FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia — United States midfielder Rose Lavelle said the team’s upcoming pair of matches against reigning World Cup champions Spain will be a “benchmark” for the Americans as they prepare for the 2027 World Cup.
“I think for us, it’s always [about] going into each camp, building off the previous one and knowing that we’re going to be taking learnings away that are going to help set us up for the next year,” Lavelle told ESPN prior to Wednesday’s training session at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center. “It’ll be a really good benchmark for us and a really great learning opportunity and growth moment for us, regardless of what the result ends up being.
“Obviously, we always go into every game with the expectation that we want to win, but we also want to use it as a huge growth opportunity.”
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said on Tuesday that she “absolutely pushed to get” Spain as an opponent during this window and added that preparation against the best teams is what the Americans need.
“They also know that for them, they are playing another top team, and I want them to feel the full force of what that looks like,” Hayes told reporters. “But as we have learned from the Japan games, the Brazil games, there will be learnings from game one to game two. All of [those] learnings are about positioning us for knockout football. I’m sure there will be changes within all of those things to find out the best formulas.”
The USWNT already hosted Japan for three games earlier this year and traveled to Brazil to take on next year’s World Cup hosts in a pair of friendlies.
The Americans defeated Japan twice in that series and lost once. They split the pair of games against Brazil in hostile conditions.
Upcoming matches against Spain will mark the USWNT’s fourth different opponent this year among the top 10 of the world (they also played Canada).
Hayes was even more effusive regarding her lack of worry about results.
“I’ve stood here enough to know, I don’t care about my own win record as the head coach — and I mean that seriously,” Hayes said. “Our goal is to win the World Cup. The last thing you want is to go into a World Cup and you’re facing some of these teams for the first time.”
Hayes said she still hopes to schedule opponents from Africa ahead of next summer as further preparation for the USWNT. (The United States still needs to qualify for the World Cup and would do so with a win over El Salvador next month.)
Spain will be the USWNT’s stiffest test yet. Lavelle said that the team is focused on being “locked in defensively” and solving Spain’s pressure with the ball.
Spain won the most recent meeting between the teams, 2-0 in Pamplona, in 2022 as part of preparation for the 2023 World Cup, which Spain won.
“They’re No. 1 the world right now and for good reason,” Lavelle said. “They’re an incredible team and I think the past couple times we played them, we really struggled. So, I think this is the first time we’re getting to play them under this new cycle and new coaching stuff. So, I think it’s an exciting opportunity for us to see how we match up.”
The United States will be without several important players due to injuries. Defender Naomi Girma and midfielder Sam Coffey each pulled out of training camp due to injuries sustained in the past week.
However, the U.S. has seen key players return to the fold this year, including forward Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson following the births of their first children, respectively.
Swanson told ESPN on Wednesday that she is feeling good after missing time recently due to a hip injury. She joined the team in June for the trip to Brazil but did not play.
If Swanson plays against Spain, it will mark her first international appearance since October 2024.
“It’s obviously an honor to be called into camp,” Swanson said. “Anytime that happens, I am super grateful. I think it’s still continuing to come back to my full strength and playing ability. Everyone’s body is so different after pregnancy.”
The USWNT will host Spain on Oct. 10 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., and on Oct. 13 at Subaru Park in Chester, Penn.
