Three keys for USWNT to bounce back against Spain at Subaru Park in rematch against defending World Cup champs

Emma Hayes wants her squad to capitalize on its chances after generating 10 shots on target without a goal in Saturday's 2-0 defeat

Oct 13, 2026 at 9:42 am ET • 4 min read

The United States women's national team will get one more chance to prove they're among the world's best on Tuesday night at Subaru Park.

The group will try to bounce back against Spain and close out the international window after Saturday's 2-0 loss, in which Spain took the lead just 14 minutes in. Despite a flurry of shot creation and attempts on goal, the squad couldn't escape the early hole it dug itself into. The questions facing the team and head coach Emma Hayes are as much about adjustments as they are about finishing in the final third.

Here are three keys to the upcoming game: 

How to watch USWNT vs. Spain, odds

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Subaru Park -- Chester, Pa.
TV: TNT | Live stream: HBO Max
Odds: USWNT +165; Draw +230; Spain +140

Find the finishing touch

The biggest stat Hayes has emphasized following the loss is the team's high totals in shot creation and attempts on target, with nothing to show for it. She's been clear in press conferences that "you can't give them a head start" when discussing the two goals conceded in the first friendly, but the group's response was the highlight despite the lack of goals.

"We have to tighten up on those things because actually, they didn't create a lot of chances, and I think if we defend those moments better, it at least puts us into a stronger position. But I think once you go two nil down against them, then you are faced with chasing the game. And I think probably the first 30 minutes did fine; 30 to 45 minutes, I think we lost our structure. I think the second half it was all about us, but you also have to score to win games," Hayes said in pregame comments.

Despite going down 2-0 early, the squad rallied in attack and finished with 13 shots, 10 on target, and 2.26 expected goals to Spain's 0.43. Hayes sees those numbers as a positive for now.

"But I'm not worried about it. I think this is part of the process. As I said, if I'm here to merely protect a wins record, then I'll pick a lesser opponent. But I'm not here to do that. I'm here to see, well, how much does that gap close 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," Hayes said.

A familiar setting in the midfield

The last time the USWNT got together was the June window. They played two friendlies against Brazil in the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup host nation. It was a taste of what a potential future tournament environment could look like, and they lost the opening match to Brazil 2-1. It's been four months since the group last came together, and some are in the mix for the first time or after long absences.

"We've had one classroom session, and then we trained with the group that hadn't played in any of the minutes. So, as a team, we get our first opportunity now to do those things. I think it's always about doing the same things regardless of result, we've done a game review around the things that we can identify as really clear patterns that we break. Is as it is every game of football, you play the same opponent twice, and there's things within that you can do a bit better," Hayes said of the team's two days since the loss.

As in previous fixtures against top opponents this year, Hayes expects a response from the players in the second game.

"And I think our team has a really good habit of bringing them things into the second game, but we have to do them. Like I say this many times, you can get away with things against weaker opposition. You just can't with [Spain], and so I'll be looking for us to apply that detail to what we're doing, but also know that you don't really have much of a turn turnaround," Hayes said.

Patri Guijarro's opening goal on Saturday showed how quickly Spain turn space into a chance. La Roja recorded only three shots on target but scored twice, so the USWNT cannot afford to be generous around the central areas in front of their back line.

Quick pressure on the first pass into Spain's midfield may help limit their most typical route to goal.

A faster response

All this is to say that the USWNT wouldn't typically find themselves in a compact shape between the lines, but they were dangerous in transition. That threat can disrupt some of Spain's discipline in their switches and movement with the ball, though it may all be easier said than done when you consider the opponent and timing of the window.

"Some players are coming to the back end of the season. Some are at the beginning of their season. We've been four or five months apart. We're only together nine days. We have two training sessions, one game. I think sometimes we think, 'God, everything must look a certain way. It's got to look completely perfect,' and actually, it's quite clunky that first game," Hayes said.

"I'm expecting it to be a little bit better for us, much like it was when we played Brazil Game Two, or we played Japan with the same group game one and three. I think my big request to the team is start earlier. Like start earlier with the things that really matter, and that's what I'll be encouraging us to do [Tuesday]."