, one for a draw), with the first tiebreaker being overall goal difference, followed by goals scored, then head-to-head result. If teams are still tied, the next tiebreaker will be the Fair Play ranking based on yellow and red cards. Each team is allowed six substitutes per game over three sub opportunities and two concussions subs, if necessary. Halftime subs, concussion substitutions and/or additional substitutions due to an opponent’s concussion sub do not count against the three opportunities limit.

In this edition, we prepare you with everything you need to know about the upcoming matchup between USWNT and Japan!

Team Preview: USA

USWNT DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (8): Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC), Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Tierna Davidson (NY/NJ Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (NY/NJ Gotham FC)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (AFC Ajax, NED)

FORWARDS (6): Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)

Team Preview: Japan

JAPAN DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ayaka Yamashita (INAC Lobe Leonessa), Chika Hirao (Albirex Niigata Ladies), Shu Ohba (University of Mississippi, USA)

DEFENDERS (7): Saki Kumagai (AS Roma, ITA), Risa Shimizu (West Ham United FC, ENG), Miyabi Moriya (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Hikaru Kitagawa (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Moeka Minami (AS Roma, ITA), Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Reds Ladies), Toko Koga (Feyenoord Rotterdam, NED）

MIDFIELDERS (5): Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City FC, ENG), Hina Sugita (Portland Thorns FC, USA), Honoka Hayashi (West Ham United FC, ENG), Fuka Nagano (Liverpool FC, ENG), Momoko Tanikawa (FC Rosengård, SWE）              

FORWARDS (7): Mina Tanaka (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Kiko Seike (Urawa Reds Ladies), Mami Ueno (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina), Riko Ueki (West Ham United FC, ENG), Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester City FC, ENG), Aoba Fujino (Tokyo Verdy Neleza), Maika Hamano (Chelsea FC, ENG）  

Matchup Preview

The upcoming match between the USA and Japan will be their 39th encounter, with the USA leading the all-time series with a record of 29W-1L-8D. Their last meeting was at the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, where the USA won 3-1. Alex Morgan has been a standout player in this rivalry, scoring 12 goals in 14 appearances against Japan. The match is anticipated to be an exciting clash between two strong teams.

Enjoying our updates from Goalside Gossip? We're a small newsletter with big dreams, and your support can make a huge difference! Share the joy of the women’s soccer with your friends and family and help us grow our passionate community.