Utah Royals striker Mina Tanaka wins SheBelieves Cup MVP, final with Japan

SAN DIEGO — At a competition with some of the greatest talents in international women's soccer, one Utah Royals player stood out above the rest.

Japanese striker and second-year Utah Royal Mina Tanaka was named SheBelieves Cup MVP Wednesday following her team's 2-1 victory over the U.S. to win the 2025 tournament that also featured Australia and Colombia.

Tanaka was the tournament's leading scorer with four goals and also added three assists over three games. Utah teammate Ally Sentnor was one of four finalists for the MVP award after scoring her first two international goals in the tournament, including the lone U.S. score on Wednesday.

Tanaka did not get on the scoresheet Wednesday but had a brace — two goals — in each of Japan's four-goal outings against Australia and Colombia earlier in the tournament.

Japan ended a five-year streak for the U.S. as champions of the tournament it has hosted since 2016. Sentnor and Utah goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn were on the wrong end of a close loss in their first-ever SheBelieves experience, though McGlynn was left on the bench Wednesday in favor of Houston Dash keeper Jane Campbell.

Tanaka, Sentnor and McGlynn were joined in the tournament by new Royals defender Ana Maria Guzman on the Colombian squad, including back-to-back starts for the 19-year-old in the final two matches.

The quartet now returns to Utah's preseason training camp, with the first match just 17 days away against Bay FC at America First Field on March 15.

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