USWNT Returns to Subaru Park to Face World Champions Spain

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Photo courtesy of Carl Gulbish

The U.S. Women’s National Team has been very deliberate this with their schedule. Head Coach Emma Hayes has seen her team play some of the best teams in the world as they prepare for the 2027 World Cup and a chance to add to their four titles. What better test than the best team in the world?

Tuesday night at Subaru Park, the USWNT will face the defending World Cup champions Spain in the second-leg of their fall series. Spain defeated the U.S. 2-0 Saturday at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. on first-half goals from Patri Guijarro and Eva Navarro.

“You can’t afford to go two-nil down against the best team in the world, especially the way we conceded those goals” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said after the game. “But that’s the learning. Did I think we did enough to score a goal? Of course we did? Did do have enough to score more than one? Absolutely. We just didn’t make the right decision and execute with a quality.”

Although the U.S. created almost three times as many chances, including a Lily Yohannes missed penalty, Hayes remarked on Spain’s efficiency as the one of the differences. “We create the most chances in world football, but finishing we do not do that in world football. I wasn’t concerned about us creating, and I’m not concerned about us finishing, we just have to lock in, get the details right, and keep working on it.”

The USWNT last played at Subaru Park a year ago, falling to Portugal 2-1 after Rose Lavelle scored 33 seconds into the game. The U.S. went on to beat Portugal three days later and finished 2025 with two wins over Italy. Portugal are currently ranked 23rd in the latest FIFA rankings, while Italy is 13th.

Earlier this year, the U.S. won the SheBelieves Cup for the eighth time, beating Argentina, Canada (9th), and Colombia.

In April, the U.S. played three matches against Japan (5th), winning two out of three. In June, the U.S. continued their trend of playing top opponents with two games in Brazil (7th), the hosts of next summer’s World Cup. The U.S. lost the first game 2-1 then won 1-0.

The U.S. prepares for the Concacaf W tournament, which will be held in November. The U.S. plays El Salvador in the quarterfinals, with the winner advancing to the World Cup directly. The top four teams in Concacaf W advance, while two more teams will enter the inter-confederation playoffs. The Concacaf W also serves as the qualifier for the 2028 Summer Olympics, hosted by Los Angeles. The top-three teams will qualify for the Olympics.

If the U.S. defeats El Salvador, they will play the winner of Jamaica and Costa Rica with the chance to reach the Concacaf final and qualify for the Olympic games. Though the U.S. will enter the competition as heavy favorites, nothing is guaranteed, so Hayes will have her team ready by this weekend’s games against Spain, currently the number one team in the world, a spot the U.S. last held from August 2024 to June 2025. Since the U.S.’s Round of 16 exit in the 2023 World Cup, the American’s worst result in the tournament, the team has been following an upward trajectory since Hayes’ arrival. The U.S. is currently ranked 2nd in the world and eager to capitalize on their 2024 Olympics Gold Medal. The United States is the defending Gold Medalist.

Saturday in Washington, the U.S. put out a starting XI that could resemble their first-team at next summer’s World Cup. Sophia Wilson (64 caps) recently made her return from maternity leave and has found her scoring form, scoring 13 goals in 27 games for the Portland Thorns in NWSL. Trinity Rodman (58 caps) has 11 goals and 8 assists for Washington Spirit, a club that has sold out nearly every game this season and represents a strong model for what a Philadelphia franchise could become. Lavelle (123 caps), who has been the U.S.’s best player in recent major tournaments, has 4 goals and 3 assists for Gotham FC, and her assists have come in the last three games. Captain Lindsay Heaps (179 caps) recently made her return to the NWSL after five seasons with Olympique Lyonnes where she won the Primière League every season and the Champions League in 2021-22. Heaps returned to her home area this summer, joining the Denver Summit, the league’s newest franchise. She has 5 goals and 3 assists in 10 appearances since transferring, and she scored all of her goals in the last 5 games.

Among the U.S.’s younger players, Heaps’ former teammate at Lyon, Lily Yohannes (21 caps), has been as good as any central midfielder in the world. At age 19, the Springfield, VA native earned a start in front of her hometown fans Saturday and has appeared four times so far this season in league and European competition. Alyssa Thompson (33 caps) has been another young player making a splash in Europe. The 21 year-old Chelsea FC forward appeared 33 times last season for the Blues, a team-high, scoring 7 goals, and landed on the WSL’s Best XI for the 2025-26 season. She has 1 goal in 5 appearances this season. In March, she scored the winner against Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium to lead the U.S. to victory in the SheBelieves Cup.  

The USWNT is 8-3 in 2026.

Spain brings a team full of experience from their 2023 World Cup victory as well as a handful of newcomers making an impact at the club level. La Rojas will be without three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who had been dealing with injuries. Bonmati suffered a broken leg last November and had been easing back into match fitness before a minor setback halted her recovery in recent months. But Spain are in good hands with Bonmati’s former Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas, herself a two-time Ballon d’Or winner and current player for London City in the WSL. Putellas has 42 career goals for Spain and is closing in on 150 appearances.

Edna Imade scored 5 goals in WC qualifying to lead all of Europe. The Bayern Munich striker has 3 goals in 6 games to start the Bundesliga season. Guijarro, who plays for Barcelona and has over 400 club appearances in all competitions, as well as 80 for Spain, scored her 15th international goal against the U.S. after beating Claudia Dickey from distance. Navarro, the other goal-scorer Saturday, plays for Real Madrid and has 7 goals in her 33 national team appearances. Salma Parralluelo had the assist on Navarro’s goal. She has 51 caps and joined Olympique Lyonnes this season after four years at Barcelona. She scored a brace in the Champions League final to secure Barca’s 4-0 win over her new team.

Spain is 6-1 in 2026, with their only loss coming against England in World Cup qualifying, and has already qualified for the World Cup after winning their group. They have only lost twice since the 2024 Olympics, the other loss also to England in the 2025 Euro final on penalties.

The U.S. and Spain have only played five times, with the U.S. winning the first three matches. The U.S. beat Spain in the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA World Cup and in the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, while Spain also beat the U.S. in 2022 in Pamplona.

U.S. vs Spain will kick off at 7:00 p.m. EST from Subaru Park in Chester and will be broadcast on TNT and HBO Max for English viewers or Universo and Peacock for Spanish viewers.

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