On this soccer edition of The IX Sports Podcast, host Kathleen Gier previews the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, which starts this Sunday. She runs through the schedule, discusses the U.S. women’s national team roster and shares a few recordings from coach Emma Hayes’ last press conference addressing her call-ups.
Gier starts the show with a quick run-down of Annie Peterson’s article for The IX Sports about Ally (Watt) Brazier and her decision to join the NWSL expansion club in Denver. Then, she jumped right in to talking about the SheBelieves Cup, where the US will face Argentina, Canada and Colombia.
“This should be a pretty well-rounded tournament, a good test for the US before they go and face Japan for those three matches, and as they continue to kind of hone in on this roster and kind of see what’s going to work for the US going forward,” Gier said.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
Then, she moved on to the roster, breaking it down by position and calling out specific players like Jameese Joseph that she is excited to watch throughout this tournament. She also shared some thoughts from coach Hayes, who spoke about utilizing Joseph at the nine position while waiting for some other contenders to return to the mix.
“I also love to hear that James is pushing for her opportunity at the nine,” Gier said. “I think she could be a really great presence up there and help create a lot of opportunities for this team.”
Make sure to subscribe to The IX Sports Podcast for in-depth coverage of women’s soccer, hockey and basketball; and tune in each weekday morning for a quick overview of the biggest headlines on Women’s Sports Daily.
What you missed on Women’s Sports Daily: WNBA sets hard deadline on CBA negotiations