Photo courtesy of Carl Gulbish
The U.S. Women’s National Team experienced a bit of déjà vu Tuesday night when they went down two goals to Spain in the first half, much like Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Spain. Only this time, the U.S. rallied in the second half and earned a 2-2 draw in front 18,648 fans at Subaru Park. Ashley Sanchez scored her first goal in four years, and Mallory Swanson scored her first goal since the 2024 Gold medal winner to give the U.S. a much-needed result against the defending World Cup champions
“Great fight. Great determination from the whole group in the second half, especially being two-nil down,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said about the game, adding later that the words she used at halftime to rally her team would be left between her and the team.
With the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup less than a year away, the most recent two-game series with the number one team in the world was meant to serve as a measuring stick to determine how close the U.S. is in their preparation for next summer’s main event.
“I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know,” Hayes said about the matchup. “They’re world class. We’re still in progress. They’re deserving of world champions, and our job is to hunt that.” Hayes reiterated the importance of squad depth and getting less-experienced players more quality minutes to compete with Spain, who are talented enough to plug and play, which Hayes says is a requirement in modern top-flight football.
The U.S. made four changes from Saturday’s defeat. Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Giselle Thompson, Sanchez, and Claire Hutton entered the XI. Sanchez made her first start in 713 days.
The game began with Spain controlling possession, while the U.S. focused on forcing turnovers and creating opportunities on counters. The U.S. employed a compact trap early on to stop Spain’s quick passing through narrow channels, but eventually the game opened up enough for the visitors to dictate their flowing attacking style.
The U.S. had some of the better chances in the opening minutes. Four minutes in, Sanchez broke free down the left side after a steal from a giveaway from Misa, but Misa made up for her hurried clearance by stopping Sanchez’s shot from a wide angle. Wilson found space behind the center backs two minutes later, but her shot from distance barely tested the Spanish keeper. In the 11th minute, Sanchez had another chance down the left side, but she pulled her shot well wide of the frame
In the 14th minute, Spain had their first chance of the game when Alexia Putellas played a brilliant through-ball to Clara Pinedo, but Tullis-Joyce made a strong stop to deny her shot at the near post. Three minutes later, Putellas played a corner toward the near post, and it bounced out to Andrea Medina, who blasted a shot high from outside the box.
Like in Saturday’s game in Washington, D.C., Spain scored first, this time in the 27th minute. Putellas finished a cross from Clara Serrajordi on the right that Pineda dummied in front of goal, allowing the ball to run toward the back post for Putellas to tap in for her 43rd career international goal.
Spain leads 1-0 at Subaru Park. Alexia Putellas finishes off the cross from Clara Serrajordi. https://t.co/YwoHO4zViW
— Backyard Pitches (@BackyardPitches) October 13, 2026
Spain doubled their lead five minutes later. Sonya Parraluelo ran onto a through-ball from Putellas behind the U.S. defense after a bad giveaway from Tullis-Joyce and beat the U.S. keeper off the bar at the near post. The goal was Paralluelo’s 16th international goal.
The U.S. came out of the break and hit on their first counter four minutes into the half. Wilson beat a defender on the wide right then sent a ball across the field that Sanchez ran onto. Sanchez attacked the box deep and beat her defender with a stutter steps before side-footing the ball inside the far post to narrow the gap to 2-1. Sanchez’s goal was her 4th for the U.S., and she also scored in Chester in a 9-0 route of Uzbekistan in April 2022.
“It was amazing,” Sanchez said after the game about her goal. “I didn’t think much about it because we still needed another one, but it was a really good feeling.”
Sanchez, who plays for North Carolina Courage, leads the NWSL with 20 goals. The former Washington Spirit midfielder won the NWSL championship in 2021 and was a key reserve player for the USWNT throughout the pre-2023 World Cup cycle but surprisingly did not appear in any of the U.S.’s games during their shocking early exit in the Round of 16. This season has been a different story for Sanchez, who’s been on a scoring tear since the season began in March, adding five multi-goal games, including a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Chicago in early September.
“The biggest thing today was our response to going two goals down,” Sanchez said. “I think if we had a little bit more time, we would have gotten another one.”
Sanchez played in the left-wing role as part of the U.S.’s front three, alongside Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, who’ve both been among the U.S.’s leading scorers as well in the NWSL.
“Her experience, her maturity, and the ability to be able to transfer knowledge,” Hayes said about Sanchez’s performance and what she brought to the team. “I thought she did a great job and really happy for her to get a goal.”
Ashley Sanchez cuts Spain’s lead to 2-1. https://t.co/08VPgHrWZa
— Backyard Pitches (@BackyardPitches) October 14, 2026
The U.S. made several changes fifteen minutes into the half, with Alyssa Thompson in for her sister Giselle, Lily Yohannes replacing Heaps, Michelle Cooper in for Rodman, and Malory Swanson in for Lavelle. Saturday, Swanson made her first appearance for the U.S. since 2024. She went on maternity leave early in 2025 and returned to action in May for the Chicago Stars. She has now appeared in 105 matches for the USWNT. This season, she has 2 goals and 1 assist in 12 appearances for Chicago.
It didn’t take long for Swanson to have an effect on the game. In the 69th minute, Yohannes sprang Swanson through the channel after a quick combination, and Swanson drove to near post, but Misa saved her low shot to keep Spain’s lead.
Both sides made a number of substitutions in the final ten minutes, and for the U.S., Kate Del Fava and Pietra Tordin made their national team debuts.
The U.S. had more of the jump as they pushed for an equalizer, and in the 86th minute they finally created one. Del Fava played a long ball over the top from inside the U.S. half, that Cooper ran onto. After Spanish defender Lucia Corrales closed Cooper’s space, Cooper pulled the ball back and slipped a pass to Swanson, who took one touch to settle the ball then volleyed a low burner inside the post to tie the game at 2-2. The goal was Swanson’s 39th career international goal
“What’s crazy is it’s been two years since I’ve scored for this team,” Swanson said after the game. “I’m just super grateful. My family was able to get here today, and it’s just a really good way to keep pushing forward.”
“Mal has shown improvement every day in training,” Hayes said. “I didn’t think she was quite ready for forty-five.” Swanson came into the game and made an immediate impact for the side, and Hayes said the initial opportunity Swanson missed reminded her of the goal Swanson scored to win the U.S. the Gold in Hayes’ first major tournament in charge of the squad.
“The more we have her back, the better it will get.”
Mallory Swanson scores the equalizer for the U.S. 2-2 at Subaru Park https://t.co/Ao9Dhni5oc
— Backyard Pitches (@BackyardPitches) October 14, 2026
Spain nearly stole the winner in the 90th minute, but Del Fava made a sliding block at the near post to keep the visitors out one more time. Then Yohannes had a curling shot from outside the box in the 8th minute of extra time that Misa pushed out of the lower corner to preserve the draw.
The U.S. will be back in action November 27th against El Salvador in the Concacaf W quarterfinals. A win, and the U.S. automatically qualifies for the 2027 FIFA World Cup. Two wins, and they also qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Spain qualified for the World Cup by winning their group in UEFA.
