The world No. 2 USWNT returned to winning form on Sunday, avenging Thursday's upset loss to No. 23 Portugal by capping the pair's two-game friendly series with a 3-1 victory.
USWNT midfielder Olivia Moultrie led the charge, securing a brace within the opening 10 minutes before second-half sub Sam Coffey flicked in a 77th-minute corner kick to cement the 3-1 scoreline.
"[US head coach] Emma [Hayes] said before the game, 'I don't care what the result is, but no matter what, I want it to feel like we played like us,'" said 20-year-old Moultrie postgame.
Hayes significantly shifted away from Thursday's struggling lineup, replacing eight starters and relying on a starting XI with an average age of 21.7 years old — including teenaged midfielders Lily Yohannes and Claire Hutton.
Defender Emily Sonnett captained the squad, and her 111 senior team caps singlehandedly outranked the other 10 players on the field, whose USWNT appearances combined totaled just 100 matches.
"You can't cut a corner to success, and you can't cut a corner with development," said Hayes, impressed by the young group's growth since falling to both Brazil and Japan earlier this year.
"I think last game was a blip," Hayes continued. "And that, for me, is not something I expect to be happening on a regular basis."
How to watch this week's USWNT friendly
The No. 2 USWNT will close out October's international window with a friendly against No. 33 New Zealand in Kansas City on Wednesday.
The match will kick off at 8 PM ET, live on TNT.
The world No. 2 USWNT had an inauspicious start to their October friendlies on Thursday, falling 2-1 to No. 23 Portugal. It's the first-ever lost to Portugal in US program history.
"Ultimately, tonight was just not acceptable, it was not our standard," USWNT midfielder Sam Coffey told broadcaster TNT after the game — the team's first match in almost four months. "I think we were really individual."
Though US star midfielder Rose Lavelle gave the hosts the early lead by finding the back of the net just 33 seconds into play, Portugal's Diana Gomes equalized before halftime before her fellow defender Fátima Pinto put the Europeans on top in the 73rd minute. Both Portuguese goals came off of corner kicks.
The loss marked only the third time that the USWNT has lost to an opponent outside the Top 20 FIFA rankings, as US players struggled to find each other on the pitch when faced with Portugal's physicality and formation.
"Sometimes as a coach in this position, it feels like Whack-a-Mole," said US manager Emma Hayes afterwards. "You try and put one thing out, and then there's another one popping up."
"We've played many teams that surprised us with formation changes, but our response to it just took so long," she continued. "Then when we get into good areas, we just would make poor decisions."
Though Hayes addressed all aspects of her team's disappointing Thursday play, she also specifically honed in on their defensive missteps, saying "from front to back, we just mistimed everything."
In response, Hayes is already beefing up her options on the backline, calling up Eva Gaetino from the concurrent USWNT U-23 training camp on Friday, with the PSG defender joining the senior team's roster through this window's remaining two friendlies.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Portugal on Sunday
While Hayes tempered Thursday's loss by reminding everyone that "it's a game of football, no one died," the USWNT will still have vengeance on the mind during Sunday's rematch against Portugal.
"We've got to be better, and I promise you, we will be better," said Hayes. "We better be."
The clash will kick off at 4 PM ET, with live coverage airing on TNT.
The No. 5 Portland Thorns snagged another result over the weekend, grabbing a point off a 1-1 Saturday draw with the No. 9 North Carolina Courage to further solidify their spot on the NWSL table.
Midfielder Olivia Moultrie opened scoring with a first-half bullet to put Portland up 1-0, before Courage forward Tyler Lussi equalized with a 70th-minute strike.
With her 13th career goal on Saturday, 19-year-old Moultrie became the NWSL's joint-leader in regular-season goals scored by a teenager — sharing the all-time record with North Carolina attacker Jaedyn Shaw.
The Portland Thorns are currently making a case for the league's "best of the rest," after Saturday NWSL action saw the San Diego Wave rocket up the table to No. 2 with a 2-1 win over No. 11 Bay FC while the No. 1 Kansas City Current and now-No. 3 Orlando Pride ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
Despite losing veteran anchors Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg to retirement and USWNT star Sophia Wilson to maternity leave, Portland has figured out how to generate new offensive opportunities via young talent like forwards Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin.
