Are USWNT Capable of Winning the World Cup? Not if It Plays Like This

CHESTER, Pa. — In a clash between the world’s best, Spain left wearing the crown.

The U.S. women’s national team mustered a 2–2 draw on Tuesday night against the reigning world champions, thanks to a late rally at Subaru Park that even nearly earned the hosts a victory in the dying seconds of the match.

But the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story. Spain was world-class, and the USWNT was, well, not.

Don’t be mistaken. Credit is due to the No. 2 USWNT for pulling back a 2–0 deficit at halftime— especially against No. 1-ranked Spain—and walking away with a respectable result. It was a positive response to the 2–0 loss the team suffered over the weekend in its first friendly against Spain and one rewarded by the thunderous cheers of the sell-out crowd of 18,648. It was also proof that the USWNT can produce among the very best, but what does it take to be the very best? With the World Cup just over eight months away, the Stars and Stripes must strive for more.

“[Spain] is the standard,” USWNT star midfielder Rose Lavelle said post-match. “They’re number one for a reason, and this was a really good game for us to see. It was a good experience for all of us to play against them.”

Spain dictated the tempo of the match from nearly start to finish. Especially in the first half, any burst of offensive momentum the USWNT gained in the final third felt frenetic and fleeting, whereas when Spain progressed forward, it felt inevitable. Even when the USWNT did advance up the pitch, the proactive Spanish had a defensive handle on things (aside from the final 10 minutes). Comparatively, when Spain went on the offensive, the USWNT scrambled to react.

“[Spain] is the best team in the world,” USWNT manager Emma Hayes said post-match. “... We’re still in progress. We’re deserving of being world champions. Our job is to hunt back.”

How can the storied USWNT return firmly to the world’s summit? After the four-time World Cup winners (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019) crashed out of the 2023 World Cup in the group stage—their earliest exit ever, the stakes have never been higher to prevail. And it will take more than chaotic bursts of life and banking on late rallies to do so.

The Demeanor of Champions

Just as in Saturday’s affair, the USWNT started from behind. Both of Spain’s goals were a product of indecision, a lack of communication and, quite frankly, a lack of responsibility over the most dangerous areas of the pitch.

Spain scored first in the 27th minute, as Alexia Putellas glided undeterred and unmanned to the back post for a simple finish off of a cross. Salma Paralluelo added the visitors’ second just five minutes later. Ill-marked at the top of the box, she needed a single touch forward before firing a shot past USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Both goals originated from a lack of support from the midfield, especially the latter one in which the USWNT midfielders paused to ball-watch from the center circle instead of following Spain’s midfielders into the final third. USWNT defender Tierna Davidson then misjudged the distance to Paralluelo.

“Off the ball, you have to be super tight when you’re defending,” USWNT starting center back Kennedy Wesley remarked post-match. “It only takes one little mental lapse for them to capitalize. The details are super, super important.”

“[Spain] does such a good job of overloading spaces,” she explained. “They’ll put three, four players in a five-yard span, so you don’t want to all get sucked over to it, but if you give one of those five players enough time and space, they’ll punish you. It’s really difficult and something that we battled with.”

For Wesley, it was a lack of defensive decisiveness that punished the USWNT most. And it’s a demeanor that can make or break champions.

“Whatever we do, it’s just more decisive,” Wesley added. “If we decide we’re going to do zonal [defending], we’re zonal. If we’re going to be tight, we’re gong to be touch tight and not allow them to play in behind, trying to avoid getting caught between two lines.”

Fortunately, a significant amount of the team’s defensive hesitancies can be attributed to the back four’s unfamiliarity with one another, something that will only improve with time leading up to the World Cup. For example, prior to the series, Wesley had never partnered with Davidson in the center of the backline. Tullis-Joyce also marked a new face in goal for both defenders. Defensive stalwart Naomi Girma was missing altogether due to injury.

“Sometimes those things happen when you don’t have the chemistry,” Hayes said.

There was indecisiveness on the offensive front too, though. The only consistent source of aggression and dynamism throughout the match was winger Ashley Sanchez, who got the USWNT on the board in the 49th minute in her first start for the team in nearly two years. A damning side-net finish from a tight angle, it was her first international goal since 2022.

The other starters in the attack were rather toothless in their advances, pulling up on opportunities as opposed to following through on the ball in the box and taking wasteful shots without their bodies behind it. It was only the substitutions off the bench, especially Mallory Swanson and Michelle Cooper, that finally matched Sanchez’s energy. Swanson knotted the match with a 86th minute banger, her first USWNT goal since the 2024 Olympic gold medal match and the birth of her daughter.

There is certainly a silver lining to be found in the Americans’ depth options, as well as the long-awaited returns of two prominent goal scorers. Nevertheless, the team must find a way to sustain that sense of decisiveness on all sides of the ball throughout the match, not just when clawing from behind.

Put simply, the USWNT needs to act like world champions for all 90 minutes. That’s the only way to become one.