The United States Women’s National Team got off to a fine start in 2026, thrashing Paraguay 6-0 in their first friendly of the year. Of course, in a throttling like that, with 4 goals in a very short span in the second half, there are a lot of positive takeaways, so let’s right to them:
Captain Trinity Rodman
After making just one appearance for the United States Women’s National Team in 2025, Trinity Rodman made her much anticipated return in what was a very good week for the young superstar. After inking an extension
with NWSL side Washington Spirit that made her the highest paid women’s footballer on the planet, she took the pitch in Los Angeles with USWNT and did so as Captain, for the first time ever. In true Rodman fashion she did end up scoring in this match, adding the cherry onto what was already a really special occasion but what we really learned from this match was that Rodman is definitely ready for more responsibility.
You could see her vocally coaching up her teammates all throughout the first half of the match, as well as leading by example. It really did show that underneath all of the TikTok dances and light-hearted answers to media, there’s a hunger for greatness and a desire to do anything needed to help the USWNT sustain the dominance it has built.
The pool is actually an ocean
One of the really big changes for the USWNT under Emma Hayes has been the effort to really expand the talent pool for the U.S. In her 31 matches in charge, 30 players have seen their first-ever caps, and yesterday was no different as three players made their USWNT senior team debuts. Seattle Reign pair Sally Menti and Maddie Dahlien as well as Portland Thorns forward Reilyn Turner all made their first Caps for the National Team, with Turner joining a pretty long list of players to have also scored on their debuts with a goal at the end of the first half that seemed to really open the floodgates for the team.
On the whole, it was one of the most inexperienced squads USWNT has ever rolled out, with an average that totaled just under 10 CAPS. It really does highlight how deep the talent pool is for the United States, not just that players are getting called up, but that these young players, when given the opportunity, are making a significant impact. Not only will it make picking out the 2027 World Cup roster even more difficult, but the injection of competition all around will surely only help make USWNT as a whole just that much better, which is a really scary prospect.
Horseshoes and hand grenades
The first half really highlighted the struggles that a new, inexperienced group of players faces. Despite loads of space from kickoff, the team couldn’t buy a goal for the first 40 minutes of the match. Timing was just off, shots were skimming just wide, passes just out of reach of teammates. It was a tale of almost and ‘oh that was so close’ as the team failed early on to really take advantage of the clear gap in talent against Paraguay.
There were several moments where Trinity Rodman was surrounded by nothing but acres of space, but couldn’t get the ball serviced to her, other moments where the service would come but would be ill-timed. What we really learned was that despite the rough start to the match, the youngsters didn’t let the moment overcome them, and they kept it at it. Rodman continued to coach up her side throughout the half until finally Turner put one in the back of the net as halftime approached to open the floodgates, and boy did they open.
Goals are really neat
There really is nothing to be learned with this one. Everyone who watches this sport loves goals, we all love when it’s our team scoring the goals, and we all enjoy a good goal fest from time to time. We especially love to see goals after a brutal start to a match that sees our team struggling to get just one past the line. That’s why yesterday felt so good, along with the fact that it has felt like a while since we’ve seen the USWNT look this dominant. After coming close on several occasions the team finally got their goal as the first half ended, and whatever was said at the break worked wonders because the side came out for the second half and proceeded to put five more past Paraguay to finish with the 6-0 win.
The biggest lesson here is that goals scored by the United States Women’s National Team are really fun, really cool, and they should totally do it more often.
