U.S. Women's Soccer Team Hosting Tournament In Florida And Tennessee
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Some of the best women's soccer teams in the world are coming to Florida.
The Women's World Cup champion U.S. National Team will host a four-team tournament in Tennessee and Florida in March as the team prepares for the Olympics in Brazil this summer.
The SheBelieves Cup will feature the top-ranked United States, world No. 5 England, No. 3 France and No. 2 Germany, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday.
The tournament will feature three doubleheaders. Germany and France will play followed by the United States against England on March 3 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida; then the United States plays France and Germany faces England on March 6 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee; and the tournament wraps up with France against England and the U.S. versus Germany on March 9 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.
The winner of the round-robin tournament will be determined by points.
"To get the chance to play these great teams on home soil is a treat for our fans and extremely valuable in the further evolution of our team," U.S. coach Jill Ellis said in a statement. "These are the kinds of games where you get tested all over the field and can really evaluate players and learn a lot about ourselves."
The tournament is named after the U.S. federation's SheBelieves initiative, which seeks to inspire young girls.
"We have built a great relationship with U.S. Soccer over the years and the sports community responds in numbers every time the national team plays in Nashville," said Tennessee Titans vice president of facilities and game day operations, Bob Flynn.
The U.S. team will host the tournament rather than play in the annual Algarve Cup in Portugal. The United States has taken part in the last 18 consecutive Algarve Cups, and 20 overall.
The United States won its third overall Women's World Cup title last summer. Ellis was named FIFA Women's Coach of the Year and midfielder Carli Lloyd, who had a hat trick in the World Cup final victory over Japan, was named World Player of the Year in ceremonies this week in Zurich.
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