USWNT winners and losers of the SheBelieves Cup: Jaedyn Shaw is a superstar in the making - but Korbin Albert let down her teammates

There's that old saying about goals being like ketchup bottles. If you try too hard, they won't come out but, once that breakthrough happens, there's no stopping the overflow coming your way.

The USWNT will surely hope that's the case for Smith. She's been smacking the bottom of that proverbial ketchup bottle a lot in recent months and, in the SheBelieves Cup finale, she finally got her rewards.

Smith scored twice in the finale, leading the way in the eventual victory. Her first was a fantastic outside-the-box finish, one perfectly placed as she leveled the match. The second came on the counter, showcasing her speed, intelligence and finishing as she scored the 18th goal of her USWNT career.

Those goals haven't come quite as often as she'd hoped, though.

After a breakthrough 2022 campaign that saw her score 11 goals in 17, she scored just three in 11 appearances during the 2023 calendar year with the USWNT - including at the World Cup. It wasn't the type of run she needed as she looked to become the USWNT's next attacking superstar.

Still just 23, Smith seems to have rediscovered her confidence, and a confident version of the Portland Thorns star is a dangerous weapon heading into the Olympics.

This is an obvious one for obvious reasons. Albert's road to re-earning the trust of USWNT teammates and fans is only just beginning. It won't be an overnight thing, and it will largely be determined by her attitude and approach off the field.

We'll focus on the on-the-field stuff now, though. It's hard not to feel like Albert would have started at least one of these games if not for all of the controversy surrounding her. After a breakout Gold Cup, it looked like the Paris Saint-Germain star was ready to solidify her place as a starter. Instead, she made two late cameos, one accompanied by significant boos. Neither of those appearances gave her much time to improve her stock, either.

The USWNT will have to answer some difficult questions in the coming months, and Emma Hayes will have to decide if Albert is one of her three best midfielders. If Albert is deemed one, will Hayes be willing to start her this summer despite all that's gone on?

The current debacle is just beginning, and this camp proved that Albert is still a member of this team despite all that's gone on, but her standing within the team has been impacted. Can those around her still trust her? Has chemistry been lost? There's so much to break down, but less than three months to figure it all out.

Shaw's ascendency continues, and it isn't showing any signs of slowing down. The 19-year-old starlet was at it again during these two games. First up was a goal against Japan, leveling the match at 1-1. The finish meant she'd scored goals in each of her first five USWNT starts, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat.

In the final against Canada, Shaw added another assist to her ever-growing resume. Smith did most of the hard work with the finish, but Shaw's poise on the ball is what made the whole sequence possible. It's that poise that's making her a USWNT star, too.

Every camp, Shaw seems to make a difference. Despite her age and inexperience, Shaw continually does damage in the attack. And, considering her ability to play either centrally or out wide, there is no shortage of ways for Hayes to use her.

Shaw remains a player on the rise. Now, we just have to see how high she can climb.

Thankfully, Naomi Girma's injury doesn't seem to be serious. She has been labeled as being day-to-day, a major relief to the USWNT considering Girma's status as this team's go-to central defender. When healthy, Girma is probably the first name on the U.S. team sheet, and as we've seen several times, she's essentially irreplaceable.

Her injury didn't just rob her of a chance to play more than a few minutes this window; it also robbed the U.S. of a crucial period of experimentation. As locked in as Girma's spot is, the one next to her remains up in the air with several contenders fighting for it.

Abby Dahlkemper, thankfully, plays alongside Girma for the San Diego Wave, so there will never be any chemistry issues there. Tierna Davidson, though, could have used a significant runout alongside Girma during this camp. The two started together against Japan but that only lasted 18 minutes before Girma was forced out.

The combination of Davidson and Dahlkemper, meanwhile, didn't look like a trophy-winning one. The pace wasn't quite there, which led to Canada's first goal in the finale. That duo likely won't start together at the Olympics thanks to Girma's diagnosis and it only further proved how important Girma is to this team.

Who starts next to her? We still don't really have an answer. This camp would have been a good tryout. Instead, it gave us a glimpse into a nightmare scenario the U.S. could face if Girma is ever out of the lineup.

She's back and, if this camp was anything to go by, she's as good as ever. Swanson's return to the USWNT is a huge, huge lift. The Chicago Red Stars attacker is dynamite in the attack, a player that can do so much to change a game. You saw it in both matches this window, but even more so against Canada, where she came into the game and ignited things with her speed and, more importantly, an assist to Smith.

She's exactly what the U.S. was missing during the World Cup. Her run of form prior to last year's injury was ridiculous, making it all the more cruel that she wouldn't participate during the summer. She's back now and seems a lock for the Olympics, and that's huge for the USWNT. If anyone had any lingering doubts related to Swanson's injury, those are long gone now. She looks totally ready to contribute.

Be afraid, opposing defenses... Swanson is all the way back.

It's not that Morgan did anything wrong. She didn't score, unfortunately, but she did have good moments, including one shot blocked away against Canada that looked destined to find a corner.

Morgan's problem now is those around her: As things stand, there's a lot of competition. Smith, Rodman and Shaw are locks in the attack for this Olympic squad. Swanson looks to be there, too. Catarina Macario's return makes her a likely selection as well. When breaking things down, is there a spot for Morgan?

As the best pure No.9, the answer is maybe. It'll depend on goals, form and confidence, of course. Hayes will have to make some difficult decisions, but Morgan may just be the hardest one she'll have to mull over.

A goal or two in these games would have really helped Morgan's case. It didn't come, unfortunately for her, and now an Olympic spot is just a bit less in her hands than it was just a few days ago.

We're using this spot to give Kilgore her flowers, not just for this camp but also for the ones that preceded it. Being an interim coach is hard. It's even more difficult when you're taking over a team coming off a historic low. Your job is to build confidence, but you're also trying to do so within a team that knows you won't be there long.

Kilgore wasn't in charge for a lengthy period, but she made every moment count. Her tenure ends with two more trophies added to the USWNT trophy case, but more importantly, her tenure ends with confidence restored heading forward.

There was the emergence of players like Shaw, the arrival of return-to-form of players like Smith and the elevation of players like Rodman. Heck, Kilgore even had to navigate a massive crisis with Albert, one which didn't prevent the U.S. from winning the SheBelieves Cup.

The USWNT Kilgore leaves to Hayes is in a much better place than the one she took over. Credit to her for helping get this train back on track.