Mallory Swanson lifted the U.S. women’s national team to a win for the second straight game at the SheBelieves Cup, scoring the eventual game winner in a 1-0 victory over Japan on Sunday in Nashville. Here’s what you need to know:
- Swanson found the net in the 45th minute, marking her fifth straight match with a goal — and sixth goal in four 2023 matches. The 24-year-old scored twice in the U.S. team’s 2-0 win over Canada on Thursday.
- Lynn Williams, who returned for the U.S. in January after rehabbing a hamstring injury sustained last spring, started for the national team for the first time since November 2021. Megan Rapinoe subbed on for Swanson midway through the second half, marking her 198th international cap.
- Both the American and Japanese players wore purple wristbands to support the Canada women’s team amid its dispute with Canada Soccer over a multitude of issues, including pay inequity with the men’s team.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Exciting tactics
The first 15 minutes of the game featured exciting box-to-box action as the United States initially came out in a 4-2-3-1 with Alex Morgan as the lone striker and Kristie Mewis paired deeper with Lindsey Horan. Japan was in its 3-4-3 and applied early high pressure to Alana Cook, almost resulting in an…
