Ed Odeven 
Japan women's national team players celebrate after winning the SheBelieves Cup in San Diego on February 26, 2025. (©Julia Kapros/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
The Japan women's soccer national team completed a perfect run in the four-nation SheBelieves Cup, prevailing 2-1 over the United States on Wednesday, February 26.
Against Team USA, forward Yuka Momiki scored in the second minute, giving Japan the early advantage at Snapdragon Stadium.
The Americans didn't take long to respond with a goal of their own. In the 14th minute, Ally Sentnor evened the score.
Heading into the intermission, the score remained the same. Both teams created scoring opportunities in the second half, too.
Second-half substitute Toko Koga broke the deadlock in the 50th minute, giving Japan the 2-1 advantage on a tap-in following a 23-meter free kick by teammate Yui Hasegawa that led to a loose ball in front of the net. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell deflected Hasegawa's shot, but Koga was in the right place at the right time to capitalize on the scoring chance.
The play materialized as Koga had hoped.
"I was aiming for the loose ball," she said after the match, Jiji Press reported.
A Confidence-Boosting Victory
Nadeshiko Japan captain Saki Kumagai, who has experienced disappointment many times over the years in matches against the United States, shared her thoughts on the significance of the win.
"This is a confidence boost for us [for the future]," Kumagai said, according to Kyodo News. "We can beat the US in Japan [and] we must grow even more so that we can prove that this is no miracle."
It was the 10th edition of the SheBelieves Cup, which was first held in 2016. The United States has won the most titles among participating nations (seven) since the tournament's inception.
In 2024, Japan placed fourth in the event.
With the victory on Wednesday, Japan snapped a 14-match unbeaten streak against the United States. To put that in context, Japan collected its first win over the US women's squad since 2012.
Japan manager Nils Nielsen's squad defeated Australia 4-0 in its tournament opener on February 20, followed by a 4-1 triumph over Colombia three days later.
After the victory over the United States, Nielsen said his team played a strong match.
"[The United States] is a team that has a very strong attitude when they come on the pitch and that's what we want to have as well, and today I think we matched them," Nielsen said, according to Kyodo News.
Team USA Gives Players Valuable Experience
US coach Emma Hayes retooled the starting lineup for the SheBelieves Cup final.
After Team USA's second match of the tournament on February 21, Hayes decided to start only one of the 11 players who were in the starting lineup against Australia.
Hayes explained her decision after the match.
"Of course we want to win. No one wants to lose these things," Hayes was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. "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."
Tanaka Named SheBelieves Cup MVP
Nadeshiko Japan standout Mina Tanaka played an instrumental role in the team's success during the SheBelieves Cup.
The veteran forward finished with four goals and three assists for the title-winning squad. And she was selected as the tournament MVP.
In addition to San Diego, matches were also held in Houston and Glendale, Arizona.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
