CANWNT Begins SheBelieves Cup Today

February 18, 2021
The GIST: Need another reason to get hyped for the Tokyo Olympics? Look no further than the SheBelieves Cup.
Sports NewsSoccer
CANWNT Begins SheBelieves Cup Today
Source: Michael Janosz/ISI Photos

The set-up: The annual invitational soccer tournament starts today and is a four-team event hosted by the USWNT. Usually held between three U.S. cities, this year’s tournament will take place entirely in Orlando, Florida, and the Canadian, Brazilian and Argentinian national teams have all been invited.

  • Every team plays three matches — one against each opponent — and the top team based on points (three for a win, one for a draw) after the round-robin is declared the winner. Unsurprisingly, the USWNT are the defending champions and favorites.

The squad: Starting with some bad news, national treasures Christine Sinclair, Kadeisha Buchanan and Jordyn Huitema (pronounced HIGH-TAH-MAH) won’t be joining the team, which could very seriously hinder our chances.

  • On the bright side, new head coach Bev Priestman and five future stars will make their official Team Canada debut and midfielder Sophie Schmidt will make her 200th national team appearance tonight, against a fully stacked Team USA. Check out the full schedule here.