Since the start of the year, there had been a lot of talk about head coach Emma Hayes' desire to "bridge the gap" within the U.S. women's national team. The first tier of players are coming off a gold medal at last summer's Olympics. However, Hayes wanted to see if the younger generation could do more to challenge the presumed incumbents, deepen the player pool, and be ready for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Hayes received some positive answers in a 2-0 win over Colombia to open the SheBelieves Cup, though it was a player who has been on the scene for four years -- and endured some brutal luck along the way -- who was a difference-maker, that being Catarina Macario.