For almost a decade, the USWNT wasn’t just a soccer team, it was a team that almost everyone in the country recognized. Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara and Julie Ertz set the standard for what this program was supposed to be. They were the group that won back to back World Cups and turned the US into the standard that everyone else was constantly chasing. They were the faces on magazine covers, the voices in commercials and the players’ kids pretended to be in their backyard. They helped build this program into what it is today. But watching the SheBelieves Cup this year, it’s impossible not to notice how different this team feels.
The SheBelieves Cup, a small invitational tournament the U.S. hosts each spring that brings in several strong opponents for a handful of competitive matches, is the USWNT’s annual preseason test. It’s not a high stakes tournament, but it has always been a good way to see where the team is at and what direction things are heading in for the upcoming season.
This year, that direction looks new. The team the world used to watch isn’t the one taking the field anymore. This is a completely different group with new coaching staff, new players and different energy; this tournament is the first time that the shift has really stood out.
There’s no Rapinoe bending in free kicks or Morgan drifting into the box with composure. No Ertz going into tackles with intensity. No Sauerbrunn organizing everything from the backline. For years, those players weren’t just leaders, they were the identity of this team. They set the tone, the style and the expectations for the program as a whole, and because they were so good for so long, it is definitely a noticeable shift. The SheBelieves Cup is the first time the USWNT has stepped onto this stage without Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara, Tobin Heath, Christen Press or even Alex Morgan, and you can feel the difference.
But even with all the changes, the results were still there for the team. The US won the 2026 SheBelieves Cup with a 3-0-0 record, scoring four goals and allowing none. They beat Argentina 2-0, Canada 1-0 and Colombia 1-0. Alyssa Thompson earned tournament MVP after scoring the late game winner against Colombia. The team also extended its shutout streak to 804 minutes and 64% of the goal involvements came from players under the age of 25. Nineteen players on the roster came from the National Women’s Soccer League. It was the program’s eighth SheBelieves Cup title, and it showed that even with a new identity, the team is still capable of showing up and getting results.
Now that the SheBelieves cup is over, the attention is now shifting to the rest of 2026, which is already shaping up to be a huge year for the USWNT. The team opened the year with their first training camp of the season. February was filled with club action, including the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in London, where several USWNT players competed for Gotham FC and Arsenal. Now, with the SheBelieves Cup behind them, the focus moves toward the long stretch of matches leading into World Cup qualifying at the end of the year.
The next big test for the team comes in April, when the U.S. plays a triple header against Japan during the FIFA window. Those matches will be played in NWSL stadiums across San Jose, Seattle and Denver, giving the team a chance to keep building chemistry in front of home crowds. Japan has been one of the USWNT’s tougher opponents historically, so those games will be a good measure of where the team stands.
From there, the focus shifts toward arguably the biggest moment of the 2026 season: the Concacaf W Championship in November. That tournament serves as qualifying for both the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Olympics. The US and Canada already earned byes into the Championship, but they still need to finish in the top four to officially secure their World Cup spot. The US is the reigning champion after beating Canada 1-0 in 2022, but this will be the first time they enter the tournament with such a young roster.
With the January friendlies, the SheBelieves Cup and the early club season already behind them, the USWNT has shown that even with a new identity, the results haven’t dropped. The team is younger, the style is changing and the energy is different, but the expectations are still the same. And if the first few months of 2026 are any indication of the possible season that’s in the works, this new era has the potential to be just as successful as the last one, if not more.
