It's more gold for the US women's national football team [1]! On Feb. 24 in a match against Argentina, the USWNT won its fourth total SheBelieves Cup. This was the team's second consecutive win, and it's the first time in the SheBelieves Cup's six-year history that a team won back-to-back titles. According to the Olympic Channel, the USWNT is also the first team in tournament history to have three straight shutouts [2] (no team scored against them in any tournament match).
The USWNT vs. Argentina score came out to a sweeping 6-0, and we're so excited for these football stars as they gear up for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (18 players total will be selected for the Games this summer [3]). Ahead, check out highlights from the 2021 SheBelieves Cup final match, and relive all the energy and power these player brought in stride.
Megan Rapinoe Becomes the Top Scorer in SheBelieves Cup History
Megan Rapinoe [5] scored the first goal of the match against Argentina to get the US on the leaderboard, and this was her sixth total SheBelieves Cup goal, making her the top scorer in the tournament's history. She proceeded to score the next goal after that, only adding to her record.
Alex Morgan Scored Her 1st Goal Since Giving Birth
Alex Morgan gave birth to her daughter, Charlie, in May of last year [6]. This was the 108th international goal of her career, which made her the fifth all-time scorer for the USWNT [7].
Christen Press Broke the Top 10 For Most USWNT International Goals
Christen Press's goal in the 88th minute of the 2021 SheBelieves Cup final against Argentina tied her at ninth place (60 goals) for most international goals in USWNT history [8]. "Every time you score when you represent your country, it's a huge honour," she told the Associated Press. "A lot of work, a lot of shots go into a single goal. So, I feel very proud to represent this team, and I will continue to do everything in my power to do that well."
Rose Lavelle Wins 2021 SheBelieves Cup MVP Award
Midfielder Rose Lavelle [9] was voted Most Valuable Player for the tournament after the 2021 SheBelieves Cup final. Though she scored the game-winning goal in the first match against Canada and had an assist in the final, Lavelle said in a post-match interview that she thought other players deserved the award more.
Bonus: Watch Megan Rapinoe Pay Tribute to Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger's Baby
Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger adopted a daughter this month [10], and after a goal against Brazil on Feb. 21, Rapinoe celebrated by running up to the camera [11] and pretending to rock the baby in her arms. It was the absolute cutest!
