USWNT secures spot in SheBelieves Cup final with 2-1 win over Australia

The United States women's national team now has a chance to win another trophy this week. The Americans beat Australia 2-1 on goals from Lynn Biyendolo (formerly Williams) and Michelle Cooper, and will now get Japan in a SheBelieves Cup final showdown on Wednesday.

The USWNT seemed to have another shutout locked up until Michelle Heyman headed home Hayley Raso's cross in the 80th minute. It was goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn's second-ever start for the U.S., and she was tested by the Matildas throughout the day. The Americans tried to extend their lead late on chances from Korbin Albert and Ally Sentnor, but failed to finish and escaped with a narrow W. 

Japan, meanwhile, has cruised through this tournament, crushing Australia 4-0 in its first match last Thursday and then defeating Colombia 4-1 earlier on Sunday afternoon.

As expected, coach Emma Hayes rolled out a completely different lineup. There were 11 changes from the group she started in Thursday's 2-0 win over Colombia, which is just the sixth time in program history that a lineup has changed every single starter in consecutive games. And according to U.S. Soccer, this is the first time it's happened in 25 years.

Of course, this wasn't surprising given Hayes' instruction to give more young players experience as she and her staff continue to expand and evaluate the pool ahead of the next World Cup in 2027. 

"This was a lot of new players playing together," Tierna Davidson, who was wearing the captain's armband on Sunday, told the broadcast after the game. "This combination really hasn’t been seen before, so we knew that it wasn't going to be perfect, but the resilience of everybody on the field to continue to work hard and put two goals away is something that im really