MATCH PREVIEW: CanWNT 🇨🇦 aims to avenge USWNT defeat in SheBelieves Cup rematch: 'We're in a better place now'
The latest chapter in the fierce rivalry between the CanWNT and the USWNT goes down this week, as both sides are set to meet in the second game of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup in Columbus on Wednesday.
Naturally, as is typically the case when these teams play each other, this promises to be a good matchup, too, one that sets the tone for what’s to come for both sides this year.
GOAL 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 1, 2026
VANESSA GILLES HEADER OFF A CORNER ALERT 🚨
The CanWNT 🇨🇦 go up 1-0 over Colombia 🇨🇴 from this signature goal routine – and that's more like it! 😎
🔴 Watch SheBelieves Cup LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/li4VMOVbXy
While the head-to-head record in this series is dominated by the US, Canada always plays competitively against this American team, and that should hopefully be the case once again on Wednesday. Certainly, there will be big questions if Canada struggles against this US side, who are ranked second in the world, especially after how the last meeting between these two teams went.
In that match, which was played in Washington on July 2nd of last year, Canada was heavily dominated by the US in a 3-0 defeat, as the US cruised to victory off the back of two first-half goals. Plus, even more worryingly for Canada, they never seemed close to competing with the US in that game, either, as they were outshot 22-7 and held just 34% possession, losing the xG battle 2.84 to 0.6 (xG numbers via WyScout).
It’d have been one thing if Canada lost 3-0 but put in a good performance, one where they generated quality chances but let themselves down with bad finishing and some poor defending. Instead, it felt like they were never in that match, with the 3-0 scoreline proving to be flattering, if anything, reflecting their massive struggles on both sides of the ball on the day.
What should CanWNT 🇨🇦 fans expect to see tomorrow night vs. the USWNT 🇺🇸 at the SheBelieves Cup? 👀
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 3, 2026
"Put your best foot forward. I never said win, but put in a performance you can be proud of and gain momentum off of." pic.twitter.com/hZL3RGotOX
Because of that, no matter what happens in this upcoming match, it feels like a response is coming from Canada, as they know they can’t have a second straight performance like that against their rivals.
“Yeah, I think the last (US) game was a tough one for many reasons,” Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles said ahead of this matchup. “I think the first two that stick out, one, obviously, the game took place a few days after Canada Day, so in terms of pride, that was definitely a hurtful one to walk away with a big loss.”
“Then, secondly, we got scored on two set pieces, which is something that we really pride ourselves on (being good at), and something we gain a lot of confidence from in the game, so right from the get-go, getting scored on, it made it hard for all of us to get our flow.”
Therefore, as a key emotional leader on this team, Gilles knows that pressure will be on veterans like her to lead the way when it comes to fashioning that response.
GOAL 🇺🇸#USWNT go up 1-0 over #CanWNT 🇨🇦 as Sam Coffey gets on the end of a free kick delivery and finishes in front of goal 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Y1RGVLlcvk
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 2, 2025
Another reason that the US defeat was so surprising was that Canada’s average age of their starting XI was actually two years older than the US’s, as the Americans employed a relatively young and experimental side on the day, whereas Canada went with a more experienced team.
Safe to say that for some of the veterans who played in that game, such as Gilles, that’ll have stuck with them as they’ve prepared for this match, and for good reason.
“US-Canada games are always incredibly physical,” Gilles continued. “And a game that both sides take a lot of pride in being able to represent your country for, and to play in, and I think the game tomorrow is going to be no exception to that.”
“Of course, both teams have new players, who bring new experiences to this kind of rivalry, and they get new exposure to that emotion that comes with it, so it's up to the veterans as well to prepare those players for that, and also up to us to show that intensity and lead with that intensity to bring the whole team with us.”
GOAL 🇺🇸🇺🇸
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 3, 2025
Claire Hutton makes it 2-0 for the #USWNT as the #CanWNT 🇨🇦 fail to defend another set piece 😔 pic.twitter.com/uUC1Hd1eRC
The good news for Canada? They enter this game in a much better place than where they were just weeks ago, as they snapped a five-game winless run (which actually began with that 3-0 US defeat last July), in a commanding 4-1 win over Colombia in their SheBelieves Cup opener on Sunday.
