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In what many viewed as a potential preview of the 2027 Women's World Cup final, the U.S. women's national team faced Spain on Saturday in an international friendly. The reigning world champions handed the 2024 Olympic gold medalists a 2–0 defeat in a performance that USWNT head coach Emma Hayes deemed simply not up to standard.
"I'm frustrated. I'm disappointed, but I'm not deterred," Hayes said following the match in Washington, D.C.
The Americans will have an opportunity for redemption, heading north to host Spain in Philadelphia on Tuesday for a second straight friendly. Hayes has identified several areas where she expects her side to show marked improvement.
The No. 2-ranked Americans were caught off guard and found themselves two goals down to No. 1 Spain within the opening 14 minutes. The opener—arriving less than three minutes in—was a long-range effort from Spanish midfielder Patri Guijarro from around 30 yards out, which flew past Claudia Dickey and into the side-netting. The defensive line had drifted away from Guijarro in the build-up, and the USWNT midfield similarly failed to close her down.
While it was an exceptional strike from distance, the Stars and Stripes had been forewarned of the danger before kickoff. "[You have to] get pressure on the ball outside of the box," Hayes said on TNT Sports after the defeat. "We warned our team: if you play up, turn it over, don't get pressure, they finish."
💥 ¡¡𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗝𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗭𝗢𝗢𝗢!!
¡@Patri8Guijarro adelanta a España con un golazo marca de la casa!
🇺🇸 0-1 🇪🇸 | 3'
📺 @teledeporte.#JugarLucharYGanar pic.twitter.com/s1UO1iJzZT
The second goal was yet another instance of an unmarked attacker and a breakdown in communication, as Spanish winger Eva Navarro ran unchallenged into the box to connect with a lofted cross at the back post. From that point on, the USWNT was unable to mount a comeback—despite generating 10 shots on target, earning a penalty kick, and showing plenty of determination.
"You can't afford to go two goals down against the best team in the world, especially the way we conceded the goals," Hayes remarked.
The silver lining for Hayes is that everything that went wrong against Spain came down to fine details rather than anything structural or tactical, meaning a swift turnaround is very much within reach.
'Details'—Hayes Pinpoints Necessary Improvements Ahead of Redemption Match
The last time the USWNT had played together was back in June, when they defeated Brazil 1–0 in an international friendly. Part of the challenge for the USWNT over the weekend was simply reconvening and readjusting to the international stage. The back four of Avery Patterson, Kennedy Wesley, Tierna Davidson, and Emily Fox were, in fact, lining up together for the very first time. Now that they've had that experience, conditions should naturally improve come Tuesday, according to Hayes.
"You can work through all the details at this level, but you have to experience it," she said.
Defensively, however, the USWNT still needs to sharpen their spatial awareness. Hayes highlighted Spain's second goal in particular. "If you are locking up in a man-to-man, you have to be goal side," she explained. After Davidson was beaten too easily in the corner by Salma Paralluelo for the cross, Patterson was left trying to mark two players simultaneously, while Wesley found herself caught in no man's land.
"The two goals weren't directly a result of them playing through us or breaking us down," USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps analyzed after the match. "They had quality in their finishes, but it was almost due to our lack of not stepping to the ball, or maybe us giving them a transition moment and obviously a back-post cross that maybe we can prevent."
Going forward, the USWNT was wasteful with their opportunities. They walked away scoreless despite registering 13 total shots and posting an xG of 3.0. The Americans repeatedly broke in behind the Spanish defense and even controlled extended spells of the match; however, they struggled to deliver when it counted most. Spain, by contrast, scored twice from their first two chances and claimed a comfortable win with just a 0.68 xG.
"That's the efficiency I'm talking about," Hayes told reporters, pointing to Spain's output. "... Did I think we did enough to score a goal? Of course I did. Did we do enough to score more than one? Absolutely. We just didn't necessarily make the right decisions and execute the quality."
USWNT star striker Sophia Wilson even put the ball in the net in the 53rd minute, only to be ruled out for offside following a VAR review. Teammate Trinity Rodman had a golden opportunity in front of goal just five minutes later but awkwardly directed her shot straight at the goalkeeper.
"We weren't clinical at all in the final third," Rodman said after the game. "I also take accountability for that. I think my touches were not good enough in front of goal."
When Wilson was brought down inside the box in the 67th minute, teammate Lily Yohannes stepped up to take the spot kick. The midfielder aimed her effort toward the center of the goal, but it was kept out by Adriana Nanclares.
"That just sort of felt like it's just not going to go in today," Hayes said. "But I don't put those things down to poor luck. I put it down to poor execution, including the penalty."