SheBelieves Cup final: USA edge Canada on penalties after Sophia Smith brace

Alyssa Naeher made three saves in a penalty shootout to convert her own effort Tuesday night to lead the United States past Canada in the SheBelieves Cup final, the Americans’ fifth straight title in the event.

The US won the shootout 5-4 after the rivals played to a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes. Emily Fox scored the decisive goal in the seventh round of the shootout after Naeher stopped Evelyne Viens.

Sophia Smith scored both American goals. Her first draw at one-all in the 50th minute. Her second put the Americans ahead 2-1 in the 68th after a cross from Trinity Rodman, who came on just minutes earlier.

Adriana Leon scored twice for Canada. She made it 1–0 in the 40th minute and leveled the match at two when she converted a penalty in the 86th.

It was the 66th meeting between the teams, with the U.S. leading the series 54-4-8. The last meeting was last month in the Concacaf Gold Cup, with the Americans advancing to the final after a rainy 2-2 draw on penalties.

The SheBelieves Cup games were the last for the team under interim coach Twila Kilgore. Emma Hayes will take over for the next two games on the schedule, the friendlies against South Korea in June. Kilgore will remain on Hayes’ staff.

Mallory Swanson, who started the United States’ 2-1 win over Japan in the SheBelieves opener on Saturday, came on as a substitute to start the second half. Swanson was sidelined for a year after injuring her patellar tendon in an exhibition against Ireland last year. The injury kept her out of the Women’s World Cup last summer, in which the Americans were eliminated by Sweden in the eighth finals.

Naomi Girma did not play after being subbed off in the first half of the opener with an apparent thigh injury.

Korbin Albert made her second consecutive appearance as a substitute following a controversy over previous social media posts. The 20-year-old, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, had reposted anti-LGBTQ+ content on her TikTok account.

Albert apologized and said: “Liking and sharing posts that are offensive, insensitive and hurtful was immature and disrespectful, which was never my intention.”

Alex Morgan addressed the issue last week, noting that the team was handling it internally. The US Women’s National Team Players Association released a statement earlier Tuesday.

“The women’s soccer community is one of joy, excitement, kindness and love. We’ve done our best to ensure our community is safe, inclusive, and welcoming to all. As allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, these efforts will not stop,” the statement said.

Brazil took third place, beating Japan 3-0 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the earlier match at Lower.com Field. Goalkeeper Lorena saved all three of Japan’s penalty attempts.