In less than a year’s time, the United States and Spain will almost certainly arrive in Brazil as the top two contenders to win the Women’s World Cup. Spain, holders of the top spot in Fifa’s rankings for the past 60 weeks, are the defending champions; the second-ranked US won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This month’s pair of friendlies between the two sides are taking place with caveats.
Both sides are missing several of their most important players to injuries. The opening match in Brazil is 258 days away. Spain have booked their place, but the US still have to actually qualify for the World Cup, through a regional tournament that begins next month.
Even without full-strength rosters, a meeting between these two teams is a compelling bill. And in their first of two friendlies, on Saturday in Washington DC, Spain had the upper hand, scoring twice in the first 14 minutes of a 2-0 win. After trailing by two goals for the first time under Emma Hayes, the Americans played a much-improved second half, but failures to convert chances and a stopped penalty kept them scoreless.
In many ways, Saturday’s game and the rematch on Tuesday in Chester, Pennsylvania, are more stress tests than clashes of titans – or causes for alarm bells. Hayes has intentionally crafted this year’s calendar to pit the US against elite competition. The Americans played Japan three times in April, winning twice and losing once, and split a pair of away friendlies against Brazil in June.
Saturday was the first time the US ever played the world No 1 in Fifa’s rankings on home soil. Center-back Naomi Girma and midfielder Sam Coffey, the two players most vital to the US defensive spine, are out with injuries. Spain are missing two-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, Vicky Lopez, Mariona Caldentey and Cata Coll with injuries; Clàudia Pina and Mapi León withdrew from camp on Friday.
If the lengthy list of absentees affected Spain, it didn’t show. They went ahead in the third minute on a 20-yard screamer by Patri Guijarro. The US struggled to assemble their shape after a turnover and left the Barcelona midfielder with significant space.
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