USWNT vs. Spain: Key takeaways from a gutsy battle in Pennsylvania

...and Mallory Swanson made the most of her appearance, too

While Sanchez missed out on USWNT activity due to a crowded field of attacking talent, Swanson — one-third of the team's Triple Espresso lineup at the 2024 Olympic Games — missed out for health reasons. She had a baby in the fall of 2025 and was out of USWNT contention throughout her pregnancy and recovery.

While Swanson returned to the team for its two matches against Brazil in June, she didn't play, and these two matches against Spain were her grand return as the team's 19th mother to take the field. Watching her find the back of the net to level the match at 2-2 was as cathartic as it was heartwarming: She took the team under her wing at the Olympics, and she took it under her wing here too.

Emma Hayes asked for change, but the USWNT largely failed to deliver it

When asked about whether her team would be able to bounce back in its second match against Spain, Hayes was characteristically level-headed about the whole affair. "You play the same opponent twice, and there’s things within that you can do a bit better," she said. "Our team has a really good habit of bringing things into the second game, but we have to do them."

Those things, as Hayes saw it, were simple: protect space and don't make silly mistakes. They were easy enough to execute in theory, but on the field, against the reigning world champions, the USWNT struggled to get them done. It was a failure to protect space that led to Spain's opening goal; it was a silly mistake from goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce that led to its second. Hayes was right: Her USWNT does have a good habit of improving in rematches, but a habit isn't a guarantee.

The USWNT fell hard, but it also learned plenty

Going winless against Spain in two matches will be tough for the USWNT to swallow, but Hayes had the right idea about the whole thing from the start. "If I’m here to merely protect a wins record, then I’ll pick a lesser opponent. I’m not here to do that," she said. "I’m here to see how much the gap has closed with them, and then how far away are we from that, and keep working towards it, because they’re the best team in the world for a reason."

It's the right approach, especially with the World Cup looming in the summer of 2027. The USWNT doesn't need feel-good fixtures against teams it knows it can beat. It needs a genuine challenge, preferably from the kind of team it will have to stare down in the knockout rounds of the tournament, and it got that in these two matches against Spain. The USWNT will rue its missed chances in these games, but it will take plenty of information away from how it performed against the best team in the world.

The USWNT will return to action on Friday, Nov. 27 against El Salvador.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.