More experienced midfielders like Moultrie and Sam Coffey are also contributing, with Coffey scoring her second season goal on August 10th to match her entire 2024 total.
As for North Carolina, the questions continue for the Courage as they struggle to stack results amid the abrupt sacking of head coach Sean Nahas earlier this month.
According to a statement released after the Courage's August 8th loss to the then-No. 12 Houston Dash, Nahas was removed due to "confounding performance issues, culture issues, and a perceived lack of fit that created an environment that club leadership felt was untenable to the point that change was necessary at the head coaching position."
How to watch Monday's NWSL match
In a rare Monday matchup, the NWSL's 16th matchday will wrap with the No. 6 Seattle Reign hosting the No. 13 Chicago Stars — with a Reign win sending Seattle above Portland to No. 5 on the NWSL table.
Live coverage of the 10 PM ET match will air on CBS Sports Network.
The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.
Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.
Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.
Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.
Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.
"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."
With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.
The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.
"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."
The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.
"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."
"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."
The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.
Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.
As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.
"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.
With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday
The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.
Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.
The world No. 1 USWNT topped the No. 25 Republic of Ireland 4-0 on Thursday, dominating the first of two friendly matchups against the Girls in Green this week.
Veteran midfielder Rose Lavelle notched a goal and an assist in her first appearance for the US in 2025, with defender Avery Patterson, midfielder Sam Coffey, and forward Alyssa Thompson also finding the back of the net to round out the scoresheet.
Despite relative inexperience, this USWNT lineup claimed control of the match from the very first whistle, holding 68% of possession while keeping Ireland from registering a single shot on goal.
The US also saw new faces step up, as defenders Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg as well as goalkeeper Claudia Dickey all earned their first caps without a hitch.
While USWNT boss Emma Hayes is still figuring out her player pool, her team has been busy racking up the results.
"Being able to trust my teammates around me, trusting Emma — she's helped me a lot," Thompson said after the game. "Just the coaching staff in general, I feel like I've learned so much."
"My natural instincts are to go into the attack more," Patterson told media after tallying her first-ever senior team goal. "I think it's a little bit of that, and also the backing of my coaches."
How to watch the USWNT vs. Ireland this weekend
The USWNT and Ireland will clash again in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 3 PM ET on Sunday.
Coverage of the friendly will air live on TNT.
The clock is ticking in the NWSL, with just two regular-season matchdays remaining before the league hits pause on 2025 play to make way for the summer's major international tournaments.
Only five points stand between No. 2 and No. 6 in the NWSL standings, with a slim goal differential determining which club sits above the playoff line.
Bolstered by news of midfielder Sam Coffey's contract extension, the No. 7 Portland Thorns are starting to turn heads, steadily climbing the table despite star striker Sophia Wilson sitting out the season due to pregnancy.
With middle-of-the-pack teams looking to make their mark as the 2025 season approaches its midway point, plenty of heat awaits on NWSL pitches this weekend:
- No. 8 Bay FC vs. No. 2 Orlando Pride, Friday at 10 PM ET (Prime): Bay FC has once again pushed into playoff contention, with the 2024 expansion team aiming to humble the reigning champion Pride in front of a home crowd.
- No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 6 Racing Louisville FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Still hunting a franchise-first postseason berth, Louisville will look to prove themselves against a No. 1 Kansas City side on a four-match winning streak.
- No. 7 Portland Thorns vs. No. 3 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 4 PM ET (CBS): The league's seventh-place squad squares off against the 2024 championship runners-up, with the rising Thorns looking to steal a point — or three — off a Spirit side mired in injury and personnel shifts.
While one result could shift a team's standings spot, clubs are on borrowed time with a lengthy break awaiting the league after the next two match weekends.
In their first match since early April, the USWNT didn't miss a beat, comfortably taking down China PR 3-0 to kick off a series of two international friendlies on Saturday.
Forward Catarina Macario opened scoring in the match's 28th minute, before midfielder Sam Coffey doubled the scoreline later in the first half. A header from captain Lindsey Heaps in the 54th minute put the finishing touch on the Saturday victory.
Head coach Emma Hayes's top-ranked USWNT played fluidly against No. 17 China PR, dominating the game's attack with more than 70% possession while notching 18 shots on goal — seven of them on target.
