United States faced a defeat against Japan for the first time since the selection of the newly appointed coach Emma Hayes, with a 2-1 historic loss.
As reported by Associated Press, on Wednesday night, February 26, US team lost for the first time since last February, when they fell 2-0 against Mexico in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup.
This defeat also broke the US team's streak of five titles in the SheBelieves Cup, which is now in its 10th year.
Both the teams went into the final match at Snapdragon stadium, San Diego with their A-game, as they were undefeated throughout the tournament.
"Of course we want to win. No one wants to lose these things," coach Hayes said before the big game.
The 48-year-old added, "But we didn’t put out our most experienced team. We put out a team we’re hoping to develop, and our goals go beyond just the SheBelieves."
The US had been unbeaten in the last 14 games against Japan, with the last loss being recorded in 2012.
Japan took an early lead with Yuka Momiki scoring a goal in the second minute, which American’s Ally Sentnor tied in the 14th minute, with an assist from Catarina Macario.
Following the US score, Japan took the lead back in the 50th minute with a stunning goal from the 19-year-old Tōko Koga, who joined the final as a second-half substitute.
To note, US was missing its key trio of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Wilson, and Trinity Rodman, which also made the win against Japan not an easy pursuit.
