The U.S. Women’s National Team is on the verge of defending its SheBelieves Cup title.
Following a pair of wins over Canada and Brazil, the Americans need just a draw against Argentina to claim their fourth SheBelieves Cup title in six attempts. Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski will look to do so with a rotated starting 11.
“We’re looking forward to see different players on the field,” Andonovski said on Tuesday. “Some will be minute management, some of them will be an opportunity for us to evaluate, and for some opportunity to get some minutes on the team.”
The USWNT’s 1-0 win over Canada saw new faces like Catarina Macario and Margaret Purce get the nod, but after expressing disappointment with the team’s performance Andonovski opted for more veterans against Brazil.
Andonovski made four changes to his lineup after the Canada match against Brazil, including the return of Alex Morgan. Goals from Christen Press and second-half substitute Megan Rapinoe lead the team to its 36th straight undefeated result.
“We got exposed in different areas and the fact that we were able to adjust some things during games and some things in training just makes me happy,” Andonovski said.
The six points brought the USWNT to the top of the SheBelieves standings, leaving the team in a comfortable situation heading into their final game. Wednesday presents the chance for those looking to make the roster for this summer’s Olympics to make an impression in competitive play.
“It is very daunting to consider how many players that are just so high quality in this environment, and how few players can be on an Olympic roster,” defender Tierna Davidson said. Davidson, who has 27 caps, has yet to appear in this year’s SheBelieves Cup.
Andonovski says he doesn’t have his squad for Japan nailed down yet, but the decisions he makes to his team against Argentina will show who is in and around contention for the 18 spot roster.
Tree in a forest.