After Japan and Brazil provided the appetizer, the United States Women’s National Team took to the Exploria Stadium pitch Thursday night for a showdown with rival Canada in the first round of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup. The event has stopped regularly at Exploria Stadium over the years since its inception and Thursday’s play opened the 2023 rendition of the competition.
Japan and Brazil played to a stalemate until Orlando Pride forward Marta entered the match just past the halfway mark in the second half. It was her first match appearance since undergoing knee surgery in spring of 2022 and it took her only a few minutes to make an impact.