TAMPA, Florida — Tobin Heath scored in the first half and the United States finished the SheBelieves Cup with a 1-0 victory over Brazil on Tuesday night.
It was the final game of the four-team, round-robin tournament played in three cities. England defeated Japan 3-0 in the early game at Raymond James Stadium on Tuesday to win the SheBelieves Cup title.
All four teams are in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings and will play in the World Cup in France later this year. The Americans, ranked No. 1, are the defending champions of football’s most prestigious tournament.
The United States played to a 2-2 draw with Japan in the tournament opener in Chester, Pennsylvania, and then tied England 2-2 in Nashville on Saturday. Brazil, ranked No. 10, lost all three of its matches.
Alyssa Naeher, the presumed U.S. starter in goal for the World Cup, injured her shoulder in the opener against Japan. Adrianna Franch got her first cap for the United States in the draw against England.
But on Tuesday, coach Jill Ellis opted to start goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, who is a Florida native. Harris stopped a free kick from Orlando Pride teammate Marta late in the match.
The United States went ahead 1-0 in the 20th minute when Heath buried a rebound while Brazil’s goalkeeper was out of position. It was Heath’s 27th international goal.
Alex Morgan remained one goal away from reaching 100 for her career, which will tie her with Tiffeny Milbrett for sixth on the team’s career list. She had a header in the 73rd minute that she lofted just wide.
Morgan led the team with 18 goals last year and she has 26 goals over her last 30 national team matches.
Earlier Tuesday, England scored all three goals in the first 30 minutes and got the shutout over Japan to win the tournament title on points.
The United States will continue its 10-match tour in preparation for the World Cup next month, when the team faces Australia in Commerce City, Colorado, on April 4 and Belgium in Los Angeles on April 7. The Americans open World Cup group play on June 11 against Thailand.
England and Japan play in the same group in France and meet again on June 19.
Story: Anne M. Peterson
