The USWNT opened the 2026 campaign with a dominant 6-0 thrashing of Paraguay as a young lineup showed they can represent the Stars and Stripes in dominant fashion. The six goals will get a lot of attention and rightfully so, with a brace from Ally Sentnor, Trinity Rodman finding the net, and Croix Bethune creating an own goal and scoring one of her own the team opened up in the second half and put Paraguay away easily. However, defensively the Stars and Stripes only allowed two touches in their own box
and kept possession to the tune of 69%.
The team will now set their sights on another South American foe as Chile visits Santa Barbara, California for the final January friendly. Chile will be bringing a roster with all players featuring in the domestic league and several key names absent. The team is battling to win a chance to qualify for the World Cup and will be facing Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay in April. Taking on the USA will allow them to be tested against stiff competition for those crucial qualification matches.
As far as what to expect from La Roja, the team typically lines up in a 4-3-3 and wants to possess the ball. That might be a tall order against the Americans who had no problem dispossessing Paraguay and easily winning the possession battle. Their best chance of getting through against the USA will likely come on the counter or by capitalizing on a mistake. Chile will have their work cut out for them against an aggressive American team with a roster full of players looking to make an impression.
With a young group of players looking for experience, Emma Hayes will likely heavily rotate her squad if not play an entirely new XI for the match. That would mean starts for Yazmeen Ryan, Emma Sears, and a look at Claudia Dickey or possibly a Jordan Silkowitz debut in goal. Those players will be asked to implement Hayes’ system and possess the ball effectively, rotate positionally to create overloads in the attack, and continue the defensive solidity through organization and a relentless press.
In the end, the USA will be favorites and the game will largely be in their hands. The roster has the talent to put forward another impressive performance and Hayes’ expectations will be for nothing less. It will also be a chance for younger players to push for further involvement in the senior team as the manager narrows down the roster ahead of World Cup qualification.
