What to Know: USWNT, 2024 SheBelieves Cup Final

Get ready for an action-packed Tuesday night, Columbus. 

While the Columbus Crew will be in Mexico to face Tigres UANL in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal, Lower.com Field will host the U.S Women’s National Team in the 2024 SheBelieves Cup Championship. 

Here’s what you need to know before the massive night for soccer in Central Ohio. 

SheBelieves Cup in Columbus Preview

There will be two SheBelieves Cup matches at Lower.com Field on Tuesday night, featuring the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Japan. Tickets are still available to attend the doubleheader at Lower.com Field. 

First up is the Third-Place Match between Japan and Brazil. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

For Japan, the team will be playing to earn its second-ever third-place finish in the SheBelieves Cup. The Brazilians are also seeking a second third-place finish, having last achieved the feat in 2021. As for Japan, it last finished third in 2019. 

The main event then kicks off at 7 p.m., as the USWNT faces Canada in the SheBelieves Cup Championship with a chance to win a fifth-straight SheBelieves Cup. This would be the seventh overall title for the national team, which enters the game after beating Japan, 2-1, on Saturday in Atlanta. 

The northern neighbors made the title game by way of a penalty shootout against Brazil. After drawing, 1-1, Canada won the shootout, 4-2. The Canadians are playing for in their first-ever SheBelieves Cup Championship match. 

USWNT Players to Watch

Alex Morgan

What more needs to be said. A two-time World Cup winner, Morgan has amassed 221 national team appearances and helped the U.S. win two World Cups. For more than a decade, the forward has been unbelievable, scoring 123 goals while chipping in 53 assists. 

Mallory Swanson

Swanson is only 25 years old, but she’s already amassed 88 caps for the USWNT. That includes 32 goals, 27 assists – and a World Cup championship. 

Lindsey Horan

A month shy of her 30th birthday, Horan has been a staple of the American Starting XI for years. She’s got 34 goals and 35 assists from 144 caps – including a goal against Japan on Saturday in the SheBelieves Cup semifinals. 

Jaedyn Shaw

Shaw is only 19 years old, but she’s America’s next young star. Despite making her first cap in September, she’s already made 10 UWSNT appearances and has six goals. Most impressively, though, is her recent run. Including Saturday’s semifinal win over Japan, she’s the first American to score a goal in her first five starts for the national team.

Alyssa Naeher

Goalkeepers need love, too. Since 2017, Naeher has been the first-choice keeper for the national team. In March, she surpassed 100 caps, and she ranks third in USWNT history for appearances, wins and clean sheets. (Don’t forget about her two World Cup titles.)

USWNT History in Columbus

Tuesday marks the 12th time that the USWNT has played in Columbus – and the second time at Lower.com Field. The national team is 9-1-1 all time in the Ohio capital since the first game in 1993. Then, it was Mia Hamm leading the USWNT in a win at Westerville North High School. 

Of course, Tuesday’s game will be in a much bigger venue with much higher stakes. The match is exactly two years since the U.S. played at Lower.com Field the first time. Then, the Americans beat Uzbekistan, 9-1, as Sophia Smith produced a hat trick and six other teammates got on the scoresheet. 

The national team played nine games at Historic Crew Stadium, including a SheBelieves Cup match against Germany in 2018 and a 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup game against North Korea. (The Americans won both while also earning a clean sheet.)

Why Tuesday Matters

The upcoming game against Canada is about more than winning SheBelieves Cup. That’s most important, of course, but the game is also a chance for Central Ohioans to see the stars who will represent the county during the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris later this summer. 

The players who’ll wear the stars and stripes then will mostly feature the same lineup as Tuesday night – so Columbus gets a chance at an early sneak peak, in additional to more silverware at Lower.com Field.