Everything you need to know about the 2018 SheBelieves Cup

The third annual SheBelieves Cup begins Thursday, and features France, Germany, England and the USWNT. Here’s what you need to know.

The day is finally here. The 2018 SheBelieves Cup kicks off at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, where No. 3 England take No. 6 France at 4 p.m. ET. That’s followed by the much-anticipated No. 1 USA’s match against reigning Olympic champions No. 2 Germany at 7 p.m. ET. Ahead of the third annual tournament, here’s a quick cheat sheet to make sure you’re all ready to witness four of the best women’s soccer countries in the world battle it out over a seven-day period.

England

All eyes will be fixed on the Lionesses coaching staff. In January, Phil Neville was appointed head coach of the women’s team till 2021. The 41-year-old has prior coaching experience with Manchester United, Valencia and at the youth national team levels for England; he also played at the international level. Despite his lengthy resume in the game, this will be his first job as a head coach. Neville is up for quite a big first test as he’ll lead his team against three of the top opponents in the world.

Expect to see a shift in formation. Out with the old and in with the new seems to be the trend for England under the new leadership of Neville. According to BBC Sport, Neville hopes to implement a similar style to that of Manchester City and Chelsea, who play a possession-focused style and build out of the back as opposed to a kick-and-run, long ball game.

England were dealt a tough card with injuries to Steph Houghton, Jordan Nobbs and Karen Carney, but Neville called on some familiar faces, Houston Dash’s Rachel Daly and City’s Abbie McManus and Georgia Stanway, as their replacements.

France

Dare I say underdogs? France are ranked lowest of the four teams in sixth, but there’s no writing them off, especially in their first match against England. France defeated the Lionesses 1-0 in October thanks to a late Viviane Asseyi goal, so come Thursday afternoon they do have that chip on their shoulder.

A player to watch will most certainly be Amandine Henry. Henry is a player known worldwide for her time in the U.S. for the 2017 NWSL champions, the Portland Thorns, along with her long, decorated career with Les Bleues.

Last year it was hard to picture France without center-back Wendie Renard. At the 2017 SheBelieves Cup Renard was a key player in every game, stopping the world’s best attackers but also scoring goals on set-pieces. Her athleticism and leadership will be absent from Les Bleues’ roster in the tournament, which will mean the pressure will be on Henry, along with other veterans, to hold down the fort.

Next: SheBelieves Cup will go differently for the USWNT this year

Germany

With two World Cup victories and an Olympic gold medal, the Germans are ready to claim that No. 1 FIFA ranking. Germany return 14 players from the roster they took to the last SheBelieves Cup. They’ll be hungry to defeat the USWNT in the opening game after last year’s 1-0 loss.

Dzsenifer Marozsán will be the player to watch for. Marozsán is a midfielder for Germany who’s also known for her time with France’s Olympique Lyonnais (where she plays with Amandine Henry and the USWNT’s Morgan Brian). Marozsán is a goalscorer by nature and will be looking to make a impact this year after scoring 32 goals in 81 games for the national team.

It will be interesting to see what the identity of this team is after the tournament. Germany have had a successful run in their last 12 matches, going 9-2-1, but this weekend will be a test of Germany’s attack (they only scored twice in last year’s tournament).

USA

While the USWNT hold that No. 1 spot, Jill Ellis’ squad has a lot of work to do after last year’s SheBelieves Cup. The Americans finished in last place and put on an underwhelming performance in what fans everywhere were hoping would be a turnaround showing after the 2016 Rio Olympics. The squad is in for a difficult task in its first outing, against Germany. The USWNT are 21-4-7 all-time against the Germans.

Several known faces on the USWNT roster will be out from the tournament with injuries. Co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn is out of commission due to a stress reaction in her foot, midfielder Tobin Heath is still sidelined as she recovers from ankle surgery, midfielder Samantha Mewis won’t lace up for the USWNT due to a knee injury. These three faces are all ones fans, players and coaches everywhere are used to seeing in red, white and blue. Sauerbrunn and Mewis are the only two players who started every single game for the USWNT in 2017. Ellis has no choice but to stick to her words and invest in youth.

If Carli Lloyd has herself a tournament, she could be among just one of six USWNT players to reach the 100-goal milestone. Lloyd currently sits at 98 goals.