USWNT showed they have depth against Spain. Suddenly, Emma Hayes’ core group is under pressure

CHESTER, Pa. — Mallory Swanson wanted more. 

The midfielder was subbed on after an hour of the United States’ second international friendly with Spain. By the 89th minute, she had put her stamp on it, scoring a critical equalizer — her first international goal since the 2024 Paris Olympics, in which the USWNT won gold — to help her side draw 2-2.

“Even after that, in the last few minutes, I wished the game could go on a little bit longer,” Swanson said after the match. “I felt the momentum.”

The USWNT are still on the hunt for their first win over Spain since 2020 (a three-game run). Facing the No. 1-ranked team in the world just outside of Philadelphia on Tuesday, they showed the tenacity and gall they lacked in their 2-0 loss on Saturday.

Substitutes raised the level considerably in both matches, as evidenced by the U.S. “winning” the second half of Tuesday’s match 2-0. Taking on Spain is one challenge, but with November’s Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against El Salvador serving as a World Cup qualifying playoff, head coach Emma Hayes has another tough task ahead.

In the opening 10 minutes at Subaru Park on Tuesday, the USWNT looked more secure in their identity. They pressed with collective aggression, held possession for longer spells, and exploited the flanks. Fullback Gisele Thompson and midfielder Ashley Sanchez found joy down those wide channels, but there was a lack of support when they crossed into the penalty area. Spain was happy to absorb their efforts, easing the back-line duties of Irene Paredes and Maria Mendez in the center and Oihane Hernandez and Andrea Medina on the right and left. Traditionally, 35-year-old Paredes is the only regular starter for Spain.

Regardless, as midfielder Rose Lavelle told reporters in the mixed zone after the game, “If you give Spain an inch, they can individually solve and plan around you.” Spain once again showed they could punish even slight lapses in judgment, let alone clear errors. The U.S. committed both types of infractions in the first half on Tuesday.

In the 27th minute, after knocking the ball around near the right corner of their attacking third, Spain winger Salma Paralluelo laid the ball off to midfielder Patri Guijarro, who slipped it through to Clara Serrajordi. The 18-year-old Barcelona playmaker sent a low cross in the box that was uncontested save for Clara Pinedo’s dummy run, which gave Alexia Putellas, making her 150th senior cap, one of the simplest tap-ins of her career.

Spain struck again five minutes later, giving the Pennsylvania crowd of 18,648 a sense of déjà vu from Saturday. Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce received a pass from fullback Emily Fox and sent a panicked ball to no clear recipient near midfield. Putellas pounced and sent the ball to Paralluelo. The two touches she took to pass center back Tierna Davidson weren’t the cleanest, but the finish was.

After the game, Hayes declined to discuss what she told her players at halftime, but Lavelle recalled an emphasis on aggression and winning individual tackles — two traits that U.S. substitutes brought in abundance when they were introduced 15 minutes into the second half.

Swanson and Michelle Cooper were part of that first wave, replacing Lavelle and Trinity Rodman. Midfielders Lily Yohannes and Jaelin Howell came on for Lindsey Heaps and Claire Hutton, and forward Alyssa Thompson stepped in for her younger sister, Gisele. The U.S. shifted into a 3-5-2 formation, with Cooper and Alyssa Thompson occupying the wider spaces and contributing more defensively.

For the second time this window, Hayes was employing Cooper outside of her regular position as a forward with the Kansas City Current.

“Being in the front line, I can be a little more aggressive,” Cooper said on Monday. “When I’m in the back line, I’m a little more pessimistic. I can’t be as aggressive as I want to be, which is OK, and it’s a good balance. But I do have a lot of fun playing there and it’s something that I’ve talked to the coaches about.”

But instinct is instinct. After Sanchez narrowed Spain’s lead in the 49th minute, the doors of possibility flew open. The crowd in Chester, who had taken to booing every Spanish possession long before halftime, regained their optimism, leading “USA” chants and even a few attempts at the wave. Cooper provided the assist to Swanson’s goal — and before it reached them, the ball had passed through three other substitutes: Alyssa, Howell, and center back Kate Del Fava, who entered the match in the 80th minute for Davidson and sent the long ball that Cooper ultimately ran onto.

Hayes has been clear that she wants to identify a core group of players, ready to play the majority of minutes at next summer’s World Cup — but her second-half substitute made an undeniable impression in both matches against Spain. Sanchez, Gisele Thompson, and Hutton earned starting roles on Tuesday after standout performances off the bench.

Losing on Saturday turned Tuesday’s rematch into a measuring stick — a way to judge the progress the USWNT must make to catch up with Spain, whose program is poised for a generational run of global dominance. In some ways, that question was impossible to answer: Both sides, particularly Spain, were without several starting players due to injury.

Instead, the American players can feel relieved to have earned a respectable draw against the world champions. As for Hayes, she will return to her office at the new national training center in Fayetteville, Ga., to ponder challenging questions from players who came off the bench and showed they can compete for a starting position against a top opponent.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

US Women’s national team, Women’s Soccer

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