Emma Hayes' side had a bumpy start to the June Brazil camp, but leveled the series with a heated 1-0 victory.
Emma Hayes' side had a bumpy start to the June Brazil camp, but leveled the series with a heated 1-0 victory. It was heated. It was chaotic.
It was ugly. And it was just what the U.S. Women's National Team needed as they were looking for an uncomfortable challenge in preparation for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers in the fall. The Americans fell in the first match to Brazil 2-1, with the main takeaway being that they needed to release the ball sooner, finish their chances, and handle Brazil's pace and pressure better.
On Tuesday, the USWNT bounced back defeating Brazil 1-0 to level the series. It was a game that broke the internet after an astounding eight red cards were shown at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil.
While most of the red cards were given late into the game, and most of which were given to Brazil's coaching staff, players were at fault too, with two reds served to Beatriz Zaneratto Joao in the 90+4' minute and then Tarciane in the 90+9' minute. As the cards took the forefront of the match, there was plenty to dissect from the USWNT's performances on both evenings.
How the Americans responded to the atmosphere, level of play, and constant smothering from Brazil's side was the perfect preparation. And USWNT head coach Emma Hayes loved all of it.
"I love the pressure, and my players love the pressure, because otherwise, why play if you cannot take responsibility to be in these situations? " Hayes said post-game. "We're growing, and I loved it. " After two games, both in Brazil, against Brazil, some players showed out, while others dropped down the depth chart.
If anyone's stock significantly rose after these two games in Brazil, it was Wilson's. The forward was electric, physical, and not handed an easy deck in either game. Brazil played her with two hands on the back and gave her very little time to breathe, let alone turn and dribble.
With some cheekiness and flair, Wilson was able to find space and managed to be the lone goal scorer across both games for the U.S. In the first match, Wilson started and earned her 25th international goal in 62 appearances for the United States. She also became the ninth mother to score for the USWNT.
"It always feels good to score on this team and contribute in any way that I can," Wilson said after the first game. And on Tuesday, Wilson did all the work for the goal, before it was credited as an own goal to Brazil. After the match, Wilson was asked how she felt her side handled the game and what she hoped she could have contributed.
"It's not that that's not our style of play to get, you know, riled up and up in the ref space, like we just remain calm, do what we know how to do and try to control what we can control and just keep it pushing. "Lily Yohannes' age showed more than it has in the past against Brazil. She wasn't hot-headed or rattled by the pace, nor was she outworked.
But she did look a little lost in the middle. Yohannes is usually at her best next to Lindsey Heaps, who helps keep her organized, and the two have developed strong chemistry both on and off the ball. For whatever reason, though, this was a tough couple of games for the young midfielder. She drifted out of position in both matches, played too many square balls and looked a step behind the tempo for long stretches.
This was also the type of atmosphere Yohannes had not really experienced before at the international level. She was somewhat thrown into it and expected to swim, but she never saw enough of the ball, nor did she consistently play the cheeky through balls that usually make her so dangerous. Still, Yohannes remains a player Hayes clearly wants to invest in and build around.
More games like this will only help her development, especially as she continues to push for a larger role in a crowded USWNT midfield pool. San Diego Wave center back Kennedy Wesley was phenomenal against Brazil, even as the USWNT shifted into a three-back, and she was asked to deal with constant direct balls over the top and Brazil's speed in the front line.
What makes Wesley so promising for the USWNT is her composure under pressure and her toughness in 50/50 battles. There are shades of Naomi Girma's game in the way Wesley reads danger and stays calm when the game gets frantic - maybe that is the Stanford in them. Wesley and Emily Sonnett also formed a strong partnership, with Sonnett often stepping first to the ball while Wesley dropped in as the covering defender.
"I think we, from the beginning, matched their physicality entirely," Wesley said after Tuesday's game. "We made it a goal of ours to frustrate them, to kind of beat them at their own game, and I think all of us as a collective, we got up for it. We were battling, we were winning our individual battles, and I think that propelled us forward for the rest of the game.
""This is kind of a trial run for us, and I think what better atmosphere to do it? " Wesley said. "It's a really good test, and I think for us to be able to have the fortitude to continue to fight and battle and get one in the back of the net, I think says a lot to who we're trying to be and who we want to be in a year's time. So, it's really exciting.
" While Girma and Sonnett still appear to be Hayes' preferred center back pairing, it would not be surprising to see Wesley stay in the mix come qualifying time. She has proven she can hang against one of the world's fastest and most physical teams, and she showed she can compete in different defensive shapes, whether in a back four or a back three.
Getty Images SportGisele Thompson wasn't poor in the first game, she just struggled physically to keep up with the strength and aggression mixed with speed from Brazil. She didn't play in the second game, but given her first showing, it was a tough day to be an outside back, especially with Kerolin, Maranhão and Zaneratto never turning off the jets.
The first goal that Maranhão scored past the Americans, Thompson was positioned as the second defender, and could have found a way to help Lindsey Heaps prevent the service. After a lackluster contention on the service, it was eventually headed in from the far post by Maranhão. The second goal that Brazil scored was a disaster on the U.S. side, which started with a square ball that prompted a fast transition through the midfield.
Thompson was nowhere to be found during this goal, after getting fully caught up at the other end of the pitch. This experience and atmosphere were clearly the first time Thompson had ever played in something this massive and chaotic, but as hard as it was, she'll be better for it.
"It was an amazing atmosphere, and it's one that, as much as I can prepare my team for this, you don't really know until you experience it," Hayes said. "I am sure for many of my players this is the first time they've ever experienced an intensity from the crowd. " Recovery runs, and positionally, she'll need to be better and more clinical if she wants to get slotted into the outside back group for the qualifiers.
Trinity Rodman's stock rose because without her work rate and physicality, Sophia Wilson wouldn't have had her first goal back for the USWNT. A lot of Rodman's contributions across the two games were gritty and thankless, but important. Rodman is a great match against Brazil because she invites the pressure and it fuels her. She was a little rusty technically, but gave it right back to Brazil every opportunity she got.
After a yellow card and an injury late in the first match, questions were circulating whether Rodman was seriously injured and if she'd be healthy enough to play in the second game. On Tuesday, Rodman was clear to play and she came into the game late.
Even though she didn't get on the scoreboard, the level never dropped and she was a crucial contributor to keep the tempo up and the game even as the game went well beyond 90 minutes.
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