Jeff Kassouf
Multiple Authors
HARRISON, N.J. — A surprising, late goal from ahead Alyssa Thompson lifted the United States girls’s nationwide crew to a 1-0 win over Colombia on Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium and clinched an eighth SheBelieves Cup title for the Americans.
“Talking to Emma, something I want to get better at is my decision-making in the final third — knowing when to shoot, when to pass, just making the right play for the team,” Thompson stated.
“I feel like in that moment, it was the right decision to shoot.”
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The goal was Thompson’s fourth in a USWNT shirt and her most emphatic — much more so than her inaugural tally over a yr in the past. It additionally earned her the match’s MVP award.
Thompson mixed with second-half substitute Jaedyn Shaw and ripped a right-footed shot from outdoors the field. The ball pinged off the underside of the crossbar and down into the goal exactly within the higher nook and out of the attain of Colombia goalkeeper Katherine Tapia.
It was an “absolute banger,” as USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps described it. “That’s her bread and butter.”
An exuberant Thompson ran towards the nook flag to rejoice with what she stated is a “scuba dance” from TikTok.
The goal punctuated a vastly improved second half from the Americans after what head coach Emma Hayes referred to as a “sluggish” and “average” first 45 minutes.
Hayes was pressured to sub off stalwart center-back Naomi Girma at halftime as a result of calf tightness. Girma has dealt with a number of calf points since January 2025, they usually restricted her to motion in solely six of the USWNT’s 15 video games final yr.
She stated after the match that it was only a precaution.
Tara Rudd changed Girma and added tenacity and velocity to the match. She received a number of 1-v-1 duals with gifted younger Colombian playmaker Linda Caicedo, and Rudd helped set a sooner tempo of play for the Americans out of the again.
Hayes made a quadruple change on the hour mark, bringing on Heaps, Shaw, Olivia Moultrie and Emma Sears. The tempo of play elevated additional and put the USWNT on the entrance foot with mixture play.
Hayes stated she was happy with her crew’s means to win in several methods all through this match after earlier victories over Argentina and Canada.
“I think we’ve shown how to win when we’re not our best, I think we’ve shown the versatility, I think we’ve shown the depth, I think we’ve shown maturity and as a coach, I’m happy about those things,” she stated.
The distinction within the sport was on Saturday was the substitutes, Hayes stated, however Thompson finally delivered the winner to proceed a yr of milestones.
“I think it’s been a tremendous year for Alyssa for both club and country,” Hayes stated. “The consistency in her play is the standout for me in terms of being able to do things over 90 minutes and do it game after game, including a clutch moment like today. She’s been doing that for Chelsea all yr.”
The United States is 12-0-2 all-time towards Colombia. The solely time Las Cafeteras have scored towards the Americans was within the group stage of the 2016 Olympics, a 2-2 draw.
Saturday’s consequence was additionally an eighth straight shutout for the United States, which hasn’t allowed a goal since a 3-1 victory over Portugal in October.
Earlier within the day at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Canada overcame Argentina 3-2 on penalties after a scoreless draw.
Canada completed second after a 1-0 loss to the United States on Wednesday, and Colombia was third. Argentina completed the four-team, spherical robin match in final place with no targets scored.
Before the match, the United States honored former midfielder Tobin Heath, who formally retired final yr after struggling with a nagging knee harm.
Heath, who received the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups with the United States, performed her final nationwide crew match in 2021. She made 181 appearances for the nationwide crew in a profession spanning 13 years, scoring 36 targets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
