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.
Sam Coffey scored her first international goal in the U.S. women’s national team’s 2-1 win over China PR on Tuesday, doing so in Becky Sauerbrunn’s “borrowed” No. 4.
Coffey said after the game that she got permission from Sauerbrunn, who is her Portland Thorns teammate, to wear the jersey number.
“I did get permission. I would never just pick it without addressing Rebecca,” Coffey told reporters. “I reached out to her and I was like, ‘Would you mind? I’d just love to honor you and channel your energy.’”
Indeed, Coffey channeled Sauerbrunn’s energy, but with a different result. Sauerbrunn has yet to score a goal in 217 appearances for the USWNT, with the defender holding the scoreless streak record for the team.
As for her own milestone goal, Coffey celebrated aptly afterward.
“I don’t score a lot of goals, so when it happens, I’ve got to celebrate,” said the midfielder, who had eight assists but no goals for the Thorns this past NWSL season. “I don’t even remember what I did. It was just one of the best moments of my life.”
.@sscofff tucks it into the corner to equalize! pic.twitter.com/9Kk9BGqZJF
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) December 6, 2023
It wasn’t the first time this year that Sauerbrunn has loaned her jersey number. During the World Cup, Naomi Girma donned the No. 4 while Sauerbrunn was sidelined with a foot injury. Upon Sauerbrunn’s comeback in October, Girma returned the jersey number without an argument.
“Becky just takes it back,” she said. “It was no fight. I asked to wear it during the World Cup.”
Jaedyn Shaw played hometown and U.S. women’s national team hero on Tuesday night, scoring the deciding goal to secure the USWNT’s 2-1 come-from-behind win over China PR.
Shaw, playing in front of many friends and family in her hometown of Frisco, Texas, ran onto a deflection in the box after a set piece and sent a low strike into the left corner. It was the 19-year-old’s second international goal in her first career start for the USWNT.
There's no cookin' like home cookin'...@JaedynShaw11 puts the #USWNT on top in her hometown! pic.twitter.com/TjfrM8poj3
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) December 6, 2023
The USWNT appeared to take the lead in the 67th minute, but Lindsey Horan’s diving header goal off a service from Shaw was disallowed for offside.
Sam Coffey brought the USWNT even in the 62nd minute with her first international goal. Jenna Nighswonger sent a low corner kick into the box that got batted around before Emily Sonnett set up Coffey for a curling shot into the top right corner.
.@sscofff tucks it into the corner to equalize! pic.twitter.com/9Kk9BGqZJF
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) December 6, 2023
The USWNT hasn’t lost to China since 2015 and leads the all-time series 38-13-9, outscoring China 104-38. The game was the team’s last of 2023, as players now head into an international break before preparations officially begin for the 2024 Paris Olympics under new head coach Emma Hayes.
The U.S. ends the year with 14 wins, four draws and zero losses in regulation — and just three goals conceded.
Sophia Smith and Midge Purce came on at the start of the second half, replacing Ashley Hatch and Emily Fox (who was placed under concussion protocl). Lynn Williams also departed in 58th minute for Trinity Rodman, the star of the USWNT’s win on Saturday with one goal and two assists.
Korbin Albert, 20, made her USWNT debut in the 69th minute alongside 18-year-old Olivia Moultrie, playing in her second consecutive game after earning her first cap Saturday. Albert, a former standout midfielder at Notre Dame, was called into her first U.S. camp this month after signing with Paris Saint-Germain in January.
China PR gave the USWNT a scare in first-half stoppage time when Shen Mengyu got on the end of Siqian Wang’s header across the goal line. The cross came courtesy of a set piece after China was threatening down the flank and Fox committed a slide-tackle foul near the left corner.
The U.S. went into halftime down 1-0 despite controlling 66% of the possession and registering eight shots to China’s three.
