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CHESTER, Pa. — In a showdown between elite nations, Spain departed with the honors.
The U.S. women's national team salvaged a 2–2 draw on Tuesday evening against the reigning world champions, courtesy of a late comeback at Subaru Park that nearly snatched a victory for the hosts in the final moments of the contest.
But the final score doesn't capture the full picture. Spain was exceptional, and the USWNT was, frankly, not.
Make no mistake. The No. 2-ranked USWNT deserves credit for overturning a 2–0 halftime deficit—particularly against top-ranked Spain—and securing a respectable result. It was a strong response to the 2–0 defeat the side endured over the weekend in the first friendly against Spain, one celebrated by the deafening roars of a sold-out crowd of 18,648. It also demonstrated that the USWNT can compete with the very best, but what does it truly take to be the very best? With the World Cup just over eight months away, the Stars and Stripes must aim higher.
"[Spain] is the standard," USWNT star midfielder Rose Lavelle said after the match. "They're number one for a reason, and this was a really valuable game for us. It was a great experience for everyone to compete against them."
Spain controlled the rhythm of the match from virtually beginning to end. Particularly in the first half, any offensive surge the USWNT generated in the attacking third felt rushed and short-lived, while Spain's forward play felt composed and inevitable. Even when the USWNT pushed up the field, the disciplined Spanish maintained defensive control (aside from the final 10 minutes). By contrast, whenever Spain attacked, the USWNT was left scrambling to respond.
"[Spain] is the best team in the world," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said post-match. "... We're still developing. We believe we're worthy of being world champions. Our job is to chase them down."
How can the storied USWNT reclaim their place at the top of the world? After the four-time World Cup champions (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019) suffered their earliest-ever exit in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup, the pressure to succeed has never been greater. And it will take more than frantic bursts of energy and late-game comebacks to get there.
The Demeanor of Champions
Just as in Saturday's match, the USWNT found themselves chasing the game early. Both of Spain's goals stemmed from indecision, poor communication and, bluntly, a failure to cover the most threatening areas of the pitch.
Spain broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, as Alexia Putellas drifted unchallenged to the back post for an easy finish from a cross. Salma Paralluelo then doubled the visitors' lead just five minutes later. Left unmarked at the edge of the box, she needed just one touch before slotting a shot past USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Both goals stemmed from a lack of midfield cover, particularly the second, in which USWNT midfielders stood and watched from the center circle rather than tracking Spain's runners into the final third. Defender Tierna Davidson then misjudged her positioning relative to Paralluelo.
"Off the ball, you have to be extremely tight when defending," USWNT starting center back Kennedy Wesley noted after the match. "It only takes one small mental lapse for them to capitalize. The details are absolutely critical."
"[Spain] does such a great job of overloading spaces," she explained. "They'll pack three or four players into a five-yard area, so you can't all get drawn over, but if you give any one of those players enough time and space, they'll make you pay. It's incredibly challenging and something we really struggled with."
👑 ¡Marcó en su partido 𝟭𝟬𝟬 y lo ha vuelto a hacer en el 𝟭𝟱𝟬!
¡𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗗𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗦!
🇺🇸 0-1 🇪🇸 | 28'
📺 @La1_tve.#JugarLucharYGanar pic.twitter.com/zUyGweV18Q
For Wesley, it was a lack of defensive decisiveness that hurt the USWNT most. And it's a mentality that can define or derail champions.
"Whatever we do, we just need to be more decisive," Wesley added. "If we decide we're going zonal [defending], we go zonal. If we're going to press tight, we press tight and don't let them play in behind, avoiding getting caught between two lines."
Fortunately, much of the team's defensive hesitancy can be put down to the back four's unfamiliarity with each other—something that will naturally improve as the World Cup approaches. For instance, prior to this series, Wesley had never been paired with Davidson at center back. Tullis-Joyce was also a new presence in goal for both defenders. Defensive cornerstone Naomi Girma was absent entirely through injury.
"Sometimes those things happen when you don't have the chemistry," Hayes said.
There was hesitancy in attack as well. The only consistent source of drive and creativity throughout the match was winger Ashley Sanchez, who put the USWNT on the scoresheet in the 49th minute in her first start for the team in nearly two years. A composed finish from a tight angle, it was her first international goal since 2022.
Ashley's first goal since 2022 🦅
USWNT x @vw pic.twitter.com/xRuNztkgE5
The other attacking starters were largely ineffective, hesitating on chances rather than committing in the box and taking wayward shots without proper body positioning. It was only the substitutes, particularly Mallory Swanson and Michelle Cooper, who finally matched Sanchez's intensity. Swanson leveled the match with an 86th-minute strike, her first USWNT goal since the 2024 Olympic gold medal match and the birth of her daughter.
There is certainly encouragement to be drawn from the Americans' depth, as well as the long-awaited returns of two key goal scorers. Still, the team must find a way to maintain that decisive edge across all areas of the pitch for the full duration of matches, not only when fighting back from a deficit.
Simply put, the USWNT needs to play like world champions for all 90 minutes. That is the only path to becoming one.