Hayes believes the key to a strong national team is a large pool of players with experience playing for both the senior team and at the U-23 level.
Japan handed the United States its first loss under coach Emma Hayes with a 2-1 victory Wednesday in the SheBelieves Cup title game.
GLENDALE, Ariz — Lynn Biyendolo scored 42 seconds into the match and the United States beat Australia 2-1 on Sunday in the SheBelieves Cup. Michelle Cooper scored her first international goal in her second appearance for the U.S., which improved to 2-0 in the four-team round-robin tournament.