USA vs Canada score, result, highlights as USWNT wins SheBelieves Cup on penalties after Sophia Smith brace

Kyle Bonn

•
USA vs Canada score, result, highlights as USWNT wins SheBelieves Cup on penalties after Sophia Smith brace image

After the second straight 2-2 stalemate against Canada, the United States again relied on veteran goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to lift them in a penalty shootout.

Behind Naeher's heroics, the USWNT lifted the 2024 SheBelieves Cup after finishing level with their northern neighbors.

Sophia Smith, who was named SheBelieves Cup MVP, scored a brace to bring the U.S. back from a 1-0 halftime deficit. But just as in the W Gold Cup semifinal in March, Canada struck back late in the game via a successful penalty from Adriana Leon.

In this contest, she drew and scored a penalty in the 86th minute to knot the score.

The USWNT once again turned to Naeher, who was exceptional in San Diego last month in the pouring rain. She repeated that performance here, saving three different Canada penalties in the shootout while also scoring one herself.

WATCH USWNT vs CANADA LIVE ON SLING TV

The shootout followed a big second half turnaround from the United States, which was headlined by Smith but sparked by the halftime introduction of Mallory Swanson. The additional spark of Trinity Rodman off the bench provided additional firepower, and the forward trio feasted on the tiring Canadian defenders.

Yet as Canada refused to go quietly, and Crystal Dunn was whistled for a soft penalty after hip-to-hip contact with Leon in the area. The Canada forward stepped up and deposited the ball into the net, mirroring her spot-kick at the end of extra time in March, which sent that game to a penalty shootout as well.

Following the penalty shootout win, the U.S. lifted its fifth straight SheBelieves Cup trophy — and the first via a true final, as the previous iteration of the competition featured a round-robin format rather than a knockout bracket.

The match also marks the end of Twila Kilgore's run as interim head coach. Chelsea manager Emma Hayes will be installed as permanent boss by the time the USWNT's next match arrives in early June.

The Sporting News followed the USA vs Canada match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.

USA vs Canada live score

  Score Pens Goal scorers
USA 2 5 S. Smith (50', 67')
Canada 2 4 Leon (40', 86')

Kickoff: 7:07 p.m. ET / 4:07 p.m. PT
Location: Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH)
Referee: Crystal Sobers (TRI)

Starting lineups:

USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Naeher (GK) — 23. Fox, 2. Dahlkemper, 12. Davidson, 19. Dunn (Krueger, 85') — 14. Sonnett, 10. Horan, 17. Coffey (Swanson, 46') — 8. Shaw (Albert, 75'), 13. Morgan (Rodman, 64'), 11. S. Smith.

Canada (3-4-3, right to left): 1. Sheridan (GK) — 6. J. Rose, 14. Gilles, 16. Buchanan — 10. Lawrence, 13. Awujo (Grosso, 73'), 17. Fleming, 16. Beckie (Viens, 73') — 19. Leon, 9. Huitema (Lacasse, 45'), 12. D. Rose (Carle, 53').

USA vs Canada live updates, highlights, commentary

USA 2-2 Canada: PENALTY SHOOTOUT

  R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7
Canada O O X X O O X
USA X O O O X O O

Penalty shootout: USA 5-4 Canada

Round 1:

Canada — Stepping up first is Jessie Fleming, and the Canadian the captain...SCORES! Alyssa Naeher guesses correctly but can't reach the quality delivery!

USA — Now here's Trinity Rodman for the United States, taking the first kick, it's...SAVED! A horribly weak penalty is all too easy to stop for Kailen Sheridan!

Round 2: 

Canada — With the early shootout lead, it's Adrianna Leon for the visitors, and she...SCORES! It's blasted into the corner, and while Alyssa Naeher guesses correctly, she can't get there!

USA — Down two penalties, here's Sophia Smith who already has a brace today. Smith...SCORES! She sends Kailen Sheridan the wrong way!

Round 3:

Canada — Still holding an advantage, it's Jade Rose to take for Canada, and it's...SAVED! It's a carbon copy of Trinity Rodman's poor effort earlier but to the opposite side, and Alyssa Naeher makes the easy stop!

USA — Stepping up for the USA now is the goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, straight after making the save, and she...SCORES! Of course she did! It's blasted into the net past Sheridan who guessed correctly!

