It takes extensive back-scrolling on the U.S. women’s national team schedule to find the last time the squad lost consecutive matches.

Until Tuesday, the reigning World Champions hadn’t dropped back-to-back games since March 2017, when they lost 1-0 to England and then 3-0 to France in the group stage of the SheBelieves Cup.

That five-year-and-seven-month streak came to an end as the USWNT fell 2-0 to hosts Spain in a friendly match on Tuesday. The defeat came less than a week after the team lost to England 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.

It also came in the midst of the fallout from the Sally Yates report, which uncovered systemic abuse within the NWSL and has weighed heavily on the players in the days since its release.

Still, the loss was unexpected.

“We have a winning mentality, and when we don’t win, it hurts,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “It hurts all of us. It is a tough moment for us as a team.”

The four-time World Cup champion USWNT has established a culture of winning over decades. Since those consecutive losses in 2017, the club had lost only four other times.

“We knew these were going to be two tough opponents, two tough games, “Andonovski said. “That’s why we came here, to learn more about us before the World Cup and to get prepared better for the World Cup.”

The World Cup is eight months away, and the USWNT will play plenty of matches between now and then, starting with two against Germany on Nov. 10 and 13 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, and Harrison, N.J. The U.S. remains FIFA’s top-ranked team, while Germany is No. 2.

Andonovski will be tasked with finding the right players to take to Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup next summer. Against England and Spain, the squad was missing several key players who will certainly make the trip in June, most notably Alex Morgan (injury) and Mallory Pugh (family commitment).

“We have 15 players who aren’t available for selection because of injury,” Andonovski said on Monday prior to the Spain game. “From every line, we are missing very important players.”

Spain, meanwhile, was missing its entire first unit, after 15 players sent emails to the Spanish soccer federation on Sept. 23 asking not to be summoned to the team until concerns regarding their “health and well-being were addressed.” Those players later denied the federation’s portrayal that they had “resigned” from the team and expressed their frustration that the correspondence went public.

But the players who took the field for Spain on Tuesday made their presence felt in the 2-0 win.

“They were a better squad tonight,” Andonovski said.

Laia Codina, who plays for FC Barcelona, scored the first goal of the match off a corner kick at the 39-minute mark. The ball bounced around in front of the net, but the U.S. defense couldn’t clear it and Codina was able to finish from seven yards away. It was her senior national team debut.

Spain, who are missing 15 players, lead the USWNT 1-0 at the half. 😳 pic.twitter.com/7vhavFpsnN

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) October 11, 2022

Esther Gonzalez then put the game out of reach for the U.S. with a spectacular volley goal in the 72nd minute.

What a finish ‼️

Spain takes a 2-0 lead over the USWNT late in the 2nd half. pic.twitter.com/kpNfoa00sh

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) October 11, 2022

The USWNT had limited opportunities, taking 10 shots, only two of which were on target.

Andonovski shuffled his lineup drastically in the second half, starting by subbing in Ashley Hatch for Trinity Rodman at the break.

Rodman made her second start in a row after impressing in the game against England – though her goal was called back after a controversial VAR call determined Sophia Smith was offside in the build-up. Leading up to the friendly against Spain, Smith — who scored the lone goal for the U.S. against England — praised the young forward.

“I love playing with Trinity,” she said. “That last game was kind of the first time we’ve got a lot of minutes to play together. But I think you can already tell there’s something special there. I think we read each other pretty well.”

Andonovski later subbed in Crystal Dunn for Carson Pickett, who replaced Emily Fox on the roster Saturday after Fox left the game against England to be evaluated for a concussion. Sam Coffey, Sofia Huerta, Ashley Sanchez and 17-year-old Alyssa Thompson (in her second cap) also came in during the second half. None of those changes ignited the squad, though, and the U.S. never threatened.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer for Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.

The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.

Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.

"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.

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Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.

Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.

Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.

How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend

Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.

Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.

A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.

Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.

• No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.

Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.

The final NWSL weekend heading into the league's six-week summer break has arrived, giving teams one more chance to prove themselves before regular-season play pauses to make way for major international tournaments.

With a five-point gap separating No. 1 Kansas City from No. 2 Orlando in the NWSL standings, the Current will enter the break as the 2025 Shield frontrunners regardless of this weekend's results.

Despite Kansas City's grip atop the table, there's still plenty of room for movement both above and below the postseason cutoff line, as clubs across the NWSL look to wrap their midseason finales on a high note:

• No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 10 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Angel City has a shot at launching themselves above the cutoff line on Friday, but they'll have to snap the Current's five-game winning streak to make it happen.

• No. 8 Gotham FC vs. No. 9 Bay FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Gotham and Bay FC enter the weekend tied on points while staring at each other from on opposite sides of the playoff line — meaning a Saturday win for either club could set the tone for the rest of the 2025 season.

• No. 3 San Diego Wave FC vs. No. 4 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The weekend's only top-table clash could see San Diego sprint back into second place — unless Washington leapfrogs the upstart Wave to claim the third-place spot.

The LPGA Tour has turned its attention to Texas, with the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship — the third major of the pro golf season — teeing off in Frisco to a flurry of first-round action on Thursday.

All of the sport's Top 100 athletes are participating in this week's event, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, who sits in a 14th-place tie with an even-par first-round performance, and surging US dark horse No. 50 Lexi Thompson, who tied for 10th in her Thursday return from a brief retirement.

However, leading the pack heading into Friday's second round is Thailand's world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who finished the first day of competition atop the leaderboard with a score of 4-under-par.

Australia's No. 24 Minjee Lee also posted a strong start, capping Thursday at 3-under to sit in second place.

While the sport's best chase victory on the links, the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship is already making history off the green.

Not only is it the first-ever women's major to tee off at Frisco's Fields Ranch East, the tournament also increased its purse to $12 million on Tuesday — nearly tripling the $4.5 million prize pool from just four years ago and tying the US Women's Open for the LPGA Tour's highest payout in the process.

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The third LPGA Grand Slam of 2025 continues through Sunday.

Friday's second round will air live on the Golf Channel, while coverage of Saturday and Sunday's final rounds will air across NBC and Peacock.