USWNT starting lineup vs. China PR
Interim head coach Twila Kilgore made seven changes to the starting lineup from the USWNT’s 3-0 win over China PR on Saturday in the first of the two-game series. Naomi Girma, Fox, Sonnett and Horan were the only holdovers from Saturday’s starting lineup.
Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury started in place of Casey Murphy, while Shaw and Nighswonger earned their first starts with the national team. Coffey, Hatch and Tierna Davidson also entered the starting lineup for the first time after being left off the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup roster.
Kilgore said this week that the USWNT is layering in new tactics and ideas, including a shift in mentality that encourages players to be “willing and brave to try new things.”
Last dance of 2023 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/yEyVDasajx
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) December 5, 2023
When Sophia Smith and Sam Coffey cast their votes for the NWSL end-of-season awards, the choice was easy.
Both Smith and Coffey are nominated for the MVP award, but they did not vote for themselves. Rather, each Portland Thorns teammate threw their support behind the other, with Coffey voting for Smith and Smith voting for Coffey.
“I already voted for her,” Coffey said, turning to Smith beside her at Friday’s press conference. “I think I put all Thorns, especially you and Morgan (Weaver) were at the top. I don’t know if that’s wrong to do.”
For the MVP award, Smith and Coffey are up against San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma, Kansas City Current forward Debinha and North Carolina Courage forward Kerolin.
Smith is the reigning winner of the award. In 2022, the 23-year-old forward became the youngest winner in NWSL history after scoring 14 goals in 18 appearances. In 2023, she already has won the Golden Boot with a league-leading 11 goals in 17 appearances.
Yet while Smith gets plenty of attention for her scoring touch, she is more than happy to share the spotlight with Coffey, who has excelled for Portland as a defensive midfielder.
“I love to see Sam get the attention and the praise and the respect that she deserves,” Smith said. “As a team, we’ve been seeing this all year, seeing it last year, and I think finally people are seeing it too and realizing how important she is to this team.
“And what she does — I don’t think any other midfielder in the league is doing what she does, and she’s doing it consistently. And that’s a really hard thing to do. So I love to see Sam up for MVP because I think she’s really really worthy of that.”
For her part, Coffey is flattered by the nomination, but she has her sights set on another NWSL Championship. The Thorns won the 2022 title, and they’ll face Gotham FC at 7 p.m. ET Sunday with a shot in the 2023 title game on the line.
“Of course any recognition is is always appreciated,” she said. “But at the end of the day, and I know Soph agrees with me, none of it matters if we don’t get business done on Sunday. And ultimately after that, obviously one thing at a time, but we we have our eyes on the ultimate prize. And so none of these things matter unless that gets done.”
The U.S. women’s national team will move on from October with their heads held high. A 3-0 victory over Colombia on Sunday gave them more breathing room after a scoreless draw earlier in the week. The match was a tale of two halves, as the U.S. made slight adjustments at halftime to pepper Colombia’s penalty area in a chippy, physical match.
The shots on goal didn’t start landing until the second half, as key substitutes took advantage of a worn-down defense. Mia Fishel and Jaedyn Shaw tallied their first USWNT goals, and Lindsey Horan also scored a breakthrough goal in her attacking midfield role.
What was likely interim manager Twila Kilgore’s final game in charge of a team in a holding pattern didn’t answer every question fans have for the former world champions. But it did serve as a reminder that solutions are necessary, and that the players in the team’s future might actually be the ones who can perform the best in the present.
Here are a few main takeaways from Sunday’s win.
It’s time to start rotating the center forwards
The next USWNT coach could find themselves in a conundrum as they decide what to do about the established center forward role. It’s a spot that Alex Morgan has held in good stead for most of her career, but as the striker concludes another international break without a goal, questions about form continue to follow the 34-year-old.
Morgan brings more to the team than just a goal-scoring presence, as both a key leader and an increasingly effective playmaker. But in both October matches against Colombia, she struggled with her primary objective, missing a penalty kick and other high-quality chances in front of goal. It’s not Morgan’s fault that the USWNT has played slim-margin, counter-attacking soccer in 2023 — that responsibility primarily rests with former manager Vlatko Andonovski. But the last four games have followed a similar blueprint, and form being a fickle thing supports the idea of letting hotter hands get experience in the No. 9 role.