Round 4:

Canada — Next up is Arsenal forward Cloe Lacasse, who came off the bench early in the second half. Her effort is...SAVED! Alyssa Naeher stops another weak effort, having gone the right direction on all four Canada efforts!

USA — Here's the U.S. captain Lindsey Horan to take the lead, and she...SCORES! A stutter-step roots Sheridan to the spot, and she does so just enough to slide it past Sheridan who guessed correctly!

Round 5:

Canada — Needing to score to keep the shootout alive, here's Juila Grosso to take, and she...SCORES! Alyssa Naeher goes the wrong way for the first time, and she's kept the shootout alive!

USA — To win it for the U.S. here's Emily Sonnett, and with the chance to end it, she...MISSES! She's leaning back and launches the ball miles over the crossbar! We're into sudden death!

Round 6:

Canada — With new life, here's Ashley Lawrence for Canada now into sudden death, and she...SCORES! Alyssa Naeher goes the wrong way again and Lawrence rolls it into the net!

USA — Needing to score to keep it going, Abby Dahlkemper steps up for the U.S. and against her club teammate, she...SCORES! It's slotted into the side netting past Sheridan who guesses correctly!

Round 7:

Canada — Now up for Canada is Evelyne Vienne, whose effort is...SAVED! Allyssa Naeher goes flying to her right and parries the take! The U.S. can win it again!

USA — With another chance to win the SheBelieves Cup, here's Emily Fox, who steps up and...SCORES! It's a weak effort, but Sheridan goes the wrong way, and the United States win!!!

USA vs Canada: Second Half

90+2 min: Chance, USA! The U.S. has a dangerous free-kick after Sophia Smith is bullied off the ball about 25 yards from goal. It's Lindsey Horan to take with her right foot, and she blazes a knuckler just inches wide of the post! It looks to have taken a slight deflection off Jessie Fleming, but no corner is given.

90th min: Chance, Canada! KADEISHA BUCHANAN OFF THE CROSSBAR! On a late corner, she out-jumps Lindsey Horan and smashes a header off the woodwork, and it comes right back to her when she heads over on the second effort. So close to a late winner!

89th min: There's enormous concern amongst the U.S. camp as Mallory Swanson goes down without contact, and on the TV broadcast she's seen saying "I think I hurt my knee," which would be devastating. Thankfully, she re-enters the pitch and can continue. That will be something to watch, however.

There will be four minutes of stoppage time.

84th min: PENALTY, CANADA! The visitors have a way back into the game as Crystal Dunn fouls Adrianna Leon! Dunn is beside herself, and it certainly felt like soft contact, but there's no VAR. It's very soft contact indeed, but in fairness to the referee, Leon shielded the ball with her foot and Dunn got no contact on it as a result.

Leon will be the one to take, as she did at the end of the W Gold Cup semifinal, and...GOAL! CANADA! She sends Naeher the wrong way and smashes it home!

Once again between these two teams, they're level at 2-2 late in the match on a penalty from Adrianna Leon! In the aftermath, Dunn is brought off and replaced by Casey Krueger.

78th min: Chance, USA! Mallory Swanson drives into the penalty area on the ball, and only a fantastic tackle by Jessie Fleming stops her from shooting. The U.S. recycle, though, and a shot from distance by Trinity Rodman forces a save from Kailen Sheridan.

73rd min: Chance, USA! Lindsey Horan almost pockets a gift as a Canada defender completely whiffs on a clearance and the ball ends up in her lap, but she has it taken off her feet before she can pull the trigger.

There's a pair of Canada subs as Janine Beckie and Simi Awujo are replaced by Evelyne Viens and Julia Grosso, two regular replacements for Bev Priestman. Jaedyn Shaw exits for the U.S. ending her first start without scoring, replaced by Korbin Albert.

67th min: GOAL! USA! SOPHIA SMITH HAS A BRACE TO PUT THE U.S. IN FRONT! Trinity Rodman, just on the field, is sprung on the counter after a Canada attacking move, and with Smith to her right two-on-two, she feints past a challenge by feeding the ball square, and Smith finishes through the goalkeeper's wickets!

66th min: The U.S. is really ramping up the pressure now, as successive corners pin Canada back deep. The first one is dangerous but eventually cleared to the far side, and Mallory Swanson's second delivery from the opposite flag is way too short.