"I feel like I'm working a lot on trying to join the play more, get up in counter-measures. I tend to play it too safe, and think too 'worst-case scenario,' so I was just trying to join," Coffey told TBS after tallying her second international goal.
The match also saw the international debut of 32-year-old midfielder Lo'eau Labonta, who became the oldest player to earn a first cap in USWNT history with her entrance in the game's 70th minute.
"When they called my name, I was sitting being the best cheerleader I could be on the bench," LaBonta joked after the win. "I was like, 'This is amazing. I've never been field-view watching the national team.' It was so cool."
The US will go again against No. 40 Jamaica on Tuesday, but it appears that Hayes's roster reshuffling hasn't yet hindered their ability to control games.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Jamaica friendly this week
The USWNT will take on the Reggae Girlz at 8 PM ET on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, with live coverage on TNT.
The world No. 1 USWNT is back in action on Saturday, taking on No. 17 China PR in the first of two early summer friendlies as head coach Emma Hayes continues evaluating talent across the 24-player roster.
"We have two different types of opponents ahead of us, so we'll have to be creative in breaking down those teams in different ways," Hayes told reporters earlier this month.
With an average of just 30.7 caps per player, this international window is an opportunity for NWSL favorites to prove their national team value — though the USWNT will be without one up-and-comer: Due to a minor hip injury, Angel City defender Gisele Thompson departed camp on Thursday, with Hayes opting not to replace the 19-year-old in the lineup.
Fresh faces to take on a familiar foe
The US has faced China PR a total of 60 times — more than any country other than No. 7 Canada. China also boasts the second-most US defeats with nine, though they haven't upended the USWNT since 2015.
In total, the USWNT boasts a 38-9-13 all-time record against their longtime rival, including arguably the team's most famous victory: the history-making penalty-kick win in the 1999 World Cup final at the Rose Bowl.
That said, the teams haven't squared off since December 2023 — some six months before Hayes took the helm.
"We have new faces, we have experience, we have veterans, we have young players. I think we're a really amazing blend of all of the above," said midfielder Sam Coffey this week. "I think more than anything, the common denominator in everyone here is just a hunger to get better."
How to watch the USWNT vs. China PR friendly match
The USWNT kicks off against China PR at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Live coverage of the match will air on TBS.
The USWNT remains undefeated at the Paris Olympics, registering their first perfect group stage since the 2012 Summer Games after defeating Australia 2-1 on Wednesday.
The US advances with a team-record nine group stage goals while also leading the Olympic field in both goal differential and goals scored.
First-time Olympians Rodman, Albert score in USWNT win
New USWNT manager Emma Hayes opted not to rotate her starting XI on Wednesday, despite the US having already qualified for the quarterfinal thanks to Sunday's win over Germany. The US's only change came by way of replacing the injured Tierna Davidson, who's currently out with a knee contusion, with center-back Emily Sonnett.
The USWNT fought an Australian low block for much of the match, with the Matildas unsuccessfully chasing the vital point they needed to advance out of Group B.
First-time Olympian Trinity Rodman opened the scoring for the US just before halftime, while substitute Korbin Albert notched the game-winner in the 77th minute. Matildas defender Alanna Kennedy brought her team within one goal of equalizing in the 91st, but the US held on through the rest of stoppage time to claim the win.
USWNT's Coffey out for Olympics quarterfinal
Hayes's emphasis on consistency earned the result, but not without consequences. Midfielder Sam Coffey earned her second group stage yellow card minutes into the match, rendering her unavailable for the quarterfinal against Japan and guaranteeing Hayes's first Olympic change to the USWNT's starting midfield.
Saturday's match will also determine the USWNT's path forward, as advancing to the semifinal round secures a shot at a medal.
Other noteworthy Olympic soccer results
France finished atop Group A with a win against New Zealand, while Canada came back from a six-point deduction to finish second with a victory over Colombia, who also advanced in third place.
Due to goal differential, Canada's win denied Australia the opportunity to advance, marking their worst women's soccer finish since 2000, while Germany took second with a win over Zambia.
Spain also capped a perfect group stage with their win over third-place Brazil, who managed to overcome Marta's red card to advance from Group C. Japan also moved forward, finishing second with a win over Nigeria.