The USWNT just pulled off a wild comeback, rallying from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw against Spain. Seriously, it was absolutely bananas. Mallory Swanson, our absolute clutch queen, hammered home a sensational equalizer in the 86th minute, sending a massive statement to the whole world, especially with the World Cup looming large in Brazil eight months from now.
Swanson’s Epic Return and the Firepower We Needed
You can’t even make this stuff up. Swanson, who was subbed in again in the second half, hadn’t scored since her Olympic gold-medal winner against Brazil in Paris. She’s been away for over two years, giving birth to her first child, and she comes back like THIS? After threatening the tie in the 69th minute, Michelle Cooper laid off the ball, Swanson took it, turned, lifted it to herself, and just absolutely ripped a 16-yard shot into the left corner. That’s a goal scorer’s goal, plain and simple. It showed everyone watching what she’s truly made of. Before Swanson’s heroics, Ashley Sanchez had kickstarted the comeback, scoring in the 49th minute for her first goal since way back in 2022. Emma Hayes shook things up with four lineup changes for this one, bringing in goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, left back Gisele Thompson, midfielder Claire Hutton, and Sanchez, who’s the National Women’s Soccer League top scorer and hadn’t started in almost two years. Looks like those moves paid off big time.
Facing the Pressure and What It Means
Look, friendlies don’t usually mean much in the grand scheme, but this was a HUGE learning moment for Coach Hayes and our No. 2 ranked Americans. This draw felt like a win after the 2-0 setback we took on Saturday in Washington. We were seriously staring down the barrel of losing consecutive matches for the first time since 2022 and dropping back-to-back home games for the first time since 2017. Spain, ranked No. 1, is no joke. They’ve only lost twice in regular time in their last 29 matches, both times to European champion England. We had a promising start, but then things fell apart for us in a brutal five-minute span with some glaring errors that Spain, being unforgiving opponents, totally capitalized on. Before Spain’s visit, the U.S. had an impressive 11-0-6 record all time against the top two teams in the world. This draw, especially the way it happened, shows we’ve got that fighting spirit even when things look bleak.
Now, the squad turns its attention to the CONCACAF W Championship. That kicks off on November 27 in Mansfield, Texas, and wraps up on December 5 in Houston. A quarterfinal victory over El Salvador, ranked 78th, would punch our ticket to a 10th consecutive World Cup. Even if there’s a wild upset, we could still advance through a playoff. Spain is already qualified, one of 18 teams heading to the 32-nation competition. Both the US and Spain will be seeded teams in the World Cup draw on December 11 in Rio de Janeiro. Get ready, because the road to Brazil is heating up!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply