Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Naeher lead the USWNT to more important wins in the SheBelieves Cup

There wasn’t a deluge of rain like there was the last time the U.S. women’s soccer team played Canada. And there weren’t the same stakes as that matchup in the Gold Cup semifinals, since the SheBelieves Cup is just a friendly tournament.

But there was no lack of theater, as is so often the case when the rivals meet. Interim manager Twila Kilgore’s time in charge closed Tuesday with the Americans’ second penalty-kick shootout triumph over their perennial rival in a month after a 2-2 tie.

Here are some takeaways from the tournament, in which the U.S. beat Japan, 2-1, on Saturday before Tuesday’s finale:

It’s not the biggest headline, but since we just mentioned Alyssa Naeher, let’s stick with her. The repeated penalty-kick heroics put her well beyond reach of the rest of the U.S. goalkeeper pool.

The 35-year-old Penn State product isn’t perfect these days, as the mishap on Canada’s opening goal showed. But she shows up time and again in the biggest moments, and as the Olympics draw nearer, that’s the best thing the Americans can ask for.

Naeher made three saves in this shootout and the Gold Cup one. And it was the third straight shootout in which she scored from the spot, going back to last year’s World Cup. That’s an amazing feat by any soccer standard.

“It’s incredible, you guys,” Kilgore said. “Is it not incredible?”

Yes, it is.

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This might be the biggest individual headline. Kilgore had previously played Jaedyn Shaw as a left winger, a position the 19-year-old has worked in plenty for the U.S. and the San Diego Wave. But she has the talent to play the most prestigious position of all, the central attacking playmaking spot, and she did so in the last two games.

Against Japan, Shaw started at the No. 10 role and played the first 63 minutes. Against Canada, she started on the left, moved to the middle at halftime when Mallory Swanson entered, then departed in the 75th.

It was no coincidence that Sophia Smith scored both of the Americans’ goals. vs. Canada with Shaw in the marquee spot. Shaw had the formal assist on the first with a short pass, then set up the second by springing eventual assister Trinity Rodman on a break.

If the Olympic team was picked right now, Shaw would be a lock — and, as Kilgore noted, she’s still just getting started.

“While the world has said, ‘Yes, she’s here and she’s arrived’ — and I agree, she’s doing a great job — be patient,” Kilgore said Monday. “Because there’s more, a lot more for her.”

» READ MORE: Jaedyn Shaw brings the future to the present as the USWNT’s new teenage phenom

When the U.S. fell in the Olympic semifinals three years ago, the rest of the world wanted to believe its era of dominance was ending. When the U.S. fell shockingly in the World Cup round of 16 last year, the rest of the world actually started to believe it.

But beneath all the ruckus, a few quiet voices offered a warning: no, the Americans weren’t done yet. Now that warning is coming true — not all the way, but with real progress.

Catarina Macario and Swanson have returned. Shaw and Sam Coffey have arrived. Alex Morgan scores enough, and when she doesn’t she willingly takes a pounding. Lindsey Horan has grown fully into the captaincy, on and off the field.

Tierna Davidson and Naomi Girma form the long-awaited centerback pairing. Jenna Nighswonger is real left-back depth who’s been even longer-awaited. Rose Lavelle and Lynn Williams will be back from injuries soon, though Midge Purce and Mia Fishel are out long-term with torn ACLs.

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Olivia Moultrie and Korbin Albert likely won’t make the Olympic team, but have much talent for the future (though Albert must regain trust after her transphobic and homophobic social media activity). So do 16-year-old Lily Yohannes and 21-year-old Eva Gaetino, who got a taste of the big time this month, though they didn’t play in games.

“They’re right where they’re supposed to be,” Kilgore said of Yohannes and Gaetino. “They’re learning everything that goes on around the hotel, in [the] classroom, and on the field. … They both have indicated that they felt like they have gotten a lot out of this, and I know they’re both hopeful that they will be coming back.”

That last line was music to U.S. fans’ ears, as the team duels with the Netherlands to win Yohannes’ official commitment.

The world has caught up to the most successful team in women’s soccer history, no doubt. Spain will enter the Olympics as the undoubted favorite to become the first nation to win gold as reigning World Cup champion, and host France will be favored for a deep run.

But don’t expect to see the sport say too much against the U.S. on the way to Paris. Since the shocking Gold Cup loss to a Mexico team they thought too little of, the Americans’ new young stars have rallied past Japan, beaten Colombia, and Brazil, and topped Canada twice on penalty kicks.

A new generation has officially joined its predecessors in knowing what it means to play every game to its last inch.

“Something that we’ve historically said in the [U.S. Soccer] Federation is we’ll always find a way,” Kilgore said, “and I think you can see there’s a real belief that no matter what the situation is, we can overcome it. Ideally, we’re not putting ourselves in these situations, but it happens sometimes, and I think this is [a] really good growing moment.”

» READ MORE: Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson celebrate their long-awaited returns to the USWNT

It’s a line Kilgore says often, and did again Tuesday. Union manager Jim Curtin says it often, too. Sometimes it’s an aside, and sometimes it’s emphasized, but it always matters.

“Everything you see on the pitch,” Kilgore said, “is all credit to the players.”

American soccer has long put too much value on a manager’s impact on a team. Yes, the boss picks the lineup, and if that goes wrong, it’s their fault. But once kickoff arrives, it’s on the players to execute. There are no timeouts, no called plays, no sideline whiteboards. All the teaching is done in practice, then the coach must let go.

“From a tactical standpoint, we go through every scenario that we think could happen, and we talk through all the what-ifs, but, ultimately, they’re the ones that make decisions on the field,” Kilgore said. “That’s why we train the way we do, so they can go ahead and make the decisions — and then it’s not easy to execute at this level, and they have to execute as well. And so when I say all credit to the players, I mean all credit to the players.”

Kilgore now returns to the assistant role she had before, as Emma Hayes will take the helm in June. A tip of the cap from here for her success, and her perspective.

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