CHESTER, Pa. – Nearly 30 minutes after scoring the equalizer that secured the U.S. women’s national team’s thrilling 2-2 draw against Spain in an international friendly pulsating with intensity and electricity at Subaru Park Tuesday night, Mallory Swanson was still struggling to process the magnitude of the moment.
Her goal was the first since scoring the gold-medal-winning strike at the Paris Olympics in 2024. When asked if it hit her what she accomplished, Swanson, even though she had a slight smile, was still astonished.
“No, I don’t think so,” Swanson said to reporters postgame while wearing a black USA soccer parka zipped to the top. “Not yet. But yeah, I mean, I think what’s crazy is that it’s been two years since I’ve scored for this team. … It’s a little surreal … A lot has happened. But yeah, I think it’s nice to get that first one out of the way—a big step in the right direction.
“Obviously, being out last year and then coming back this year. I am honestly super grateful. My family was here to be able to share this with them was just a really good way to keep pushing forward.”
In addition to helping the U.S. erase a 2-0 halftime deficit, Swanson’s 39th career goal was memorable because it was her first since giving birth to her daughter last fall. Her husband, Dansby, was also in attendance. After being on maternity leave all of 2025, Swanson became the 12th mother to score for the U.S. This was Swanson’s second game back.
Swanson was among eight substitutes who entered in the 60th minute or later with the U.S. trailing 2-1. She nearly delivered the equalizer in the 69th minute, unleashing a left-footed shot that forced Spain goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez into an extended save.
Swanson kept working. Kept attacking. Kept believing another opportunity would come.
When it did, she made sure it counted.
U.S. defender Kate Del Fava, who came on in the 80th minute to earn her first cap, started the scoring sequence by switching the ball to the right side of the field and sending a long pass over Spain’s backline. Michelle Cooper was perfectly positioned to make something happen. Cool as a scoop of ice cream despite defenders closing in, Cooper patiently held possession before slipping a pass to Swanson.
Taking one touch, Swanson swiveled and blasted a right-footed shot from 15 yards that slipped into the bottom left corner and sending a euphoric roar through the crowd. Before her game-tying goal, Swanson’s hard work earned the U.S. a corner kick in the 82nd minute.
“As soon as the ball bounced awkwardly, I knew it wasn’t going to be me to shoot,” Cooper said postgame. “I trust my teammates committing, coming forward. I’m so happy Mal got her first goal back. It’s been a long time, so I was happy for her. She was absolutely screaming, and so were the rest of us.”
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U.S. coach Emma Hayes was also excited for Swanson. She is noticing her rounding back into elite form each day.
“Mal has shown improvement every day in training,” Hayes said to reporters during the postgame press conference. “I didn’t think she was quite ready for 45, so I said to her, ‘You’ve got another one in you at this level,’ and she’s in a better place to be able to perform more consistently.
“But I say it all the time: she’s an important player on our team, and I think the more we have her back, the better it can get. I think she missed a big chance (earlier in the second half). It reminded me of the Olympic gold medal moment. I was like, ‘This is one player you want in this position.’ She lifted it, but she didn’t miss the second one.”
Before Swanson’s tying goal took center stage, Ashley Sanchez pumped life into the 18,648 fans squeezed into the scenic venue overlooking the Delaware River and sitting beneath the Commodore Barry Bridge with her first U.S. goal since July 14, 2022, in the 48th minute. Two of Sanchez’s four international goals have come here.
‘It’s incredible’
During the pregame show phone lights fluttered like lightning bugs on a warm summer night as the stadium went dark while the U.S. walked out to some pyrotechnics.
U.S. forward Sophia Wilson, a one-woman greyhound most of the night, received a pass near midfield, broke a tackle, and sprinted toward Spain’s goal before passing to Sanchez, who dribbled inside the box, stutter-stepped past her defender, and fired a low shot into the bottom right corner.
It was Wilson’s 12th international assist and her first assist since returning to the USWNT after giving birth to her daughter last year.
“It was amazing,” Sanchez said of her goal. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it too much because it was like we still need another one, but it was a really good feeling. It was great to see Mal score, especially given everything she’s gone through. I mean, it’s just so special, and I think for anybody coming back from having a baby and scoring a goal like that in such a big game, it’s incredible, and we’re all just like so happy. We were screaming for her on the bench, so it was amazing.”
The U.S. did a lot of excellent things in the second half. They claimed several 50-50 balls, applied more offensive pressure, and made critical defensive clears when needed to keep Spain off the board.
The first half looked like a carbon copy of the United States’ 2-0 loss to Spain in Washington, D.C., three days ago. Playing patiently, an opportunistic Spain squad scored twice, with goals from Alexia Putellas in the 27th minute and Salma Paralluelo in the 32nd minute. Spain had scored twice in the first 15 minutes in Saturday’s friendly.
Hayes was asked about what she said during intermission. She revealed nothing, sharing that it was between her and the team.
“We came into halftime and knew it wasn’t good enough,” Sanchez said. “We knew that we needed to put some shots away. So, the second half, it was really good. It was good effort from us to get back into the game.”
Hayes was also effusive in her praise of the substitutions.
“I really admired the fearlessness of the performance in the second half; I’ve said this for ages,” Hayes said. “We’ve got to develop a group. In one game, you’re going to rely on one situation. Another group, it might be another, and the importance is the whole pack, especially in a game where you’ve got eight subs, and you go to a World Cup.”
