Many people do not pay attention to women’s sports, let alone women’s soccer. But women can be just as impressive as men, maybe even more so. On February 18th, the U.S. Women’s soccer team will compete in their first game of the SheBelieves Cup tournament. They will compete against Canada, at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida, home to the Orlando Pride of the NWSL and Orlando City SC of MLS.
Currently, the USWNT’s rival is Canada, so they will do everything in their power to destroy Canada in their first tournament game. The U.S. are fighting for the first place position, hoping to defeat everyone they face off against. Confidence will help them, as they won 2020’s SheBelieves Cup in a hardworking 3-1 victory against Japan.
The SheBelieves Cup is a tournament held every year for the U.S. to compete against three other teams and prove who is the best. It is held in different cities in the United States in late February or early March. In its first three years (2016, 2017, and 2018), it was contested by the same four teams. The USA, England, France, and Germany. The U.S. has won in 2016, 2018, and 2020, also placing 2nd in 2019.
Some of The USWNT's Tournament Players
#10 Carli Lloyd: Carli Lloyd plays as a striker and is a very competitive and passionate player. Her soccer life started at age five, with a dream to become a player of the USWNT, not knowing how true her wish would come alive. However, she wasn’t just a soccer player. She played football, roller hockey, basketball, softball, volleyball, and swimming. Although she played about every sport, one beat out the rest when it came to her favorite. Even as an amazing player, she was cut from the U21 team in 2002 and realized it took a lot more work than what she was committed to in order to become a professional soccer player.
#13 Alex Morgan: Alex Morgan plays as a forward, with incredible speed and tactics. Her nickname on the field is Baby Horse, referring to how much natural speed she has. Not just a soccer player, she is a businesswoman, author, social media phenom, and marketing icon. In 2018, she was declared the U.S. soccer female player of the year. Off the field, she exercises on her Peloton bike three to four times a week. Every day she uses and has a 45-minute program for body weight exercises.
#15 Megan Rapinoe: Megan Rapinoe plays forward and midfield, using her power to crush her kicks into the goal from as far as the half line. She dominates the field, using her nickname, Gumby, as she strides through the field. Rapinoe believes, “We don’t have as many fans as say Portland, but the fans we do have are passionate.” According to her, that is what matters.
#8 Julie Ertz: Julie Ertz is married to Zach Ertz, an NFL Eagles tight end. As she is on the USWNT, they are quite the sports family. Julie Ertz plays midfield and is great at defending. She is also very dependent on her sports. She expresses, “Without them, I probably wouldn’t have been able to go to college. I couldn’t afford it.” Yet her skill and ability to score goals got her into one. Ertz is quite the achiever and is motivated to keep her spot on the team.
#16 Rose Lavelle: Rose Lavelle plays defense and her teammates believe that she plays like someone with more experience on the team. She was the number one overall draft pick at the 2017 NWSL College Draft by the Boston Breakers. As a great player, her coaches all had confidence in her playing, even when she didn’t. Lavelle is known for her power of surprise and creativity with the ball.
#26 Casey Murphy: Can’t forget the most important position in the game! Casey Murphy is going to be USWNT's goalie during some of the SheBelieves tournament. Casey Murphy is sometimes known as the “new Hope Solo,” and she has definitely earned that title. Off the field, she has created several video projects on YouTube with efforts to grow the women’s game.
The US has a strong team, but will that be enough to defeat the other three teams? On February 18th, the U.S. will be playing, so don’t forget to record the game and watch it, live or not. Cheer on the U.S, and let’s hope they get their victory, so they can earn the cup two years in a row. Go USA!