The U.S. women's team will host Canada, Argentina and Colombia in the annual SheBelieves Cup this March.
The round-robin tournament will be played as double-headers in three cities: Nashville, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; and Harrison, New Jersey. The U.S. finale at Sports Illustrated Stadium will include a ceremony for New Jersey native Tobin Heath, a two-time Women's World Cup winner who announced her retirement from soccer last year.
The United States is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, while Canada is No. 10, Colombia is No. 20 and Argentina is No. 30.
"These are three teams that will likely be in the World Cup in 2027 and of course we’ll likely see Canada in World Cup qualifying at the end of the year, so when focusing on our continued preparations and growth as a team, the SheBelieves Cup is of great value,” U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said in a statement announcing the tournament field Wednesday. “Each team brings different strengths and will challenge us to find success in all parts of the field, which is exactly what we need as we continue our process to build toward the big events on the horizon.”
Canada will play Colombia followed by the United States against Argentina on March 1 in Nashville at GEODIS Park. On March 4, Argentina plays Colombia and the United States plays Canada at Miracle-Gro Field in Columbus. The tournament wraps up in New Jersey on March 7 with Canada against Argentina and the United States playing Colombia.
The U.S. has won seven of the 11 SheBelieves Cup tournaments. Japan won last year's event.
“This competition is a fantastic opportunity to once again measure ourselves against high-quality opponents who are all likely to be at the 2027 World Cup," Canada coach Casey Stoney said. "The SheBelieves Cup has served as a great test for our group in previous years and we’re thrilled to be able to return for another chance to win the competition. Each team brings a different style which will pose a challenge and ultimately prepare us to become the team we need to be.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - United States forward Michelle Cooper celebrates her first international goal with her teammates during the second half of a group stage match in the SheBelieves Cup women's soccer tournament against Australia, in Glendale, Ariz., Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Samantha Chow, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center was running out of options Friday evening to keep President Donald Trump's name on the facade of the iconic performing arts venue.
A judge earlier in the afternoon rejected a request to pause a court-ordered deadline of Friday to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the Kennedy Center's operations. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.
Scaffolding was erected earlier in the day around a section of the building that includes Trump's name. After a round of storms passed Friday evening, multiple workers were back at the scene further building out the scaffolding in an apparent effort to prepare for removing the letters referencing the president.
Dozens of people gathered in the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center taking pictures and cheering occasionally as workers built the scaffolding.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump's name was quickly added to the building.
In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center's name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
The Kennedy Center's leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump's speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.
“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”
Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump's name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper's initial ruling.
A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump's name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.
Associated Press journalists Anna Johnson, Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Workers construct scaffolding at the sign for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers erect scaffolding in front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Workers construct scaffolding below the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers erect scaffolding in front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A worker sits on scaffolding at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