62nd min: Chance, USA! Sophia Smith nearly puts the U.S. ahead as a brilliant through-ball by Mallory Swanson springs her free on goal, but exceptional recovery speed by the substitute Gabby Carle sees the Canadian defender race back to make a critical challenge just as Smith was set to pull the trigger! She was one-on-one with the goalkeeper at the top of the six-yard box when the challenge came in!

There's a U.S. substitution coming, as Alex Morgan will depart for Trinity Rodman. Sophia Smith will likely move into the central striker role.

54th min: There's a substitution for Canada as Deanna Rose is withdrawn, replaced by Gabrielle Carle, meaning Janine Beckie swaps flanks. It's just a touch early in the half for Bev Priestman to be burning a sub window, so you wonder if there's maybe an injury which triggered the switch, but it also wouldn't be outlandish for a tactical sub in this situation.

50th min: GOAL! USA! Sophia Smith equalizes for the United States!! Mallory Swanson is the spark plug needed, and Smith punishes Canada for a passive start to the second half!

The first chance goes begging as a beautiful turn by Alex Morgan finds Lindsey Horan, but the ball is cleared before she can get a shot off. However, as Emily Sonnett recycles possession into the attacking third, Smith cuts onto her left and rifles a low fizzed shot past Kailen Sheridan for the opener!

It looked like Sheridan was off balance and late to her dive. Initially, it looked as if she was caught off guard by the shot from distance. On replay, it appears she was instead screened by a number of players in the penalty area, and simply couldn't see as Smith teed up the chance.

Kickoff: As expected, Mallory Swanson enters the game for Sam Coffey to begin the second half. An attacker for a midfielder likely means a switch back to the 4-2-3-1, with Jaedyn Shaw going into the No. 10 role and Lindsey Horan dropping back into the double pivot alongside Emily Sonnett.

Almost immediately Swanson forces an early save from Kailen Sheridan, as she gets right into the action.

HALFTIME: USA 0-1 Canada

While the U.S. did not hold a lead against Japan, it always felt like eventually they would find a way through and emerge on top. That is definitely not the case here as the USWNT looked listless in the attack through the first 45 minutes, and were undone by a mistake at the back.

Canada haven't had much of the ball, but they are exceptional at punishing the errors of their opponent, no matter how small, and they've done so here. Despite less than 37 percent possession, Canada are out-shooting the U.S. 5-4 (2-1 on target).

Twila Kilgore needs their difference-maker in Mallory Swanson to enter the match, as she was excellent against Japan by running at defenders and creating chaos. They've had very few inventive moments so far through the first 45 minutes — outside of one near-miss by Jaedyn Shaw.

USA vs Canada: First Half

44th min: Chance, USA! Jaedyn Shaw blazes a big chance over the crossbar as the USWNT is pushing for a response before halftime!

Five minutes of stoppage time are shown, and shortly after Jordyn Huitema takes a knee down on the pitch again. It appears she will not be able to continue, looking in real pain and needing a bit of help walking off the field of play. Cloe Lacasse will be her replacement.

42nd min: Chance, USA! Alex Morgan appeals heavily for a hand-ball as her shot is deflected wide off a Canadian defender, but to no avail. That's a big block from Jade Rose! The ensuing corner from Sam Coffey is too tight to the goal and collected by Kailen Sheridan.

40th min: GOAL! CANADA! Alyssa Naeher is caught in no-man's land and is punished, as Canada scores the opening goal shortly before halftime! The U.S. goalkeeper comes flying out all the way to the top-corner of her penalty area and collides hard with Ashley Lawrence, and doesn't stop the ball, leaving the goal wide open.

The ball bobbles right to the feet of Adrianna Leon, who finishes into the open net with two defenders not nearly enough to keep out the shot in place of the felled goalkeeper.

38th min: Crystal Dunn gets in a tangle with Jade Rose, and is slow to get up after no foul is called. Looks like she got her hand steps on, which is painful. Moments later, Jordyn Huitema is down and needs treatment, and the TV broadcast catches her mouth "it's my back." That could be a problem for Canada, as she's a very important player at the head of the attack.

She stays on for now, but looks to be struggling. It will be something to watch as this game moves into and then beyond halftime.

32nd min: Canada have a half-chance on goal as a chipped ball from Jessie Fleming lands right at the feet of Deanna Rose, but her first-time whack is blocked by a defender. That could have been dangerous had it snuck through the trees.

