How the U.S. *can* beat Spain. Plus: What ‘Ted Lasso’ got wrong

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🇺🇸 Keys to beating Spain

👨🏻 Ted Lasso falls short

⚽ NWSL expansion talk, again

Round 2

USWNT keys to redemption

Few moments epitomized the U.S. women’s 2-0 loss to reigning World Cup champion Spain on Saturday more than forward Sophia Wilson’s stunned face as she mouthed: “I thought I was off” while celebrating her goal with her teammates.

It was a brief moment of relief for a U.S. team desperate for anything after conceding two goals in the opening 15 minutes.

A few minutes later, a video review confirmed her suspicions, and the No. 2 U.S. were back to zero.

The U.S. will get another chance against the No. 1-ranked team tonight at 7 ET in Chester, Pa., (streaming on TBS and HBO Max in English, and Telemundo, Universo and Peacock in Spanish). It’s another chance for the U.S. to find that missing never-say-die confidence that has defined this team for decades. 

Despite outshooting Spain 13 to 6 Saturday, the U.S. fizzled in front of goal. It left the Americans wondering why they got the “details” wrong.

This matchup could repeat in the knockout rounds of the World Cup next summer in Brazil, but the first game’s result isn’t a death sentence in the grand scheme of things. In the spirit of moving on, I asked Tamerra Griffin to give her three keys to a U.S. turnaround:

Finish chances. After Saturday’s loss, it’s the most obvious area of improvement for a side that head coach Emma Hayes says creates more goal-scoring chances than any other national team in the world.

Hold shape. This task will be made significantly easier with a true holding defensive midfielder on the pitch, but either way, the U.S. players need to remain in close proximity to each other to account for Spain’s passing threats.

Summon the dawg. Top-ranked national teams are all getting stronger and more physical, qualities the USWNT used to be able to wield pretty exclusively over their opponents. Today, they must get stuck in to disrupt Spain’s mesmeric possession.

Henry Bushnell also shared one major change he says Hayes must make in the rematch, echoing Tamerra’s second point:

💬 “It feels like low-hanging fruit to say that Hayes should play a true holding midfielder, but … yeah, she should play a true holding midfielder.

“As much as Saturday’s game was ultimately decided by finishing in the final third, the rhythm of it was defined in the first half by the USWNT’s lack of structure. Starting Claire Hutton (or Jaelin Howell) in place of either Lindsey Heaps or 19-year-old Lily Yohannes, behind Rose Lavelle, would give it structure.

“And I think Hayes will do that. Beyond the tactical benefits, a showdown with Spain would be a fantastic experience for the 20-year-old Hutton. The broader question is whether Hayes will make wholesale changes, as she often has in game No. 2 of international windows; but the ideal midfield three would be Hutton-Yohannes-Lavelle.”

With that in mind, Melanie Anzidei has a proper scouting report of what to expect from Spain …

‘No friendly matches’

Spain are not sleeping on this U.S. team, despite their impressive win Saturday.

Coach Sonia Bermúdez says she expects the U.S. to come back stronger in their second bout, acknowledging both teams are here to win.

“There are no friendly matches,” she said.

Games are won in the “little details,” Bermúdez said, a sentiment similar to the Americans’ following their loss. Spain want to prevent losing the ball in the transitions, which is where Bermúdez says the U.S. prospered. While the U.S. managed to have more attempts on goal, it was Spain’s clinical finishing that pushed them over the edge.

“I expect a much tougher match tomorrow, by far,” Bermúdez said. “We will try to stop their transitions — since they will surely look to do damage there — with the objective of winning.”

Meg’s Corner: What ‘Ted Lasso’ owes women’s soccer

The latest season of Apple TV’s “Ted Lasso” ended last week, and I have a lot of thoughts. (Beware: Spoilers ahead.)

We talked about the season and its impact in depth on the “Full Time” podcast (watch it here). One of the key points we discussed was the “Ted Lasso” effect. In the U.S., we have seen the fervor for this show supersede that of the actual sport, as others also previously did (“Bend it Like Beckham” also comes to mind.) Now, the show’s AFC Richmond Women will even be in EA 27.

Sure, Jason Sudeikis, the actor who portrays Ted, actively likes women’s sports. But this season of the show has taken his real-life fandom to a new level. Good or bad, Sudeikis is now a conduit, in a strange way, for the fandom of women’s sports, especially the teams he gets behind. The Kansas City Current are a perfect example of this.

And now that Lasso’s newest team is in EA 27, there is a new level of legitimacy and responsibility tied to the team’s power. The NWSL itself has talked about the power of being in the game and what reach it gives to new fans.

For AFC Richmond Women, who benefits from this portrayal of the fictional WSL 2 team?

We’re still too close to the season 4 finale to know the true impact of how many of the show’s fans become fans of women’s soccer. Will people in the UK travel to Kansas City to see the Current, like many Americans have done in reverse to see the very real Wrexham?

It has left me wondering: What does “Ted Lasso” owe the game that it is using for its own gain?

News to Know

The Americans’ new home

Before losing to Spain in Washington, D.C., the U.S. women kicked off this window with their first training camp at their brand-new, $250 million home in Fayetteville, Ga. From red, white and blue pom-poms and cheers to an emotional speech from Hayes on the steps of the facility, the players were warmly welcomed.

“It feels really good to be all together and somewhere we call home,” Yohannes said. “It’s just like a family.”

The facility, on 200-plus acres of land, offers sweeping views of the many pitches and state-of-the-art features for its national teams. Teams across all levels of U.S. Soccer train at the facility — especially beneficial for the USWNT when its U-23 and senior teams can use the facilities at the same time.

“The amount of space is something that I was not expecting,” defender Kennedy Wesley said. “There’s so many locker rooms. There’s weight rooms. There’s all the recovery modalities that you could ask for. It’s a place that’s truly set up for us to succeed.”

More news

The latest report by FIFPro, the global players’ union, on the working conditions in women’s soccer found the game has grown exponentially but not congruously. While the industry is destined to reach £1 billion ($1.3B) in the next year, it lacks minimum standards when it comes to financial and overall player welfare. Here are the main takeaways from the union’s report.

With five goals and three assists across 26 matches, and two Rookie of the Month honors, Gotham FC forward Jordynn Dudley is a front-runner for Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old was also just placed on the season-ending injury list with a fractured foot.

We told you the Chicago Stars’ newest chief soccer officer, Vlatko Andonovski, doesn’t play around. Last week he proved that point, acquiring Bay FC goal scorer Racheal Kundananji in a $700,000 deal. That hope meter just keeps rising in Chicago.

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The NWSL looks to expand. This time, commissioner Jessica Berman said the league is looking to grow to at least 20 teams. The news comes as FIFA continues to sort out the kinks in its inaugural Women’s Club World Cup, set for January 2028.

First Looks

Keeping the top spot: The U.S. women have always been known for having one top keeper. A clear leader between the sticks who bails the team out of sticky situations. For the first time in decades, that’s no longer the case. National team coaches say it’s all part of a plan.

Global influence: Five players in the starting lineups for the U.S. and Spain on Saturday had ties to teams owned by Michele Kang’s expanding soccer empire, which stretches across the United States, England and France. Though only one team won the match, Kang ultimately won the day.

Getting emotional: The legends were out Saturday, not just to watch the U.S., but also to honor one of their own: Crystal Dunn. For the World Cup winner, the moment was a chance to see just how far her impact reached. Like Tobin Heath and Christen Press, I think the bobblehead was also an instant classic!

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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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