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USWNT vs. Canada: Top Storylines and Predictions for 2024 Shebelieves Cup

Joe Tansey

The United States women's national team renews its rivalry with Canada on Tuesday in the SheBelieves Cup final.

The match at Lower.com Field in Columbus marks the second time in a month in which the two sides square off in a competitive match.

The USWNT beat Canada in the semifinals of the Concacaf W Gold Cup in March on its way to the title in that event.

Alex Morgan, Lindsey Horan and Co. won four consecutive SheBelieves Cup and they are aiming for the seventh American title in the nine years of the competition.

Both sides will be fighting for a trophy, but there's a larger goal at hand. Tuesday will be one of the final matches before the Olympics for the two squads, which means one of the final chances for players on the fringe to make that competition to impress their respective coaching staffs.

USWNT vs. Canada Info

Date: Tuesday, April 9

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Live Stream: Max

Top Storylines and Preview

Neither team looked at its best in the semifinal round of the SheBelieves Cup on Saturday.

The Americans conceded an early goal to Japan before it scored two goals to earn a win. Canada needed penalties to knock out Brazil.

The USWNT's early concession against Japan was concerning, but it responded 20 minutes later through Jaedyn Shaw and went on to win the game.

An early let off can't happen again versus a dangerous Canada team that scored twice on the USWNT defense in March and scored multiple goals in four of its last six games.

Christine Sinclair is no longer playing for Canada, but it has an abundance of experience throughout its squad. Six players have over 100 international appearances and four of the forwards on the SheBelieves roster have double-digit goal tallies at this level.

The Americans know just how dangerous Jordan Huitema, Adriana Leon and Co. can be in the final third. That should provide the USWNT with a better test than the rain-soaked Gold Cup semifinal that it won in penalties.

The USWNT attack is equally as loaded. The 19-year-old Shaw has taken over the lead scorer role over the last six weeks.

Shaw netted four goals at the Gold Cup and scored against Japan on Saturday. At this point, she must be on the plane to Paris for the Olympics.

That means Alex Morgan could miss out on the 18-woman squad despite being one of the most accomplished players in USWNT history.

Shaw, Trinity Rodman, Catarina Macario, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith are all 25 years old or younger and have ushered in a new era in attack over the last few tournaments.

The USWNT would be fine without Morgan in Paris and better off bringing Horan, Abby Dahlkemper and Alyssa Naeher as the experienced players in the squad. The young depth is not as far along at other positions as it is at forward.

The deep American attack will be vital in breaking down the Canadian back line that conceded a single goal from open play and one regulation goal in its last six games.

The strong back lines of both sides could turn the SheBelieves final into a lower-scoring affair. That puts even more pressure on the attackers to finish the chances they do get, and potentially in Morgan's case, those attempts on goal could decide their Olympic roster fate.

Prediction: USWNT 1, Canada 0

   

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