USWNT breezes to 2023 SheBelieves Cup title, but World Cup roster questions linger

The U.S. Women’s National Team cruised to its fourth straight SheBelieves Cup title on Wednesday, beating Brazil 2-1 and going 3-0 in the tournament that serves as the team’s best warm-up for the upcoming World Cup.

But after standout performances by Mallory Swanson, who scored in all three games and was named tournament MPV, and Alex Morgan — who recorded her 14th national team goal since becoming a mom — and wins against three teams ranked in the top 11, many of Thursday’s headlines suggest the American squad still has some questions to answer.

U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski confirmed lingering queries remain but was positive about the team’s overall outlook.

“I don’t think we’re going to talk a lot about the title,” he told media. “We’re actually going to talk a lot about the play and the details and we’re going use these games in preparation to prepare furthermore for the World Cup. So that’s what is good about this. Obviously, we enjoy winning the title, but it’s the outcome [that] is more important for us.

“The whole time throughout the tournament while we’re in camp, we’re talking about how it’s not just about this tournament, it’s about preparation for the World Cup, and the fact that we were able to do well against such a great opponents, all three of them — Canada, Japan, Brazil – it’s very motivating for us going forward, because we believe that we still have a few things to fix and get better from it.”

Despite the unbeaten streak during the SheBelieves Cup, Andonovski and company undoubtedly have not forgotten the disappointing stretch last fall when the U.S. lost three friendlies in a row in a six-week span. The streak began Oct. 7 with a 2-1 loss to No. 4-ranked England at Wembley, followed by a 2-0 loss