The USWNT took on Spain in a pair of friendlies that gave an interesting look into the state of the team and what needs to be done until now and the World Cup. While the team has World Cup qualification coming up next, its sights are squarely focused on next summer in Brazil. These games have shown that the pieces are falling into place, but there is a lot to be done to put things together in an effective way to beat a team like Spain.
Defensive Organization and Goalkeeping
This is probably the biggest area of concern for the USWNT coming
out of these matches. Spain went ahead 2-0 in both games thanks to defensive lapses in organization and communication. Missing Naomi Girma has become something that the team can count on and when she’s away it’s been very difficult for the defenders and keeper to be on the same page. That was the case in the first half of both matches. While Girma being available will help that in the future, the piece that is missing is a starting no. 1. with Claudia Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce competing for the role. Dickey is excellent at distribution and a good shot stopper while Tullis-Joyce can make errors with distribution but her shot stopping is typically very reliable. We learned both keepers’ weaknesses can be very costly and Hayes needs to decide which one she is more comfortable and make a starting choice based on that going forward.
Midfield Combinations
The puzzle of how to set the lineup with the best options is still being sorted out. In particular, the doubts around the combination of Lindsey Heaps and Rose Lavelle being paired in midfield were on display in the game. In the first match, the solution was to put Heaps as a no. 6 and she was unable to live up to the defensive responsibilities in the role against an opponent like Spain. The second match was an improvement thanks to Claire Hutton sitting deeper and the two attack minded players going forward, but they still – as has been the case time and again – played a disjointed game.
In this case we learned something has to give here. Lavelle is the attacking heartbeat of the team while Heaps is able to create chances and sees the game extremely well. If only one can start against the best teams in the world, that decision needs to be made and committed to.
Finishing Chances
While the above issues need to be resolved, all manner of sins can be absolved from finishing chances. Currently, the USWNT does not have an outright clinical striker on the roster who has shown they can be that player with the national team. In the first game the team missed an open net and a penalty, things got better when Spain pulled a number of starters and the USA came back in the second match. That’s a pretty dull silver lining. The team is creating chances and out-shot Spain overall. In the end, that isn’t a moral victory that is going to beat a team like Spain.
What’s New is Old
In one sense, the negatives about the team are well known and it’s a positive development that new ones didn’t emerge against Spain. In another, the negatives about the team are well known and there wasn’t much improvement in the areas discussed above. Emma Hayes spent 2025 experimenting so that these issues could be discovered and addressed in 2026. Looking through this window, it’s clear that Hayes needs to make tough decisions about personnel like what to do with Lavelle and Heaps along with a starting keeper or the team will face results like this when the World Cup rolls around.
