The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational women’s soccer tournament held in the United States in late February. It is an annual event that has now been going on for six years. The four teams play a round-robin tournament with points awarded after each game. Three points are awarded for a win: one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.

SheBelieves is a movement that was created by the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT). According to the USWNT, it was made “to encourage young women and girls to reach their dreams, athletic or otherwise.” The team inspires the next generation of girls to believe in each other and themselves. 

The four teams that played this year were Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S. In the first round, Brazil defeated Argentina 4-1, and the U.S. defeated Canada 1-0. The only goal scored by the U.S. was by Rose Lavelle in the seventy-ninth minute. These games gave the U.S. and Brazil the same score of three points. 

In the second round, the U.S. played Brazil and Canada against Argentina. Canada beat Argentina with a score of 1-0. In the eleventh minute of the U.S. and Brazil game, Christen Press scored, giving the U.S. an early lead against Brazil, and Megan Rapinoe scored in the eighty-eighth minute ending the game with a score of 2-0. Essentially, putting the U.S. in the lead with six points with only one more game to play.

In the final round of the tournament, Brazil defeated Canada 2-0, giving them second place with six points, and Canada third place with three points. The U.S. defeated Argentina 6-0, giving Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis and Alex Morgan their first goals of the tournament. With the U.S. winning against Argentina, it gave them first place in the tournament. They had nine points, and Argentina was in last with zero points. 

With the U.S. winning the 2021 SheBelives Cup, they have earned their fourth championship in this tournament. Lavelle won MVP, and Rapinoe led the tournament with seven goals. This tournament was a great introduction for the new head coach, Vlatko Adonovski, before the upcoming Olympic games starting in July.