SheBelieves Cup schedule: How to watch USWNT’s matches in 2021 soccer tournament

The U.S. women’s national team will return to action in February as the sixth edition of the SheBelieves Cup gets underway in Florida.

Vlatko Andonovski’s side go into the tournament off the back of two wins in January, when they beat Colombia twice in a double-header.

Their February fixtures, however, will provide sterner tests for the USWNT ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games.

SheBelieves Cup schedule 2021

Who is playing in the tournament in 2021?

Argentina and Canada will be making their first appearances at the SheBelieves Cup this year, while Brazil return for a second time after finishing fourth in 2019.

The USWNT have only faced Argentina three times in their history, their latest meeting coming at the Brasilia Tournament in 2014, when they emerged 7-0 victors.

Neighbors Canada, however, are a regular rival of the host nation, with the USWNT having faced no team more in their history. Brazil are also a regular opponent, sitting seventh on that list.

Japan were originally scheduled to participate for a third successive year, but pulled out in January due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. England have played at the tournament every year since its inception, winning the title in 2019, but announced last year they wouldn’t be travelling to the U.S. to compete in 2021.

What is the SheBelieves Cup?

The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational tournament that was founded in 2016 and is hosted by the United States every year.

It takes on a round-robin format, with each team playing each other once over the course of the first FIFA international window of the year. The winner of the tournament is the team that tops the standings at the end of the six matches.

The USWNT have won the tournament three times, in 2016, 2018 and 2020. France were victorious back in 2017 and England lifted the trophy in 2019.

VISA, the sponsor of the tournament, will award an MVP trophy to the best player of the 2021 tournament for the second year running. Spain’s Alexis Putellas received the accolade last year, the midfielder chosen by a selection of former players from each participating country of the 2020 edition.

Source: Read Full Article