- Morgan opens scoring with stunner
- Swanson scores seventh of year
- USWNT defeats Brazil 2-1 to win SheBelieves Cup
TELL ME MORE: The U.S. took down Brazil 2-1 on Wednesday in Frisco, Texas, as the Stars and Stripes claimed the SheBelieves Cup trophy for the sixth time overall. Morgan opened the scoring just before halftime with a stunning curled finish, making the difference in a half that was otherwise fairly tight.
In the second half, though, Swanson removed all doubt as she scored her seventh goal of 2023 on just her 13th shot, making it six consecutive matches with a goal. Brazil scored late but, by then, the game and trophy were all but sealed with the U.S. needing just a draw to win the tournament.
THE MVP: There's been a lot of talk about Swanson in recent weeks, so we'll give this one to Morgan, who continues to prove her importance to this team. Throughout the three games, Morgan showed once again that she can still create goals with regularity, either for herself or others, linking up wonderfully with Swanson in particular. The forward pool is incredibly deep and Vlatko Andonovski will have plenty of decisions to make, but there are no doubts about Morgan.
THE BIG LOSER: There's no Big Loser in this as the USWNT, by and large, looked solid, much as it has throughout this tournament. In that, though, lies the problem: the USWNT has seemingly never hit its top gear. It has controlled games for stretches, looked somewhat comfortable and, ultimately, won, but something remains just a bit off. Andonovski started what may just be his World Cup XI, minus Sophia Smith, and the USWNT got the win, but the U.S. is still lacking that little bit of swagger and ruthlessness even as many of the team's top stars return to the XI.
MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? The USWNT will reportedly return to action in April for a pair of friendlies with the Republic of Ireland as it looks ahead to the World Cup this summer.
MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