It was deja vu all over again, particularly for Alyssa Naeher. A disastrous goalkeeping mistake was followed by a heroic penalty shootout performance from the U.S. women's national team star. We saw this exact scenario at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup a month ago, and Tuesday night's SheBelieves Cup final felt like rewatching a movie you'd just seen.
In the end, it was the same result, a USWNT triumph over rivals Canada in a shootout after a 2-2 regulation draw. And, in the end, the USWNT earned another trophy as they continue to build towards the Olympics while giving interim boss Twila Kilgore a brilliant send-off at the same time.
Naeher was the star of the show again as she took yet another journey that ended in heroism. Canada's early goal, a finish from Adriana Leon, was certainly her fault. Fortunately for her, the USWNT battled back, with Sophia Smith notching a brilliant brace.
A late Canada equalizer from the penalty spot set things up for the two teams to battle in a shootout, and once there, it was inevitable: Naeher wasn't going to be stopped. She saved three Canada penalties while making one of her own, leading the charge in their 7-6 shootout victory.
It was another eventful night for the USWNT that saw them earn their second trophy of the calendar year, setting them up for a perfect Summer run at glory. The USWNT are marching toward the Olympics, and they have every reason to believe as they head into this Summer's showcase event.
GOAL rates the USWNT's players from Lower.com Field...
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)