The USWNT just took a 2-0 friendly loss to Spain in Washington D.C., but it’s how they gave up those goals in the opening minutes that’s gonna stick with you. Patri Guijarro and Eva Navarro slammed two past them within the first 14 minutes, and from there, digging out of that hole felt impossible for Emma Hayes’ crew. It was a tough watch right from the whistle, even for a friendly, especially when you consider what the stats say.
Defense Exposed Early and Often
Giving up two goals that fast? That’s just rough. Hayes herself admitted the U.S. team’s “defensive operation” got exposed, even while tipping her cap to Spain’s “impressive finishes.” She laid it out plain, “One, it’s a great strike but really we’ve got to do better than that.” The second goal was even more frustrating: “their goalkeeper’s got the ball and we’ve got numbers behind the ball but we don’t do our job well enough as a collective.” Ouch.
It sounds like both individual screw-ups and collective breakdowns were on display during those first 15 minutes. Tierna Davidson and Kennedy Fuller were playing center back together for the first time, and yeah, Navarro’s goal highlight reel ain’t gonna be kind to Fuller. But it wasn’t just her. Naomi Girma was out with an injury, leaving a gap, and the midfield of Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, and Rose Lavelle couldn’t quite do enough on both Spanish strikes. Hayes was clear: “If you’re defending and you jump out in the wrong moment and then the back line drops, well, the midfielder, whoever you are, is always going to be exposed because there’s too much distan” – and she’s not wrong. That distance is killer.
Numbers That Don’t Add Up
Here’s the kicker, though: after that brutal start, the USWNT actually grew into the game. Like, they REALLY grew into it. They ended up outshooting Spain 13 to six. And get this: they racked up a wild 2.26 expected goals compared to Spain’s measly 0.43. Spain’s attack? Limited to zero shots in the entire second half! Zero! That shows Hayes’ game plan *had* merits and they totally tightened things up. So how do you lose 2-0 when your numbers look like that? It’s baffling.
Former USWNT star Crystal Dunn, a Women’s World Cup winner, had said before the game, “I don’t want us to win easy.” Well, they definitely didn’t get an easy win. It was a complex, imperfect performance, full of shortcomings and defining qualities mixed together. After the match, Trinity Rodman even tried to spin it, saying, “I don’t think it’s always necessarily a bad thing to lose.”
Eight months out from the World Cup, maybe these questions are exactly what Emma Hayes and the squad need. It was an uneven performance, but if they can learn from these mistakes and make sure those early-game defensive lapses are a thing of the past, then this tough loss could be the shake-up they needed to dial it in before the real pressure hits.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply