USWNT aim to prove they are 'side-by-side' with World Cup champs Spain

CHESTER, Pa. — The cadence of international soccer means national teams usually have plenty of time to fine-tune their approach -- the U.S. women are no exception. Rare are the opportunities to prove a point quickly but as the USWNT gear up for a second friendly against Spain in four days, that is exactly what awaits them.

With the Women's World Cup now just eight months away, the USWNT are very obviously in the pursuit of proving they can win their fifth title next summer. The point, though, is much more layered than that. Head coach Emma Hayes has spent the last two years arguing there are no shortcuts to the podium, every step along the way meaningful in some shape, manner or form and against Spain in particular, the point is even more complex. Despite a 2-0 loss on Saturday where early defensive errors were costly, the U.S. team actually rebounded strongly and put together a convincing display that showcased their ability to go toe-to-toe with the world's top-ranked team. Tuesday's rematch offers a chance to make that last point much more concisely.

"We have to tighten up on those things because actually, they didn't create a lot of chances and I think if we defend those moments better, it at least puts us into a stronger position," Hayes said Monday, "but I think once you go 2-0 down against them, then you are faced with chasing the game and I think probably the first 30 to 45 minutes, I think we lost our structure. I think the second half, it was all about us but you also have to score to win games."

How to watch USWNT vs. Spain, odds

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 | Time: 7 p.m. ET

Location: Subaru Park -- Chester, Pa.

TV: TNT | Live stream: HBO Max

Odds: USWNT +165; Draw +230; Spain +140

Execution was a refrain Hayes used frequently in her post-match assessments on Saturday and again on Monday, in large part because the USWNT's game plan started to click as the game wore on. Some tactical tweaks were required at halftime but the U.S. team's impressive shot creation abilities were hard to miss, even if the ball did not end up in the back of the net. Sophia Wilson's case as the USWNT's No. 9 is as strong as it has ever been, her striker's instinct an asset on the day despite the result and likely to be a strength again on Tuesday.

"As forwards, you have to have a little selfishness," Wilson said. "If no one shoots up top, I don't know who else is going to shoot so we do need a little bit more of that. At the same time, balancing that with combining with each other. I think we have great players. Obviously the downside of this team is we don't have a lot of time together so those relationships take a bit of time to build but I think with the players that we have here, we have enough of it to be able to combine and create chances and it's just about finishing those chances. We didn't lack chances last game."

Hayes' serious demeanor only masks her optimism so much, not only because of her players' natural talent but because of their determination to fix their problems. Trinity Rodman said Saturday that she and her teammates would be eager to review the game tape on their iPads on the trip up from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia, a determination that resembles the head coach's steely focus on the task at hand no matter how far away the World Cup might be. Hayes always finds a way to mix her praise with a challenge, this time an obvious one.

"You play the same opponent twice and there's things within that you can do a bit better and I think our team has a really good habit of bringing them things into the second game, but we have to do 'em," she said. "I say this many times, you can get away with things against weaker opposition. You just can't with [Spain] and so I'll be looking for us to apply that."

Hayes previously said she was unlikely to make a lot of changes to her lineups over the course of the doubleheader, which are essentially a litmus test for her first-choice team rather than a time for extreme experimentation. It only makes her team selection for Tuesday's fixture all the more intriguing — any changes she makes could be revealing ones, no matter which area of the pitch she makes them in. She diagnosed the USWNT's shortcomings on Saturday as collective ones, not those that revolved solely around individual mistakes, keeping her cards close to her chest on the lessons she personally took away from Saturday's loss. No matter the team selection, though, the U.S. team will be tasked with demonstrating not only the range but the problem-solving versatility that Hayes has tried to program this team to have.

"I feel like now that we've reflected on the game, we had chances and knowing Spain, they're going to have the ball and to be okay with that and to not mix it up with not feeling like we're in control and we have the momentum," defender Emily Fox said. "I think with our team, we have a bit of everything and that's the identity of this team. If we need to go long, we go long. If we need to possess, we possess so really being able to see what's on the field and then playing that."

Hayes insists that her team is still not the finished product, understandable for a coach that still has around 10 games to go before the World Cup, a tally that includes next month's Concacaf W Championship that will serve as North America's qualification tournament. That does not mean she is underselling her team's progress since winning Olympic gold two years ago in Paris, saying her side are essentially neck-and-neck with Spain as the World Cup inches closer and closer.

"We have to get the details right in them situations so what is the gap?" Hayes said about the difference between the U.S. and Spain. "You could turn around and say finishing or preventing goals. Yes, that's part of it but I think when we analyze the game through our lens and what we know to be true to impact the result, I know what it looked like in 2023 to what it looks like now and Spain and USA are right side-by-side but maybe the confidence they have being world champions, there's an efficiency to what they're doing in that regard. I think our players are still building back in together, particularly players who've been out for a period of time."

The great privilege of international soccer is that teams often have the luxury of time, the choice ultimately theirs to use it well. Hayes exclusively coached at the club level before assuming her current role two years ago, a type of job where friendlies are not a dime a dozen and so trial periods are hardly something a team can afford. The USWNT's ups and, in particular, their downs are always notable considering the program's prestige and aspirations but even in the imbalance of Saturday's performance, Hayes' argument that the team is trending in the right direction is a reasonable one. The imperfections are almost the point – the U.S. team has not played a major international tournament since the Olympics and has undergone a reinvention since; friendlies like these the only adequate way to prepare for a World Cup.

"I'm not worried about it," Hayes said. "If I'm here merely to protect a wins record, then I'll pick a lesser opponent but I'm not here to do that. I'm here to see how much has that gap closed with [Spain] and then how far away are we from that and keep working towards it because they're the best team in the world for a reason."

The USWNT are understandably ready to change the narrative in this doubleheader on Tuesday, even if the narrative is not inherently unfavorable.

"I think the cool opportunity is we get to play the same team a few days later," Wilson said. "We get to rest a little bit but also prepare and make the changes that we need to but also focus on what we did well in the game and taking those into the next game as well. I think it'll be a completely different game regardless of the fact that it's the same two teams."

Hayes has just one ask after Saturday's outing, though.

"My big request to the team is start earlier," she said. "Start earlier with the things that really matter and that's what I've been encouraging us to do tomorrow."