Want more from Front Office Sports
in your search results?
WASHINGTON — The U.S. lost 2–0 to World Cup defending champion Spain in a major test on home soil ahead of next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
On an overcast afternoon in Washington, D.C., the two sides battled in a physical match that featured one red and four yellow cards. Spain punched in two goals early in the first half, and the U.S. didn’t find an answer despite getting quality chances after halftime.
Emma Hayes’s squad scheduled two games during the fall international window against the best-ranked team in the world, with a rematch scheduled for Tuesday in Philadelphia. Coming into Saturday afternoon, Spain held the No. 1 spot in FIFA’s global rankings, with the U.S. right behind at No. 2.
“They’re world champions for a reason,” Hayes said after the match, “but you can’t give them head starts, either.”
In many ways, the USWNT is still finding its footing before next summer.
Key defender Naomi Girma was out due to injury. Mallory Swanson, who scored the winning goal in the Olympic gold medal match, played for the U.S. on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years after becoming a mother. The match also marked the first time that the USWNT’s “Triple Espresso” of Swanson, Trinity Rodman, and Sophia Wilson—who also took maternity leave last year—were back on the pitch together.
The squad has been in a broad era of transition over the past several years, with major stars retiring, getting knocked out in the Round of 16 of the last World Cup, and Hayes coming on board in 2024. “I think we’re much closer to them than we were three years ago,” she said after the match.
The changeover from one era of the USWNT to the next was highlighted by the retirement celebration for Crystal Dunn at Saturday’s match. Dunn was part of the USWNT that won the 2019 World Cup and scored equal pay from U.S. Soccer.
“I talk to all the retired players and we’re like, ‘Remember when there was like 300 people watching us play?’” Dunn told reporters Saturday. “While there is always a level of like, ‘Man, I wish we could grow up in the era today,’ there is something beautiful about saying, ‘But look at where the game is, and we were a massive part in helping the game be exactly where it is.’”
‘Drastic’ Growth Off the Pitch
Audi Field, home of the Washington Spirit, has become a major hub for the growth of women’s soccer in the U.S. as the club and Rodman have become mainstays in the NWSL under the ownership of Michele Kang.
The stadium’s typical women’s soccer fervor carried over for the national team Saturday.
“This is a friendly match, and there are so many people here,” Taylor, a longtime USWNT fan from Chicago, told Front Office Sports before the match. “The growth from like 10 years ago to now has just been so drastic.”
The growth is tangible for members of the first-ever USWNT from 1985, three of whom spoke with FOS before the match.
“We walked in today and all three of us were talking about how surreal this is,” Ruth Harker said.
The former players—who got $10 a day to represent their country in hemmed men’s uniforms—pointed to investments like the U.S. Soccer’s new national training center in Georgia, improvements for sports psychology and recovery, and the caliber of coach in Hayes as major changes they’ve been excited to see.
“The biggest fear we had is, was it enough?” Harker said. “Was it enough to move it forward for the next generation?”
Saturday’s match was sold out with 19,220 fans in attendance.
Download the FOS App
The business of sports, in your pocket.
Scan the QR code to get the app now.