Mia Fishel made an obvious case on Sunday, scoring her first senior international goal on a header off a short corner kick. The USWNT has long been dominant on set pieces, and Fishel’s aerial ability combined with her comfort as a back-to-goal striker opened things up for the U.S. in the second half on Sunday.
... and that's how it works, that's how we got the goal 🎶🎶🎶 pic.twitter.com/9XoiZgPnpR
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 29, 2023
Sophia Smith is also re-entering the fold after an MCL sprain and still lining up with the U.S. as a winger. She has had a two-year run of dominance in the NWSL in a more central position, something Andonovski leaned on but never committed to as USWNT coach. Other players who can do damage in front of goal include (but are not limited to) Ashley Hatch, Lynn Williams and Catarina Macario, considering she can return to her old form after recovery from an ACL injury.
It doesn’t do Morgan any favors to keep inserting her into a system that doesn’t play to her strengths, nor does it make sense for a team that has this much attacking talent to become rigid in the face of a shooting slump. The process of building cohesion and chemistry only works if the pieces in the system fit, and the U.S. appears to be a couple of personnel moves away from striking the right balance.
The future is now
Some of the turnover in the USWNT player pool happened so fast this summer that it’s difficult to contextualize a team that’s constantly changing. Trinity Rodman abruptly took on much greater responsibility during the World Cup due to Mallory Swanson’s knee injury and now looks like a confident, seasoned pro on the wings. Savannah DeMelo, after a surprising World Cup debut, was similarly called upon to infuse life into the U.S. attack in both of their October matches in the absence of Rose Lavelle.
The success of players like Rodman and DeMelo, who were pushed into the deep end and swam instead of sinking, should bolster the idea that the next USWNT coach need not be precious about giving minutes to younger, less experienced talent. In fact, Kilgore’s reluctance to move away from the hyper-conservative playing style of the team’s Round of 16 formation arguably wasted precious time when the team has never had less to lose.
Shaw and Fishel played like stars on Sunday, with a fearlessness and tenacity that the USWNT has been missing from its veterans. Shaw can slot into a number of positions with ease, her superpower being an understanding of how she can exploit space wherever it presents itself. With her chip of the goalkeeper to put the U.S. up 3-0, the 19-year-old showed a poise that belied her age. The assist came from the capable 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, who is still being eased into playing time with the U.S. senior team after making the World Cup roster.
.@JaedynShaw11 (18 years and 343 days) is the youngest player to score for the #USWNT since Mallory Swanson scored against Colombia at the 2016 Summer Olympics at 18 years and 102 days of age. pic.twitter.com/vgSNHMjrfX
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 29, 2023
Given the excitement on Sunday, there’s an argument that the U.S. coaching staff isn’t moving fast enough. Olivia Moultrie could be the type of player to allow Horan to rest at times, but she did not see the field in October. The team’s avoidance of defensive midfielder Sam Coffey, an NWSL MVP finalist this season with the Portland Thorns, also continued this week (though the ascendance of Emily Sonnett in the same role has possibly muddied the waters). Ashley Sanchez received late minutes on Sunday, still finding herself struggling to rise on the midfield depth chart after not playing at all during the World Cup.
One of the blessings and the curses of managing the USWNT is that you have to find ways to balance leadership, mentality, form and positional roles while overseeing an intensely competitive environment where many players have a case for consideration. Former coaches have frequently pushed for changes in increments, with a steadfast faith in the team’s cohesion across player generations.
The 2024 Olympics looming in the background could push the next U.S. manager into inactivity, trusting the process that Andonovski began. But the game tape from Sunday might support a bolder approach, and one that needs to happen quickly lest the USWNT continue to lose ground on the international stage.
Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.