USWNT excited to 'polish tools' against No. 1 Spain ahead of two friendlies between top international sides

USWNT excited to ‘polish tools’ against No. 1 Spain ahead of two friendlies between top international sides originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The U.S. women will be in an unusual position over the next week as they get set to face top-ranked Spain in a pair of international friendlies, first in Washington D.C. on Saturday and then outside Philadelphia the following Tuesday.

They will be chasing the No. 1 team in the world.

The USWNT has spent most of the last 20 years ranked No. 1 in women’s football. They were untouched at the top of the FIFA rankings from 2008 to 2014, returned to the top in 2015 after a short dip, and did so again in 2017 after just a few months. They were again untouched at the top until the 2023 Women’s World Cup when they flopped out in the Round of 16, and have been playing catch-up ever since.

They reestablished themselves atop the rankings for a short bit in August 2024, but fell off again as defending World Cup champions Spain returned to No. 1 after reaching the final of the Euros last summer.

That brings us to the first meeting between the two top-ranked nations in the world since France and Spain met in the 2024 UEFA Nations league final.

“It’s ultimately an opportunity we’re all really excited about,” said USWNT defender Kennedy Wesley. “We ahve been working so hard for the last few months, not just in this camp, to be prepared for these matches.

“To test our tactics and style of play against the best team in the world is exactly what we want, especially going into World Cup qualifying and a World Cup year. They have really talented individuals, but they’re also really talented as a collective, so it’ll be a matter of managing a lot of little details and also sticking to what we know and what our game plan is.”

For the U.S. however, the goal remains the same — they couldn’t care less about the rankings, they are looking ahead to competitive matches down the road. The 2026 CONCACAF W Championship, held from late November to early December this year, will serve as the qualifying competition for the North American federation.

The United States will play El Salvador in the quarterfinals on November 27, followed by a potential semifinal against either Jamaica or Costa Rica on December 1, and a final on December 5 against the other finalist from a four-team bracket of Canada, Panama, Mexico, or Haiti.

All the U.S. has to do to qualify is win one game — beat El Salvador and they’re in. All four semifinalists earn a spot in the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Even if they were to inexplicably falter in that game, they could still secure one of the inter-confederation playoff spots by winning a consolation match against another quarterfinal loser.

The real prize, beyond that, is the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be their first chance to prove that 2023’s embarrassing early elimination was nothing more than a blip. That task is in the back of everyone’s mind, and has been for quite a while.

“We have played a wide variety of opponents over this past year,” Wesley said, “and that’s been really beneficial for our development. Taking a very possession-based team like Japan stretched us a lot both mentally and physically on the defensive side when we didn’t have the ball. You take a Brazil that’s a little bit more direct and very physical, and the atmosphere that came with that match, we grew a lot mentally as well, we became a lot more resilient as a group.

“The variety ultimately just polishes the tools in our toolbox and gives us more tools going forward,”  so that we are adequately prepared to compete against any team we might face in World Cup qualifying, in a World Cup, and truly few the next few months.

“Spain, they’re the world champions so they’re going to bring something different to the table and something different to focus on.”

Having dominated the women’s soccer landscape for so long, the USWNT is not used to looking up at someone else. Even if the focus remains on the competitive tournaments down the road, the goal is the same — be the best. For the U.S. they relish this opportunity to prove they are still the team to beat, even if the environment is just a friendly.

“Playing against such a top side, it requires a lot of collective work,” said young midfielder Lily Yohannes. “We have been working these past days and we’ll continue to prepare for this match. We know Spain is a top side and we know what their qualities are, and we’ve analyzed things and have a game plan.

“But also about who we are and what we want to do, and our qualities as well are super important to focus on. As an individual, I think building those connections and having those connections with the players next to you is really important. In our attack, and in our defensive shape, being really disciplined and focused throughout the whole game is really important. Against a top side, the margins are small, so being really disciplined as a collective will be really important for these games.”

There will be time to play those matches that matter down the road. For now, these two games will be about pride — preparation for the future is also a key goal in play, but with that comes a desire to be No. 1, a desire that doesn’t just switch on and off with the stakes of the game.

This team wants to win. This team wants to be Number One.