United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes don talk say to beat world number one Spain, the whole team must work together on both sides of the ball. Spain na world top-ranked team and reigning World Cup champion. United States women dey second for FIFA rankings and dem be reigning Olympic champions.
Di two teams go play on Saturday for Audi Field inside Washington, D.C., and on Tuesday for Chester, Pennsylvania. Hayes say di training week don really, really good. On Tuesday, di U.S. women get dia first training session for U.S. Soccer National Training Center. Earlier dis week, Hayes call di match against Spain ‘essential’ preparation for di 2027 World Cup, which di U.S. still must qualify for next month. Spain don already qualify.
Di pair of matches also come for di first FIFA international break in four months. Di U.S. split a pair of road games against World Cup host Brazil in June. Hayes say with every game dem approach, na di next set of development to improve dia way of playing. She talk say there are different things in dia model dem focus on from camp to camp, of course with di aim to defeat whichever opponent dey in front of dem, but lastly to just keep improving dia game.
Di USWNT must play Spain without several top players. Defender Naomi Girma and midfielder Sam Coffey had to withdraw from training camp before arriving due to injuries sustained with dia clubs Chelsea and Manchester City, respectively. Girma continues to deal with a recurring calf issue. Spain dey without three-time Ballon d'Or winner and midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, whose return from a broken leg has been delayed by recent pain. Spain announce on Friday after training at Audi Field say forward Clàudia Pina and defender Mapi León don withdraw from training camp due to injuries. Lucía García go fly to Washington, D.C., to join di team as a replacement.
Still, Hayes praise other Spain players for dia qualities, including midfielder Patri Guijarro, who di USWNT head coach call ‘an exceptional football player.’ Di USWNT coach also reiterate a point she don make in recent weeks and months about Spain collective success. Hayes praise di ‘clear identity’ of Spanish players, which is created by a development and coaching system that is ‘better than anyone else in the world.’ Throughout di week, Hayes and her players talk about di need to both handle Spain defensive pressure and to put pressure on dem when dem get di ball. Forward Trinity Rodman tell ESPN’s Futbol W earlier dis week say Spain really good at pressing. She talk say what go be a challenge na getting out and getting it to dia forward line, which dem don dey work on.
For di starting lineup, USA go line up with Claudia Dickey; Trinity Rodman, Avery Patterson, Lily Yohannes, Lindsey Heaps as captain, Sophia Wilson, Tierna Davidson, Rose Lavelle, Alyssa Thompson, Emily Fox, and Kennedy Wesley. Lindsey Heaps, 32, earns her 179th cap, 139th start and it will be her 46th game captaining di U.S. She currently get 40 career goals, good for 16th all-time in U.S. history. Rose Lavelle, 30, earns her 123rd cap and 103rd start. Emily Fox, 27, earns her 79th cap and 67th start. Tierna Davidson, 27, earns her 71st cap and 55th start after returning to U.S. play from year-long injury earlier dis year. Sophia Wilson, 25, earns her 64th cap and 45th start as she return for her third USWNT camp after giving birth to her daughter. Wilson na di 18th mother to play for di USWNT. Trinity Rodman, 24, earns her 58th cap and 36th start. Alyssa Thompson, 21, earns her 33rd cap and 21st start. Lily Yohannes, 18, earns her 21st cap and her 14th start. Avery Patterson, 24, earns her 15th cap and 10th start. Claudia Dickey, 26, earns her 12th cap and 12th start. She don earn eight shutouts and 11 wins across her 11 caps thus far for di USWNT. Kennedy Wesley, 25, earns her 8th cap and sixth start for di USWNT.