Wesley takes another step forward
U.S. defender Kennedy Wesley epitomized its resilience.
Wesley was one of the few United States players to play all 90 minutes in both matches against Spain. Still learning and growing in her role, Wesley struggled during the five minutes when Spain scored.
Minor details hurt the U.S. on Spain’s first goal. It looked as if the U.S. was out of danger until Spain’s Patricia Guijarro passed to Clara Serrajordi, who calmly settled the pass and sent in a curling cross to Putellas, who scored with her left foot. It was a moment of indecision along the backline, where players zigged when they should’ve zagged.
“The first goal was the cross,” Wesley said. “I think we initially got really good pressure on the ball, and then we started to lose some of that pressure. And it takes them half a second of free time and space to be able to whip a ball in the line, and that’s exactly what they did. We were a little bit overshifted, not exactly in the frame of the ball, and they capitalized on it.”
“It’s hard because they do such a good job of overloading spaces. They’ll put three, four players in a five-yard span, so you don’t want to get all sucked over to it. But if you give one of those five players enough time and space, they’ll punish you. So it’s really difficult and something that we battled with, I think, through both games throughout the series. But we’ve also made a lot of developments in that area.”
Yet, Wesley shook it off and played stronger and more determined during the second half.
Wesley is the future and present of the USWNT, having earned her 10th cap and eighth start. She also played all 90 minutes in an April shutout victory over Brazil. She scored her first international goal against Japan earlier this year.
“I’m so thankful for the opportunity that Emma’s trusted me to grow and develop in the system,” Wesley said postgame to reporters. “I think for me, being able to play next to such experienced players has taught me that the details matter when you’re playing the best team in the world. Whether it’s with the ball, without the ball, being super tight when you’re defending, it only takes like one little mental lapse for them to capitalize. So, the details at the highest level are super super important.”
A Stanford graduate, Wesley’s biggest gains have been in possession, staying calm under pressure, making smart passes, and showing more vocal leadership on defense. Chemistry has been hard to develop because in each of the two games against Spain, the United States started various combinations alongside her, including starting Phallon Tullis-Joyce in goal.
Inserting Phallon Tullis-Joyce in goal, was one of four changes Hayes made to the Starting XI from last match. The others were Sanchez on the forward line, Claire Hutton in the midfield, and Gisele Thompson on the back line. Saturday’s starting backline, Tierna Davidson, Fox, and Avery Patterson, had never started a game together on defense.
While she has trained with all the defenders, it must still have felt like Wesley just showed up, hopped off the bus, and played with a group of strangers as they continued to build synergy.
“It’s not easy,” Hayes acknowledged to reporters. “Kennedy and Tierna never played together before, and then they got a different goalkeeper in goal for both of their games. You see, look at the second goal. Sometimes that happens when you don’t have the chemistry. … She’s a leader. I think she’s really grown in our environment. We rely on her. I think she’s got another level to go, and she’s a great, great kid, and great to coach too.”
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Another area of growth Wesley acknowledged was her preparation outside training, including diligent film review, rest, fueling, and learning her recovery needs. These have become increasingly important, especially during congested competition schedules.
“I think a lot of it was honestly the time spent off the field,” Wesley said. “I also grew a lot in what we call the other 22 hours off the pitch. I think I’ve made a lot of strides there in learning what my body needs and how I can get the best out of myself every game.”
Wesley, who also plays for San Diego Wave FC, earned her first call-up to the national team last October. Now, she’s competing for a spot on the U.S. World Cup roster. She’s proving herself every day. With her continued improvement and growing confidence, the 25-year-old Wesley is putting herself in an excellent position to make the roster.
Her performance against Spain in the friendly matches was a step in the right direction. She also knows how significant the U.S. effort was in the second half.
“I think it’s really important, especially since we could face this team if we qualify for the World Cup in a World Cup setting,” Wesley said. So, it’s important that we are resilient enough to come back and score two goals. Also, this should propel us going into the next camp in November, which is super important as we look to qualify for the World Cup.”
Wesley’s teammates have noticed her growth.
“Kennedy’s done so well,” Cooper said. “I’m so happy for her to be able to step into this role. She’s really found her place on this team as a center back, which is a really hard role as we rotate on our left side. But for her to be able to move the ball like she does, find the spaces where we have the overloads, and continue to go down those ways is really good.”
The World Cup is next year in Brazil. These two squads may meet again. They will be among the favorites. After two matches against each other, the world’s two top-ranked teams gained intelligence that could shape their blueprints if they meet next summer.
While Hayes was pleased with the draw, her opinion of Spain or how she matches up with it didn’t change.
“They’re the best team in the world,” Hayes said. “I’ve said I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. They’re world-class. We’re still in progress, which is why they’re deserving of being world champions. Our job is to hunt that, and I think we see the importance of squad depth and how our players are really developing, especially the less experienced ones.”
The U.S. may still have a few things to tighten up, but Swanson’s return reminded everyone what this team can rely on during challenging moments: fight, grit, and heart.
“The one thing about this team is that you never want to give up,” Swanson said. “That’s what I’ve always learned. So yeah, just being able to keep pushing no matter what comes our way, and that’s the DNA that this team embodies since the 99ers till now.”
