WASHINGTON, D.C. — Crystal Dunn, a former U.S. women’s World Cup winner now retired, reflected on the week’s challenge ahead of Saturday’s encounter between the Olympic champions and the world champions. “I don’t want us to win easy,” she said, summing up the mindset the squad is trying to adopt.
Emma Hayes’s team entered the match determined to avoid a facile victory, knowing that the women’s game is increasingly competitive and that shortcuts no longer exist. Instead, they suffered a 2‑0 defeat to Spain that exposed both their weaknesses and their strengths in equal measure. The U.S. side looked uneven and imperfect from the start, facing an opponent that pressed immediately and capitalized on early lapses. With eight months until the World Cup, however, the coaches view such setbacks as valuable learning opportunities.
“I don’t think it’s always necessarily a bad thing to lose,” Trinity Rodman remarked after the game.
Hayes’s squad improved after the opening barrage, out‑shooting Spain 13–6 and generating 2.26 expected goals compared with Spain’s 0.43. The visitors managed only a single shot in the second half, suggesting that the U.S. tactical adjustments had some merit. The loss, however, was rooted in a harsh opening stanza: Patri Guijarro and Eva Navarro netted within the first 14 minutes, leaving the U.S. defense exposed despite the quality of Spain’s finishes.
“One, it’s a great strike but we really have to do better than that,” Hayes said, referencing the first goal. “Second goal, their goalkeeper had the ball and we had numbers behind the ball but we didn’t do our job well enough as a collective.”
The opening quarter proved unforgiving for the U.S. defenders and midfielders, though the second half offered some redemption. With Naomi Girma sidelined by injury, Hayes paired Tierna Davidson and Kennedy Fuller at center‑back for the first time. Navarro’s goal was particularly harsh on Fuller, but the midfielder’s mis‑timing was part of a broader pattern: Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes and Rose Lavelle struggled to contain Spain’s early attacks. Hayes emphasized that both individual and collective errors contributed to the defeat.
“If you’re defending and you jump out at the wrong moment and then the back line drops, the midfielder is exposed because there’s too much distance in front and behind,” she explained. “We didn’t get that right as a collective in the first half. We have to position midfielders better to handle close‑passing opponents. When you’re 2‑0 down, doubts can creep in about dropping off, and I don’t think we helped our midfield as a collective approach. It’s a team game; it’s about the whole unit. Whoever was on the field grew into the game, but we simply didn’t finish.”
Navarro’s strike threatened to demoralize the squad, prompting an immediate huddle to refocus. “We have to keep going,” Yohannes said. “It’s early. We have a lot of time and just little tactical things that someone saw. We just said it and keep the communication, positive energy.”
Halftime adjustments, including shifting Lavelle to a wider right‑hand role, restored balance after the U.S. had gravitated left early on. The tactical tweaks allowed the Americans to generate encouraging shot‑creation opportunities, yet they again failed to convert, a problem Hayes described as persistent. The game served as a test of the squad’s depth and versatility, but not all concerns were resolved. Heaps, deployed as the deepest midfielder against Spain’s technical frontline, appeared mismatched; Claire Hutton was available, though Sam Coffey remained injured. While Heaps’s attacking instincts remain a strength, the midfield’s cohesion still appears unsettled—a challenge Hayes inherited but has yet to fully address.
“Even if the USWNT improved in the second half, it was hard not to notice that the midfield was failing to accomplish its objectives,” she noted.
Yohannes elaborated on her role: “I think me and Lindsay were sort of in a pivot role together, trying to stay close to each other when they’re pressing high, providing options to our back line, getting second balls, winning our duels. That’s our role and that’s what we tried to do. There were good moments when we won duels and transitioned, but when we tried to fall back they were good against low blocks and it was tough without pressure on the ball.”
Heaps agreed, adding, “The two goals weren’t directly off us playing through them or breaking us down. They had quality in their finishes, but it was almost due to our lack of stepping to the ball or giving them a transition moment and a back‑post cross that we can prevent. Defensively, we have to stay compact and keep the lines tight while applying enough pressure and not letting them play through us too quickly.”
The USWNT’s pre‑World Cup schedule continues with friendlies against Japan in April and Brazil in June, providing additional preparation for a knockout tournament where margins are razor‑thin. “When you play the best team in the world, you have to execute everything really well in the first instance,” Hayes said. “You can’t afford to go 2‑0 down against the best team, especially the way we conceded those goals. We did create chances, but we didn’t make the right decisions or execute with the quality we know we possess. There are many positives in what we did, but not in those moments.”