Five Things to Know: USA vs. Canada

Following a 2-1 win over Japan in front of a record crowd in the semifinals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the U.S. Women’s National Team now gets set to face longtime rivals Canada on April 9 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio in the Championship Match of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa. The Championship Game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (TBS, Universo, Max and Peacock) and will be preceded by the Third-Place Match between Japan and Brazil at 4 p.m. ET (TBS, Universo, Max and Peacock).

Get set for Tuesday’s SheBelieves Cup title match with Five Things to Know about USA vs. Canada.

CANADA PREVAILS OVER BRAZIL ON PENALTIES
Canada advanced Tuesday’s final after defeating Brazil 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout in the second semifinal on Saturday in Atlanta. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation before the match went straight to penalties.

Brazil was on the front foot for much of the afternoon and took the lead on a penalty kick from defender Tarcine in the 22^nd minute, but Canada battled back and equalized on a set piece header from center back Vanessa Gilles in the 77^th to send the match to the decisive shootout.

In the penalty kick shootout, defender Ashley Lawrence missed her opening attempt for Canada but goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan denied the ensuing attempt by Brazilian legend Marta to keep the teams level. Canada converted its next four attempts and Antonia, the third penalty taker for Brazil, put her attempt wide left and Julia Grosso converted to lift Canada to victory.

After finishing fourth at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup and third in 2021, Canada has already secured its best finish ever at the SheBelieves Cup.

SERIES HISTORY: USA vs. CANADA
Tuesday’s matchup in Columbus will be the 66^th meeting all-time between the USA and Canada and their second meeting in the span of 35 days. The teams squared off in a wet, wild and epic semifinal clash on March 6 at the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup in San Diego.

The teams battled through extreme conditions and a water-logged pitch before the USA prevailed 3-1 on penalty kicks following a 2-2 draw through regulation and extra time. Jaedyn Shaw gave the U.S. the lead in the 20^th minute but Canada equalized in the 82^nd off a header from Jordyn Huitema to send the match to overtime. The USA reclaimed the lead in the 99^th minute with a goal from Sophia Smith but a VAR review in the waning minutes of extra time awarded Canada a penalty kick and Adriana Leon converted her attempt for the Canadians. In the penalty shootout, Alyssa Naeher made three big saves and converted her own penalty kick attempt to send the USA to the championship match, where the Americans defeated Brazil, 1-0 ,to win the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup crown.

The series between the USA and Canada dates back to 1986 when the USWNT was in its second year of existence. The most-common opponent in USWNT history, the USWNT has more wins (53) and more goals (186) against Canada than any other opponent in program history. The U.S. leads the all-time series 53W-8D-4L and has won six of the last eight meetings between the teams, including both previous meetings between the teams at the SheBelieves Cup. In 2021, the USA topped Canada 1-0 in Orlando, Fla. on a solo strike from Rose Lavelle. Two years later, the teams met again in Orlando and the USA was again victorious, this time powered by a brace from Mallory Swanson.

INSIDE THE ROSTER
Canada’s roster for the SheBelieves Cup includes 18 of the 23 players from its Gold Cup roster, with goalkeeper Anna Karpenko, midfielders Emma Regan and Desiree Scott and forwards Clarissa Larisey and Janine Beckie the new additions.

Scott, who plays for the Kansas City Current in NWSL, is the most-capped player on this Canada roster with 185 international appearances.

Five more players – Kadeisha Buchana, Lawrence, Jessie Fleming, Leon and Beckie – have 100+ caps for Canada while defender Shelina Zadorsky is currently on 99 caps and could earn her 100^th should she see action against the USA.

Leon, who won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup with six goals in five games, is the top scorer on Canada’s roster with 37 international goals. Beckie, who returns to international action after being sidelined for much of 2023 with an ACL injury, has 36 goals for Canada followed by Huitema with 21.

Ten of the 23 players on Canada’s roster compete in the United States, with three collegiate players – Simi Awujo at USC and Jade Rose and Karpenko at Harvard – and seven in the NWSL. Of the remaining 13 players on the roster, seven play in England, two in Italy and one each in France, Sweden, Denmark and Portugal.

CANADA WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION
Goalkeepers (3): 1-Kailen Sheridan (San Diego Wave FC, USA), 18-Sabrina D'Angelo (Arsenal FC, ENG), 22-Anna Karpenko (Harvard University, USA)
Defenders (6): 3-Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea FC, ENG), 4-Shelina Zadorsky (West Ham FC, ENG), 10-Ashley Lawrence (Chelsea FC, ENG), 12-Jade Rose (Harvard University, USA), 14-Vanessa Gilles (Olympique Lyon, FRA), 21-Gabby Carle (Washington Spirit, USA)
Midfielders (5): 5-Emma Regan (HB Køge, DEN), 7-Julia Grosso (Juventus FC, ITA), 11-Desiree Scott (Kansas City Current, USA), 13-Simi Awujo (University of Southern California, USA), 17-Jessie Fleming (Portland Thorns FC, USA)
Forwards (9): 2-Clarissa Larisey (BK Häcken, SWE), 6-Deanne Rose (Leicester City WFC, ENG), 8-Marie-Yasmine Alidou (SL Benfica, POR), 9-Jordyn Huitema (Seattle Reign FC, USA), 15-Evelyne Viens (AS Roma, ITA), 16-Janine Beckie (Portland Thorns FC, USA), 19-Adriana Leon (Aston Villa FC, ENG), 20-Cloe Laccase (Arsenal FC, ENG), 23-Bianca St. Georges (North Carolina Courage, USA)

VISA SHEBELIEVES CUP MVP SPOTLIGHT: KAILEN SHERIDAN
For the fifth year in a row, Visa, the presenting sponsor of the SheBelieves Cup, will award the MVP trophy to the most outstanding player of the tournament. While all four previous winners have been midfielders or forwards, Canada netminder Kailen Sheridan came up big in the penalty kick shootout after Brazil to put herself in contention for this year’s MVP honors.

Sheridan, who plays in NWSL for San Diego Wave FC alongside the USA’s Alex Morgan, Jaedyn Shaw, Naomi Girma and Abby Dahlkemper, recorded five saves on Saturday against Brazil and denied Marta’s attempt to open the penalty kick shootout, diving low and to her left.

Sheridan has 48 caps for Canada and was part of Canada’s gold medal winning roster at the delayed Tokyo Olympics.

PATHWAY TO PARIS
The defending gold medalists, Canada qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in September of 2023. After losing to the USA, 1-0, in the final of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, Canada secured Concacaf’s second and final berth to Paris by defeating Jamaica 4-1 on aggregate in a two-legged playoff last fall. Bouncing back from a disappointing showing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Canada beat Jamaica 2-0 in the opening leg in Kingston and then officially punched its ticket with a 2-1 win in Toronto.

The 2024 Games will mark Canada’s fifth appearance all-time in the Olympics, qualifying for every edition of the Summer Games since 2008. After falling to the USA in the quarterfinals in 2008 in Beijing, Canada claimed back-to-back bronze medals in London (2012) and Rio (2016) and went on to claim its first Olympic gold medal, topping Sweden 3-2 in penalty kicks in the final of the delayed Tokyo 2021 Olympics after a 1-1 result through regulation.

At the 2024 Olympics, Canada was drawn into Group A where it will play New Zealand in the opening match in Saint-Etienne on July 25. Canada will face hosts France on July 28 in the second group stage match, also in Saint-Etienne, before traveling to Nice to close out group play against Colombia on July 31.