What the USWNT’s 4-0 Win Tells Us—and What It Doesn’t

With a friendly against Canada tomorrow night in Washington, D.C., Sunday’s second match against Ireland gave Emma Hayes an important opportunity to evaluate roster depth before she begins regularly calling in key players. The USWNT holds a strong record against Canada, with 53 wins, 4 losses, and 9 draws across 66 total meetings. Last year, the two teams met twice—in the SheBelieves Cup Final and the CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinal. Both matches were tightly contested and decided by penalty shootouts, with the United States prevailing each time.

USWNT fans in Atlanta at the SheBelives Cup in 2024 (photo by Sofia Cupertino for the SDH Network)

Tomorrow’s friendly will take on a different look. However, without many of the European-based players or the “Triple Espresso” trio in camp, it’s an opportunity for newer faces to step up and showcase what they bring to the team.

Emma Hayes rolled out a completely different starting XI from Thursday's match, with Lynn Biyendolo wearing the captain’s armband. It was a huge moment for Biyendolo, who has battled through hamstring surgeries and worked her way up through various roster positions. Her journey speaks volumes about her resilience and leadership within this group.

Two players — Izzy Rodriguez and Sam Meza — made their national team debuts. While it was a meaningful experience for both, I don’t think anyone in this starting lineup is likely to displace players from the stronger lineup we saw in Game 1.

Emma Sears had a particularly active game. She provided an assist on Biyendolo’s 10th-minute goal and brought a level of pace that we don’t typically see in her position. That said, her first touch was a bit inconsistent, and her finish on the setup from Rodriguez could have been cleaner. I think a healthy Trinity Rodman or Michelle Cooper would likely start over her in a full-strength squad. Still, Sears grew into the game and made a bigger impact in the second half.

The first half overall felt flat, especially in terms of off-the-ball movement. That lack of activity limited the involvement of forwards Tara McKeon and Jordan Bugg, making distribution a bit more difficult. Biyendolo played as the 9 and was looking for runs in behind, but the team wasn’t creating enough space or speed in the buildup to take advantage of her movement.

Things opened up more in the second half, particularly after Ally Sentnor subbed in. Her movement brought life to the midfield, and Sam Coffey and Claire Hutton also contributed energy and tempo when they entered the game.

Izzy Rodriguez had a fine debut — scoring her first USWNT goal — though she wasn’t tested much defensively. With so many strong attacking left-backs in the pool, it would’ve been good to see how she handled more pressure on her side, in a similar way I thought of Lily Reale on her performance in Game 1.

Sam Meza’s debut was another bright part of the match. Her positional awareness and tackling were consistent, though her touch was a little shaky at times — something that can improve with experience.

As I mentioned earlier, while Rodriguez and Meza may not currently be ahead of some other players, they absolutely deserve to be in the conversation. If they continue to develop and make a strong case for themselves, they could realistically work their way into that rotation spot.

One other final moment was the outpouring of love from Cincinnati for hometown player Rose Lavelle. Around the 72nd minute, the crowd began chanting her name, urging for her to be subbed in. Her teammates even joined in as Lavelle was allowed to start warming up to enter the match. Emma Hayes responded by giving Lavelle about six minutes of play—just enough for her to share a moment with the fans while still prioritizing her health.