2023 SheBelieves Cup: Everything to know about U.S. Women's National Team at Geodis Park

Drake Hills, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

The 2023 SheBelieves Cup fields the penultimate opportunity for the U.S. women's national team to rehearse for 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. The U.S. is hosting Brazil, Canada and Japan on American soil just five months before the the world soccer showdown held in Australia and New Zealand.

The four-team, invitational tournament comes to Nashville's Geodis Park on Sunday, continuing the doubleheader showcase that started Thursday in Orlando, Florida. The U.S. beat Canada, 2-0, while Brazil edged out a 1-0 over Japan.

In Music City, the U.S. faces Japan (2:30 p.m., TNT), followed by Brazil against Canada (5:30 p.m., HBO Max).

Following these games, the USWNT will have a FIFA international break in April, meaning a final assessment for coach Vlatko Andonovski and a terminal audition for players to make their case for the World Cup roster. The U.S. is in Group E at the World Cup with the Netherlands, Vietnam and the Group A playoff winner among Cameroon, Portugal or Thailand.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 SheBelieves Cup and its stop in Nashville:

SheBelieves Cup: How to watch

Lindsay Horan (10) and the USWNT have three games in the SheBelieves Cup ahead of the 2023 World Cup this summer.
Lindsay Horan (10) and the USWNT have three games in the SheBelieves Cup ahead of the 2023 World Cup this summer.

All six games are available on the streaming platform HBO Max, with Sunday's match in Nashville and Wednesday's USWNT-Brazil clash in Frisco, Texas (6 p.m.) available on TNT.

Every USWNT match is also available in Spanish via Universo and the streaming platform Peacock.

What to know about SheBelieves Cup

Created in 2016, the SheBelieves Cup was inspired by U.S. Soccer's "SheBelieves initiative," to inspire women and girls to achieves their dreams in and outside of sports. The USWNT has won five editions of the tournament, including the past three years.

This year's tournament features an unprecedented combo. Brazil, Canada and Japan have previously played but never in the same year.

The USWNT is No. 1 in FIFA's World Rankings, followed by Canada (No. 6), Brazil (No. 9) and Japan (No. 11). All are destined for the World Cup in July.

USWNT in Tennessee

Team USA forward Lynn Williams takes selfies with fans in New Zealand earlier this year.
Team USA forward Lynn Williams takes selfies with fans in New Zealand earlier this year.

The USWNT has played in Tennessee seven times, dating back to July 2004. Four games were played in Nashville at Nissan Stadium. The USWNT's last visit was in March 2019 for the SheBelieves Cup, a 2-2 draw against England in front of 22,125 ans.

Sunday is the first national team game at Geodis Park, the 30,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium adjacent to the Nashville Fairgrounds that opened last May.

Players to watch

U.S. forward Meagan Rapinoe (197 appearances) has the chance to reach 200 international appearances and lead the U.S. in potentially her final World Cup. Midfielder Taylor Kornieck is looking to break into an experienced lineup of Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Andi Sullivan.

Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson fly down the wings with Alex Morgan as the center forward.

For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake. Connect with Drake on Instagram at @drakehillssoccer and on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 2023 SheBelieves Cup: What to know for Sunday's USWNT game in Nashville