It was an up-and-down SheBelieves Cup for the U.S. women's national team, with the hosts finishing second to England and winning just one of their three matches. But let's face it: the SheBelieves Cup doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's a tournament of glorified friendlies and, although winning it would've been nice, the results are only secondary.

Rather, the SheBelieves Cup offered important insight into which players can help the USWNT defend their World Cup title in France this summer and which players may miss out altogether. Every game the USWNT plays between now and June is about one thing: Who looks ready to help the U.S. win a World Cup?

To that end, here is a look at whose stock on the USWNT went up and who saw their chance of factoring into the World Cup team slip further away.

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▲ Samantha Mewis, midfielder, North Carolina Courage

Coming into the SheBelieves Cup, it appeared that USWNT manager Jill Ellis just simply didn't rate Mewis very highly. Mewis' last start had been in October, due to Ellis rotating her entire roster during World Cup qualifying, and her last start before that was in June.

Then, when box-to-box midfielder Lindsey Horan was injured before the SheBelieves Cup, it seemed that Mewis would've been the ideal like-for-like switch. Instead, Ellis surprised everyone by asking winger Mallory Pugh to fill in, further suggesting Mewis isn't in Ellis' plans. But after an injury to playmaker Rose Lavelle, Mewis finally got her start in the last game of the tournament, and she bossed the central midfield.

Mewis proved she could provide what the USWNT had been missing in its first two games, which was a ball-winning, physical presence that allowed the U.S. to control possession. Going forward she was potent too, using deft one-touch passes to open up the field and spark counterattacks. She had a couple dangerous chances she couldn't put on target, but she was undoubtedly a bright spot.

▲ Becky Sauerbrunn, defender, Utah Royals

The U.S. women are supposed to have a lot depth and, on paper, they do. With Sauerbrunn out for the first two games with minor knee inflammation, it seemed that Abby Dahlkemper and Tierna Davidson should be fine to take over the center back pairing – after all, both those players have been go-to starters under Ellis for the past 18 months.

But when the USWNT defense faced English and Japanese attacks designed to pull the Americans out of their shape, a Sauerbrunn-sized hole emerged along the back line. The USWNT wasn't just missing Sauerbrunn's positioning and ability to read plays – there was an obvious leadership vacuum that led to miscommunication and sloppy mistakes. When Sauerbrunn stepped in against Brazil, the U.S. back line looked better, and Sauerbrunn's vocal style of directing play was clearly a factor.

The current USWNT back line is not the same one that went 540 minutes without conceding a goal in the 2015 World Cup – only Sauerbrunn remains from that group. And it's hard to see remotely the same level of success at the 2019 World Cup without her.

View photos Becky Sauerbrunn affected more than just her own stock at the SheBelieves Cup. (Getty) More

▲ Tobin Heath, forward/midfielder, Portland Thorns

Sometimes it's hard to decide who the USWNT's best attacking player is because the attack is so good. Is it Megan Rapinoe, who scored twice in the SheBelieves Cup and managed to change games all on her own? Is Alex Morgan, whose off-the-ball movement, hold-up play and passing were exceptional, in addition to the goal she scored? Or could it be Christen Press, who off the bench was so effective that Ellis admitted she may be forcing coaches to rethink their starting lineups?

Over the last three games, it was Heath. She scored twice, including an emphatic game-winner against Brazil, and she continually created danger with her ability to bypass back lines through skill and creativity. Heath can drag defenders, open up channels and finish well.

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