29th min: Chance, USA! Jaedyn Shaw nearly makes it six goals in six starts, but Kailen Sheridan produces an excellent save! The build-up begins with a pinpoint long-ball off the foot of Sam Coffey, headed on by Alex Morgan right into the path of Shaw. The youngster takes an outrageous first touch to leave her defender in the dust, completely free on goal, but Sheridan saw it coming and smothered the shot. So close to a stunning goal, but great goalkeeping keeps the game scoreless in San Diego Wave on San Diego Wave crime.

23rd min: Jessie Fleming is booked for handling the ball after going down amidst a challenge with Jaedyn Shaw. The U.S. youngster did exceptionally well to get in position to shield the ball, and as Fleming went down she grabbed the ball, which draws the game's first yellow.

20th min: Now Ashley Lawrence is down after a very awkward and scary fall while colliding with Lindsey Horan defending a corner. She's able to continue which is a good sign, because that was scary.

15th min: Jaedyn Shaw wins a free-kick with her back to goal, and Sam Coffey's delivery is dangerous but cleared with no blue jersey on the end of it. Lindsey Horan goes over after contact near the top corner of the penalty area while chasing the loose ball, but no penalty is called and she doesn't appeal to the referee at all.

A few moments later Horan takes another pummeling in midfield and needs some treatment on what looks to be her ribs. She's down for a while in a lot of pain, which is a concern, but eventually she's up and ready to continue.

11th min: Canada have the first corner of the match as Adrianna Leon overlaps and wins the set-piece as Emily Fox blocks her cross. It's taken short, but eventually floated to the far post where Vanessa Gilles heads it well wide of goal.

8th min: The U.S. have the first attacking move forward into the opposition penalty area, and while they're able to recycle Crystal Dunn's overcooked cross, it eventually peters out as another entry feed pings off the shins of Lindsey Horan and out of play for a goal kick. The USWNT are starting to cook a bit and have pinned Canada back a bit.

3rd min: At this point on Saturday, the USWNT were reeling from having conceded the opening goal 30 seconds in to the match. Today, it's been a cagey start as both sides poke and prod at the other on the ball, with very little attacking intent through the opening stages. Plenty of physicality, though, as you might expect between these two top-ten sides.

Kickoff: They're under way at Lower.com Field in Columbus! Thanks to the reorganization of this tournament to better accommodate the new FIFA international calendar, this is the first-ever SheBelieves Cup final!

It's also the final match for Twila Kilgore as interim head coach of the United States, as incoming boss Emma Hayes will take charge for the friendly against South Korea on June 1 prior to the Olympics.

USA vs Canada stats

USA Stat (70') Canada
8 Shots 5
4 Shots on target 2
60.7% Possession 39.3%
5 Corners 2
3 Fouls 8
0 Yellow cards 1

USA vs Canada prematch updates, commentary

15 mins to kickoff: The U.S. is looking to protect its sparkling record against Canada, having won 53 of their 65 all-time meetings, with just four defeats. Nearing kickoff of this rivalry match in Columbus! Officially, this game is a "friendly" as far as FIFA is concerned, but it feels anything but as there's a trophy on the line.

30 mins to kickoff: How about the performance from Brazil goalkeeper Lorena in the third-place match, which just wrapped up in Columbus prior to kickoff of the final between the U.S. and Canada. She saves a penalty in regulation as part of a 1-1 draw, and then saves all three penalties faced in the shootout as Brazil emerges with the victory!

45 mins to kickoff: For Canada, they line up in their usual 3-4-3, with the only wrinkle being that Cloe Lacasse drops out for Deanne Rose, who came off the bench and was effective against Brazil on Saturday.

The two supporting forwards in Rose and Adrianna Leon will cut inside and play just behind the central striker in Jordyn Huitema. That leaves wing-backs Janine Beckie and Ashley Lawrence to provide the width. 20-year-old Simi Awujo starts in midfield, with Julia Grosso still unable to crack the XI.

1 hour to kickoff: The starting lineups are in. After experimenting with a 4-2-3-1 to good effect against Japan, Twila Kilgore has gone back to the more familiar 4-3-3, withdrawing a forward in Trinity Rodman while installing an extra midfielder in Emily Sonnett.

