SheBelieves Cup: U.S. edges Japan 1-0 as Mallory Swanson scores her sixth goal of 2023
On the second match day of the round-robin event, host USWNT held off Japan in a re-match of the 2012 Olympic final. Later, Canada beat Brazil, 2-0.
Football
Is there any stopping Mallory Swanson?
The American forward notched her sixth goal of the year as the USWNT held off Japan 1-0 on the second match day of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup in Nasvhille, Tennessee, on Sunday (19 February).
The U.S. beat Canada on Thursday (16 February) in the opening day of the tournament in Orlando, both of those goals also tallied by Swanson in a 2-0 U.S. triumph. Japan, meanwhile, suffered a 1-0 loss to Brazil.
Japan was aggressive out of the gates, but struggled with their finishing touches against the No.1-ranked Team USA. Late in the first half, football veteran Alex Morgan sent a midfield ball to a sprinting Swanson, who used precise touches on the run and then nailed a finish into the lower left corner, Morgan credited with the assist.
It was enough to get the win for the U.S., who held off a flurry of chances for Japan in the second half, including two big saves by U.S. goalkeeper Casey Murphy in the final 15 minutes of play.
Mallory now has 31 international goals total, her six this year coming in just four games played. She also scored a trio in two games vs. New Zealand in January, that trip part of the U.S. preparation for later this year when the team goes to defend its FIFA Women's World Cup title in NZ and Australia.
"I just want to win," Swanson said on the U.S. broadcast.
She added: "We're going into a World Cup and the intensity needs to be picked up. ... I feel like this game wasn't the best performance, but Japan is very technical. They showed us we need to be better defensively. Overall it was a good test for us... sometimes you have to grind it out."
In the second game of the day, Canada bounced back from its Thursday loss to the U.S. with a 2-0 triumph over Brazil, thanks to goals from Vanessa Gilles (31') and Evelyne Viens (71').
The SheBelieves Cup concludes on Wednesday (22 February), when the U.S. takes on Brazil and Japan meets Canada in Frisco, Texas. The annual friendly tournament is in its eighth edition and features four global powerhouses battling it out in a round-robin format.
USA def. Japan in re-match of 2012 Olympic final
These two teams made history when they met for the Olympic Summer Games London 2012 gold medal, when over 80,000 fans took in the match at Wembley Stadium - the largest ever for a women's football game at the Olympics.
They'd meet again for the Women's World Cup title in 2015, the U.S. capturing both of those victories.
It was a toe-to-toe match-up again on Sunday, however, with Japan controlling the ball early and being aggressive on offense. Neither team was able to find the back of the net until Swanson's breakaway goal off a Morgan send. Swanson said she changed her mentality in the off-season to be more goal-minded.
"This off-season I re-evaluated my game: I wasn't finishing easy chances this last year and I wanted to change that," Swanson said. "We're going into a World Cup and the intensity needs to be picked up. I want to be a leader; have that spark, that fire... let's go."
The U.S. was unable to extend its lead in half two, and it was Japan who had several finishes in the final minutes, out-shooting the U.S. 15-5 overall.
Hasegawa Yui fired a rocket at the net that Murphy blocked back in the 82nd minute, then Endo Jun nearly found the goal in the second minute of stoppage play.
"Today was a very important game for us; every game you've got to continue to build that momentum," said Murphy, the goal-keeper. "We didn't want to give up a goal as a back line."
The U.S. is now 4-0 in 2023.
SheBelieves Cup 2023: Full schedule and results
Here's what the schedule and results look like for the eighth edition of the SheBelieves Cup:
Thursday 16 February
Brazil def. Japan, 1-0
Scorers: Debora Cristiane de Oliveira (72')
USA def. Canada, 2-0
Scorers: Mallory Swanson (7', 34')
Sunday 19 February
USA def. Japan, 1-0
Scorers: Swanson (45')
Brazil vs Canada, 17:30 CT (23:30 GMT, 00:30 CET)
Wednesday 22 February
Canada vs Japan, 15:00 CT (21:00 GMT, 22:00 CET)
United States vs Brazil, 18:00 CT (00:00 GMT, 01:00 CET)