CHICAGO – Back in the fall of 2022, both Korbin Albert and Eva Gaetino donned Notre Dame uniforms and won the ACC’s Midfielder and Defender of the Year, respectively. Then Albert pursued her pro dreams and signed with European giant PSG. A year later, Gaetino followed suit after four years in South Bend and signed with PSG as well, adding another American to the roster. Then Albert caught the eye of the USWNT and interim head coach Twila Kilgore. The rest was history as Albert started all but one match in the Gold Cup and helped lead the U.S. squad to victory.
Keeping with this duo’s trajectory and friendship, Gaetino will once again follow along as she earned her first roster invite with the USWNT. On March 26, Coach Kilgore announced the 23-player roster for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, taking place on April 6 and 9 in Atlanta and Columbus, respectively. Albert, now a mainstay, is once again on the squad, but Gaetino will now join her and get her first look.
Gaetino scored her first professional goal on March 20, and it was a big one, helping PSG defeat Swedish club Hacken, 2-1, in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal series. Gaetino became the youngest American ever to score in the knockout stages of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. She spent time most recently with the U.S. Under-23 Women’s Youth National Team in early 2023, earning call-ups in February and March of that year.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
All four teams come into the tournament ranked in the top 10 in the world, all competed in last year’s SheBelieves Cup tournament and all four have qualified for the 2024 Olympics. Due to the change in FIFA competition windows and the staging of the Concacaf W Gold Cup in February and March, the format of the SheBelieves Cup also changes this year. While there will still be four participants, there will be four matches instead of the usual six and the teams will play Semifinals (April 6), a Third-Place Match and the Championship (April 9). The format will return to three doubleheaders in 2025.
In the Semifinals on April 6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the USA (#4) will face Japan (#7) at 12:30 p.m. ET (TNT, Universo, Max & Peacock) and Brazil (#10) will take on Canada (#9) at 3:30 p.m. ET (Universo, Max & Peacock).
The four nations will then travel to Columbus, Ohio with Lower.com Field hosting the final two games of the tournament at 4 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET on April 9 as the Semifinal winners play in the Championship and the losers play in the Third-Place Match. The USA will play in the 7 p.m. ET time slot (TBS, Universo, Max & Peacock) whether it is playing in Championship or Third-Place Match, and the other game will be at 4 p.m. ET (TBS, Universo, Max & Peacock).
U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB) – 2024 SHEBELIEVES CUP
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS (8): Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC), Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Tierna Davidson (NY/NJ Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (NY/NJ Gotham FC)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (AFC Ajax, NED)
FORWARDS (6): Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)
“The opportunities to play Japan and Brazil or Canada are always exciting and meaningful, and each team brings different strengths and challenges,” added Kilgore. “With these two games, we are now three games into a five-game stretch against teams that have also qualified for the Olympics. So the timing of this event and getting to face these opponents is incredibly valuable while we both continue to assess and prepare for the Olympics. Everyone also wants to put their best foot forward not only for country and self but knowing that Emma will join us soon.”
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