On the heels of winning the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup, the U.S. women continue their charge towards the all-important Summer Olympics as they contest the 2024 SheBelieves Cup in April.
Due to changes in the FIFA international calendar and the introduction of the W Gold Cup, the SheBelieves Cup has had to tweak its format from a four-team round robin to a mini-bracket with a semifinals, final, and third-place game.
The United States will begin by taking on Japan in the semifinals, while Canada and Brazil meet in the other game, both in Atlanta on April 6. The tournament then moves to Columbus where the semifinal winners will match up, and the losers will also meet.
FOLLOW LIVE: Get live updates and highlights as the USWNT takes on Japan in the SheBelieves Cup
As the U.S. women get ready for the Olympics in just a few months' time, there are some notable inclusions in the USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster, with Emma Hayes nearing her official start time as head coach.
USA roster for SheBelieves Cup 2024
The most notable inclusions are that of Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson who both returned from long-term injuries and have been called up for the first time since going down.
European-based youngsters Lily Yohannes (16 years old) and Eva Gaetino (21 years old) earned their first call-ups after impressing in the UEFA Women's Champions League, which new USWNT head coach Emma Hayes is currently participating in as she finishes out the season with Chelsea.
Otherwise, the roster is quite similar to that from the W Gold Cup back in late February. Dropping out for Gaetino is veteran defender Becky Sauerbrunn, while another USWNT staple in Rose Lavelle was not included as a "preventative measure" due to injury, according to head coach Twila Kilgore. Both Gaetino and Yohannes will be longshots to make the Olympic roster, so it's possible Lavelle and Sauerbrunn could be back for the Games in Paris. However, there will be questions about their long-term viability, especially Sauerbrunn, who, at 38 years old, has finally looked to be slowing.
At the forward spot, places for Macario and Swanson came at the expense of Midge Purce and Lynn Williams. Unlike Gaetino and Yohannes, Macario and Swanson are regular goal-scoring options in their prime, so Purce and Williams will know they're likely on the outside looking in for this summer as it stands.
International cap figures current as of March 26, 2024. All clubs US-based unless otherwise noted.
| Pos | Name | Club | Caps |
| GK | Jane Campbell | Houston Dash | 7 |
| GK | Casey Murphy | NC Courage | 18 |
| GK | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | 102 |
| DEF | Abby Dahlkemper | San Diego Wave | 82 |
| DEF | Crystal Dunn | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 143 |
| DEF | Tierna Davidson | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 55 |
| DEF | Emily Fox | Arsenal (ENG) | 45 |
| DEF | Eva Gaetino | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 0 |
| DEF | Naomi Girma | San Diego Wave | 30 |
| DEF | Casey Krueger | Washington Spirit | 45 |
| DEF | Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 6 |
| MID | Korbin Albert | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 7 |
| MID | Sam Coffey | Portland Thorns | 13 |
| MID | Lindsey Horan | Olympique Lyon (FRA) | 144 |
| MID | Olivia Moultrie | Portland Thorns | 4 |
| MID | Emily Sonnett | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 88 |
| MID | Lily Yohannes | Ajax (NED) | 0 |
| FWD | Catarina Macario | Chelsea (ENG) | 17 |
| FWD | Alex Morgan | San Diego Wave | 221 |
| FWD | Trinity Rodman | Washington Spirit | 34 |
| FWD | Jaedyn Shaw | San Diego Wave | 10 |
| FWD | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns | 44 |
| FWD | Mallory Swanson | Chicago Red Stars | 88 |
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Cat Macario, Mal Swanson back from long-term injuries
At last summer's Women's World Cup, one of the biggest issues for the United States was the lack of a truly reliable goalscoring forward. Alex Morgan is in the twilight of her career and has had to adapt to become more of a direct outlet, contributing more in the buildup than in finishing open-play chances.
Injuries to Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson were a major factor in the U.S. being without a reliable option up front, as both were just entering their prime and in exceptional form when they went down. Thus, it's a massive boost to the U.S. that both have recovered at the same time, just months before the Paris Olympics this summer.
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Macario's ACL recovery was especially frustrating, having been sidelined for over 18 months as she was eased into her return extremely slowly by Chelsea. After months of wondering when she'd be back, Macario has exploded onto the field, scoring a goal and assisting two more in just 80 minutes of action across four appearances for the Blues.
For Swanson, a patella tendon tear in a friendly just months before the Women's World Cup was a nightmare for the 25-year-old, but she has made it back for the start of the NWSL season and was part of the USWNT camp at the W Gold Cup even while not being on the official roster. Having started both of Chicago's first two matches of the year, it's time for her to be brought back into the national-team fold on an official basis as well.
Lily Yohannes: Dual national called up at just 16 years old
Just days after Chelsea women played the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Ajax, Emma Hayes handed a call-up to 16-year-old Ajax playmaker Lily Yohannes.
Not only is the inclusion of Yohannes notable with her age, but it's also important as the Ajax star is a dual-national and theoretically eligible to represent the U.S. and Netherlands internationally. She was born in Virginia but moved to the Netherlands when she was 10 years old, thus giving her eligibility for both national teams, although she doesn't currently hold a Dutch passport, which would be required to make that commitment.
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Because the SheBelieves Cup is technically considered a "friendly" and not an official competitive match by FIFA, accepting this call-up and appearing in these matches would not cap-tie Yohannes to the United States permanently, and would leave her international recruitment open from an official standpoint. However, playing for the U.S. senior team would no doubt signal at the very least a significant amount of interest in representing the national team long-term — a blow to the Netherlands.
The call-up for Yohannes is curious timing from Hayes for sure, but it has no doubt been coming for some time. Yohannes has been on the U.S. radar for a while, having attended a U-15 and U-16 youth international camp, and also a Dutch U-19 camp back in December as well.
Yohannes has also been on the global football scene for a while. She became the youngest player to ever start a UEFA Women's Champions League group-stage match back in November, and the youngest American ever to play in the Champions League on either the men's or women's sides.
How to watch 2024 SheBelieves Cup
- Dates: April 6 (semifinals), April 9 (finals & 3rd place)
- TV channel (English): TNT
- Streaming (English): Sling
- TV channel (English): Universo
- Streaming (English): Fubo, Peacock
As part of the U.S. Soccer rights deal, all four matches of the SheBelieves Cup will be broadcast in English on TNT, which is available to stream on Sling.
There is also a Spanish-language broadcast on Univision, which is available to stream on Fubo as well as NBC Unviersal's dedicated platform Peacock.
2024 SheBelieves Cup schedule, fixtures
The SheBelieves Cup will have a new format in 2024. Gone is the four-team round robin, which saw each team contest three matches.
Now, the four teams will play two games each in a traditional knockout bracket, meaning each team will not see one of the other participants.
Semifinals
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Apr. 6 | 12:30 p.m. | SF1: USA vs. Japan | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
| Sat, Apr. 6 | 3:30 p.m. | SF2: Canada vs. Brazil | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
Finals
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Tue, April 9 | TBD* (4 p.m. / 7 p.m.) | 3rd Place: SF Loser vs. SF Loser | Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH) |
| Tue, April 9 | TBD* (4 p.m. / 7 p.m.) | Final: SF Winner vs. SF Winner | Lower.com Field (Columbus, OH) |
* U.S. Soccer has confirmed that whichever match the United States will play in, either the final or third-place game, will be given the 7 p.m. ET slot, while the other game will kick off at 4 p.m. ET.
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