Jaedyn Shaw keeps her place up front, moving from the No. 10 role to the wing, while Sophia Smith comes in for Mallory Swanson. Expect both Swanson and Catarina Macario to come off the bench and provide a spark in the second half, as the former was exceptional against Japan on her return.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: The last time two times these teams matched up a month ago, the rain was the story as the pitch in San Diego couldn't handle the precipitation. Looking forward to a match under more traditional conditions...could there be more weather? The forecast doesn't appear to be too troublesome, but reports on the ground raise some questions...

1 hour 30 mins to kick: After debuting its special star-studded numbers on the white kits in the semifinal against Japan, the U.S. will now use the special lettering on the blue kits in the final in Columbus tonight.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: The emergence of Jaedyn Shaw, who became the first-ever U.S. player to score in each of her first five international starts, has given the USWNT an even deeper forward unit. Twila Kilgore addressed how Shaw can find the net so consistently despite not producing a high volume of chances.

"What makes her such a good goal scorer is her focus and calmness. She's looking to beat the goalkeeper, not the defender in front of her, that's almost a given at this point." High praise, indeed!

2 hours to kickoff: While getting a win was the most important part of Thursday's game against Japan, the return of Mal Swanson and Cat Macario from long-term injuries was a massive jolt for the U.S. Swanson was exceptional in her 80 minutes of play, creating chance after chance for herself and teammates, while Macario saw the final 10 minutes after one day shy of two years away from national team duty.

Having both back is an invaluable boost for the United States, as both were in exceptional form when they went down with their injuries, and their losses proved pivotal at last summer's Women's World Cup.

USA vs Canada lineups, team news

How many minutes Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario can play in this match is unclear, and there is reason to believe neither will be deployed from the start, even though Swanson was electric in the semifinal against Japan.

Having just completed 80 minutes in that game three days ago, Twila Kilgore has decided that Swanson will play a substitute role against Canada while recovering full fitness after injury, while Macario has been brought along very slowly by both club and country. Sophia Smith has earned a start here in her place with electric play off the bench in the semifinal.

Sam Coffey has cleared concussion protocol and starts, but Naomi Girma picked up a thigh injury in the semifinal and is "day-to-day" which leaves her to begin on the bench, and her availability to participate at all is up in the air.

USA starting lineup (4-3-3): Naeher (GK) — Fox, Dahlkemper, Davidson, Dunn — Sonnett, Horan, Coffey — Shaw, Morgan, S. Smith.

USA subs (12): Murphy (GK), Campbell (GK), Nighswonger, Girma, Gaetino, Krueger, Yohannes, Albert, Moultrie, Rodman, Swanson, Macario.

Canada head coach Bev Priestman deployed a whopping five forwards against Brazil in the semifinal, but she reverts back to a more traditional lineup against a very dangerous U.S. side here in the final. Priestman decides that Cloe Lacasse is the odd player out up front, while adding a midfielder in Simi Awujo who is chosen over Julia Grosso to fill the void.

They are missing veteran midfielder Quinn who dropped out of the squad after sustaining a concussion on club duty with the Seattle Reign, as did midfielder Olivia Smith who has a slight injury to her knee and was unable to participate. Longtime veterans Sophie Schmidt and Christine Sinclair retired after last summer's World Cup and are no longer available for selection.

Canada starting lineup (3-4-3): Sheridan (GK) — J. Rose, Gilles, Buchanan — Lawrence, Awujo, Fleming, Beckie — Leon, Huitema, D. Rose.

Canada subs (12): D'Angelo (GK), Karpenko (GK), Zadorsky, Regan, Carle, St-Georges, Grosso, Scott, Alidou, Larisey, Viens, Lacasse. 

How to watch USA vs Canada

  TV Channel Streaming
USA TBS (English), Universo (Spanish) Sling, Max, Fubo, Peacock
Canada OneSoccer Fubo Canada

WATCH USWNT vs CANADA LIVE ON SLING TV

The SheBelieves Cup final will be televised in English on TBS in the United States, as part of U.S. Soccer's 10-year rights deal with Turner Sports. TBS is available to stream on Sling as well as Turner's dedicated streaming platform Max.

There is also a Spanish-language broadcast available on Universo, which can be streamed on Fubo as well as NBC's platform Peacock.

In Canada, the official broadcast partner of the Canadian national team is OneSoccer, who will televise the SheBelieves Cup final. That channel can be found streaming on Fubo Canada.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.