The United States Women’s National Team fell 1-0 to Japan on Tuesday night in Seattle, but they aren’t quite hanging their heads. Yes, the U.S. maintained 67% possession. Yes, the U.S. had a handful of shots on goal that couldn’t find the back of the net. Yes, they conceded on an exquisite Maika Hamano shot. Yes, their ten-game win streak came to an end.
But for a team that is re-finding its identity while competing against one of the top women’s national sides in the world, they know a 1-0 loss — in cold, rainy circumstances, too — is not much to fret about.
“I think we dominated a lot of things, without having the secret sauce,” head coach Emma Hayes said in the postgame presser. In the U.S.’s first game in Seattle since 2017, they took on a talented Japan team known for its precision and patience just days after beating them 2-1 in San Jose.
“When you win the first one, inevitably the second one becomes that challenge,” Hayes continued. “They are a top side, so we have to give them a lot of credit.”
It’s true that some things went right for the U.S., even though they were unable to clinch the victory. Hayes’s starting XI featured a completely different starting roster from the first match, and while Saturday’s roster averaged 56.3 caps per player, Tuesday’s match averaged 23.9 caps per player. Of the players in the starting lineup, only defender Emily Sonnett had seen on-field minutes at a World Cup or Olympic Games.
But, as Hayes has made so abundantly clear, these are the kinds of tests she wants her players to face. And the progress she witnessed from the players to whom she gave chances makes her feel justified in her decisions. She maintained throughout the press conference that, despite the loss, tonight’s team (and Saturday’s team) that faced Japan are squads that have made tremendous improvements since losing to the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup champions in last year’s SheBelieves Cup.
“If we’re solely looking at the result, Japan won and we lost,” Hayes said. “But you can’t look at it like that when you’re trying to develop players to be prepared for the highest level. Because it just means you’ll … always plan for the most comfortable circumstances.”
Being proud of progress, however, does not necessarily soothe the sting of a loss easily. The players recognize the same strengths Hayes did, but both team and coach alike want to learn and improve from this loss, not just accept it.
“There was a lot of energy in this young lineup. … We needed a bit more urgency at times,” midfielder and captain-armband-bearer Claire Hutton said in the mixed zone after the game. “That final fight, the technical execution … needs to step up. There were moments where we were taking too many touches. … We need to clean that up going into the third game.”
Fellow captain Lindsey Heaps, who appeared in the match as a substitute, agreed. “I thought we controlled the game,” Heaps said, “and it’s a really good thing, but with all that control, what can we do? What can we exploit?” She pointed out that Japan, a solid and organized team, is very good at using their moments in control to exploit other teams, and noted how effectively Japan beats teams in transition.
“It’s that finishing phase,” Heaps continued. “We got three or four chances at the end, but [we need to] continue to build the connections in the final phase. … It’s those finishing pieces, but also, in the last 15, 10 minutes, we need to just go for it.”
As the team gears up for the third and final friendly against Japan on Friday, questions remain about who will make the starting lineup. Have the veterans outplayed the youth? Will Tierna Davidson and Sophia Wilson, returning from injury and pregnancy respectively, see more than 40-60 minutes? Is there a clear contender for starting goalie between Claudia Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce, or will Jane Campbell be given a chance?
No matter what, with the series tied 1-1, it’s bound to be a thriller. As Hayes said to close out her press conference, “It’s game on for the third game.”
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