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…