SAN DIEGO — In an intense final match at Snapdragon Stadium, Toko Koga scored early in the second half, leading Japan to secure a 2-1 victory over the United States in the SheBelieves Cup championship on Wednesday night. This defeat marked the first loss for the United States under the coaching of Emma Hayes.
The United States had been on an undefeated streak since losing 2-0 to Mexico in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup last February. This loss also ended the U.S. team’s run of five consecutive SheBelieves Cup victories, which has been a tradition for the past decade.
Both Japan and the United States entered the final match undefeated. Reflecting on the outcome, Coach Hayes remarked, “Of course, we want to win. No one wants to lose these things. But we didn’t put out our most experienced team. We put out a team we’re hoping to develop, and our goals go beyond just the SheBelieves.”
The United States had not been defeated by Japan in their previous 14 encounters, with their last loss dating back to 2012. However, Japan took the early lead in the second minute with a goal from Yuka Momiki. The U.S. managed to equalize in the 14th minute with a goal from Ally Sentnor, assisted by Catarina Macario.
Sentnor, who has been distinguished as the U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year, has impressively scored in both her starts for the national team. Nonetheless, Japan reclaimed the lead in the 50th minute when Koga, a second-half substitute, found the back of the net.
Emma Hayes, who achieved commendable success with a gold medal win at the Paris Olympics, emphasized the game as a learning opportunity. Hayes’ roster choices included 10 changes from the team’s prior 2-1 victory over Australia on Sunday. Jane Campbell earned her eighth career start in goal, as Hayes is focused on developing new talent in the goalkeeper position following Alyssa Naeher’s retirement last year.
The U.S. squad competed without key players Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, and Sophia (Smith) Wilson. Rodman is currently recovering from a back injury, Smith has not yet returned to game condition, and Swanson was unavailable due to personal commitments. Hayes commented, “I’d love to have all of our top players available, I want that, but I can only pick the players that are available. This is the game I really wanted for us to really see where players who have played less than five matches for the national team, what’s really missing for them, whether it’s in possession or out of possession.”
Japan entered the final match on the back of a 4-1 victory over Colombia, with Mina Tanaka, key player for the Utah Royals in the National Women’s Soccer League, emerging as the tournament MVP. Tanaka scored four goals and contributed three assists during the tournament.
Colombia also finished their SheBelieves campaign with a victory earlier on Wednesday, defeating Australia 2-1 with goals from Wendy Bonilla and Catalina Usme. The Australian team, missing prominent player Sam Kerr due to her recovery from ACL surgery in January, ended the tournament without a win.