It wasn’t a perfect performance for Canada, who still wanted to be more dangerous in open play and frustratingly threw away their clean sheet late, but they were otherwise very good in the other areas of their game, doing well to stick to their identity.
Because of that, the mood in this team is much improved ahead of this US game, as one can only imagine the sort of internal pressure they’d have been under if they were entering the match riding a six-game losing streak.
At the same time, while they’re in good spirits, this team knows that the Colombia win is just the start of what they need to do. While Colombia are a solid opponent, this US team is a different calibre of team, one that will cause all sorts of problems for Canada if they’re not sharp enough on both sides of the ball - last July proved that.
As a result, Canada is looking to take the positives from the Colombia game, while sharpening the areas where they weren’t as good, knowing that they’ll need a step up in a big way to compete with this American side.
“It’s going to be an extremely competitive game,” Canadian head coach Casey Stoney said. “I believe we're in a better place now than we were when we played against them last time. The group is obviously bringing the confidence into this game off the back of the (win in the) last game, but knowing that we need to step up, as it’s going to be a far more difficult test.”
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 1, 2026
And that's 4-1 for the CanWNT vs. Colombia 🇨🇴 as Nichelle Prince gets on the scoresheet with this first-time finish 😎
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/aOMyTareot
For example, one big area of focus in this match will be the way Canada handles the ball, as they struggled in possession last July. In that match, they were too careless with the ball, completing 80.28% of their 289 passes - the US, by comparison, completed 88.04% of their 560 passes (via WyScout).
In particular, Canada struggled to play forward, too, as they completed just 63.55% of their 107 forward passes, whereas the US completed 77.78% of their 162 forward passes, showing Canada’s struggles to move the ball up the pitch.
The US’s press deserves some credit for disrupting Canada’s play in possession, as they had a PPDA (passes allowed per defensive action) of 7.9, which suggests that they were outstanding in their pressing, but Canada also played themselves into trouble on far too many occasions.
GOAL 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 3, 2025
Yazmeen Ryan makes it 3-0 for the #USWNT vs #CanWNT 🇨🇦 as this game wraps up with another gut-punch pic.twitter.com/7TRYOrlCxC
Considering those turnovers helped create some of the US’s best chances, not only did Canada’s struggles on the ball limit their attacking players, but it also put their defensive players under additional pressure, which is a double-whammy.
Because of that, Stoney has made sure to hammer home the idea that Canada needs to be sharper and faster on the ball in this game, or else they’re in for another long night. Against Colombia, they did a much better job of building up and progressing the ball, which was good to see, so they’ll now look to build on what worked for them in that one, while still cranking up the speed and sharpness of that possession play to a whole other level.
“Speed of play is going to be really important, speed of decisions, speed of the way we progress the ball,” Stoney explained. “We know that if they win it, they can go quickly, so where we play, how we play, and how we make sure that we're clean in terms of turnovers is going to be really important, as well.”
“But I think we’ve just got to build on some of the good stuff we did against Colombia, and we've got to now go to the next level and do it against the next level of opponent.”
From there, Canada will hope to be much more dangerous in the US’s half, while returning to the solidity they’re known for defensively - but they know that what they do on the ball is the key to making it all click for them.
Then, if they can combine that all with the right level of attitude and intensity, one befitting of such a rivalry match, they’ll give themselves every chance of getting a result.
No matter how this one plays out, though, look for them to make the most of this opportunity to test themselves against an elite side, as they feel this could be a key inflection point for them as a team.
With some big competitive games coming up in the fall at the Concacaf Championships, this is a good chance for Canada to see where they’re at in their journey under Stoney, as they look to put their tough end to 2025 behind them.
Was last year’s heavy loss against the US just a one-off? Or is it a sign of the new normal?
Canada feels it’s just the former, which is a justifiable feeling based on paper, but things move fast in this sport, so it’s up to Canada to prove they can still compete with the top sides in the world going forward - and no better way to do that than in this game against their neighbours.
“The US is a rival, and currently are probably the best (team) in the world,” Gilles said. “We know that what we did against Colombia isn't going to be enough to get a result against the US, but we know that we have the quality to do it, and we know what we need to tweak.”
“Going into a qualifying year, it's also about focusing on us, focusing on the steps that we need to take to be where we need to be, which starts now.”
