The USWNT's five-year reign as SheBelieves Cup champions ended on Wednesday, but there are reasons to be optimistic for the team's future

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USWNT coach Emma Hayes played down the significance of the team's first loss since she took charge last year, when going down 2-1 to Japan in the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday.

The USWNT didn't win its sixth straight SheBelieves Cup, but for Emma Hayes, that's not what this year is about.

The 10th SheBelieves Cup could hardly have gone better for Emma Hayes and the U.S. women's national team. Yeah, sure, beating Japan in the de facto final would have been cool -- “We want to win,” Hayes says (duh!

Japan won the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over the U.S. women's national team, handing the hosts their first loss since Emma Hayes took over as head coach in June. The visitors got off to a quick start by scoring just two minutes into the game,

The first defeat for Emma Hayes since taking the USWNT job was a disappointing one, snapping their run of five straight SheBelieves Cup titles, but the experience will help as this team builds towards the next World Cup.

Despite a 2-1 loss to Japan, Emma Hayes remains optimistic about the USWNT's future, highlighting squad progress and promising development toward the World Cup.

The Americans fell behind 2-1 in the 50th minute and were unable to forge a comeback and suffered their first loss since last February.

If the SheBelieves Cup was an opportunity to get a gage on Emma Hayes' rebuild, Sunday's win showed that the USWNT are right on track.

Toko Koga scored early in the second half to help Japan hand the United States its first loss under coach Emma ... as Hayes looks to develop goalkeepers after Alyssa Naeher’s retirement last year. Support timely, comprehensive news. Times of San Diego ...