A narrow victory like the U.S. women’s national team’s 1-0 win over Canada on Wednesday can often leave players wanting more.
But for head coach Emma Hayes, it was the best place for the team to be following its second match of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup.
“I love winning football matches like this, still on a knife edge at one-nil,” Hayes said.
Despite facing its longtime rival, the U.S.’s primary foe in Columbus, Ohio, was more so itself than Canada, as several rushed passes led to missed chances. Otherwise, the USWNT dominated over two-thirds of possession and outshot Canada threefold with 18 attempts to six. By the time Canada earned its second corner, the U.S. already had 10.