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U.S. Women’s National Team Kicks Off 2026 With 6-0 Rout Of Paraguay
Reilyn Turner Scores in Debut, Ally Sentnor Bags Brace as USWNT Score Five Second-Half Goals; Trinity Rodman Captains the U.S. For First Time; USWNT Legend Christen Press Honored Before Kickoff; Sally Menti and Maddie Dahlien Also Earn First WNT Caps
CARSON, Calif. (Jan. 24, 2026) – A debut day for forward Reilyn Turner followed by a deluge of second-half goals, with five arriving in a 12-minute span, powered the U.S. Women’s National Team to a 6-0 victory against Paraguay at Dignity Health Sports Park, the most visited venue in USWNT program history and home of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.
The win kicks off 2026 for the U.S. ahead of SheBelieves Cup in March, three matches against Japan in April and World Cup Qualifying later this year. And the group accomplished tonight's victory and shutout with the least capped Starting XI in the last 25 years.
Forward Trinity Rodman made her highly anticipated return to the U.S. Women’s National Team fresh off re-signing with the NWSL’s Washington Spirit in a groundbreaking deal. On Saturday, the forward earned her 48th cap and first since April 5, 2025, when she scored to help the USWNT defeat Brazil 2-0 in Inglewood, Calif.
At 23 years old, Rodman is the most experienced player on this January roster, leading the group in caps and goals (12). Against Paraguay, the Laguna Niguel, Calif. native sported the captain’s armband for the first time in her career and led a Starting XI that averaged just 9.6 caps entering Saturday’s match.
Joining Rodman in the starting lineup was Turner, a fellow Orange County native. The duo played 10 years of youth club soccer together for the SoCal Blues. Saturday marked the international debut for the dynamic Portland Thorns FC attacker who hails from nearby Laguna Beach, Calif. Turner was one of three players to debut on Saturday, with midfielder Sally Menti and and forward Maddie Dahlien, who subbed on in the second half, became the 287th and 288th players to earn caps for the Women's National Team.
Two of the nine SoCal natives on the January roster, Rodman and Turner were active early for the U.S. attack and both saw chances in the first half. The team broke through when Turner scored her first international goal in her first cap and first start in first-half stoppage time. The forward slotted a left-footed roller from the left side of the box to give the USWNT a boost before the halftime break and become the 25th player in program history to score in her international debut.
The USWNT carried the momentum from Turner’s stoppage-time goal into the second half and opened the floodgates. Ally Sentnor, who started the game in the midfield and move to center forward, opened her 2026 scoring account with the second goal of the afternoon, and the fifth goal of her career, when the Kansas City Current midfielder delivered after an excellent combination between Izzy Rodriguez and Olivia Moultrie, with Rodriguez providing the assist.
A Paraguay own goal made possible by a pass on the ground from the left side into the middle and from pressure by midfielder Croix Bethune -- who subbed on for Turner at halftime -- put the U.S. ahead 3-0 in the 53rd minute. Three minutes later, Rodman capped off her monumental week with a goal of her own, the 12th of her career and first since 2025, which resulted in a jubilant celebration from tonight's captain.
In the 58th minute, Sentnor chased down a long through ball from Gisele Thompson, the Angel City defender and Studio City, Calif. native, who played tonight in front of her hometown crowd. Sentnor finished a right-footed strike into the lower left corner to add to the U.S. lead and record her second career brace.
The five goals, starting with Turner’s at the end of the first half, were scored at a remarkable clip over a 12-minute span.
In the 72nd minute, forward Emma Sears added her name to the long list of goalscorers on the day. After receiving a pass from Bethune, Sears took a couple dribbles and slid her shot past Patricia López, the Paraguayan goalkeeper who subbed on for Cristina Recalde at halftime. Sears’ finish rounded off a swarm of goals for the U.S. Women’s National Team and tallied the team’s fourth straight clean sheet, going back to 2025.
The Americans held 70 percent of the possession on the day, took 19 shots, eight on goal, and did not allow a shot on goal from Paraguay the entire match. U.S. goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, earning her fifth cap, played a full 90 minutes and wasn’t called into action until the 42nd minute when she calmly collected a cross into the box from Paraguay.
Prior to kickoff at Dignity Health Sports Park, U.S. Soccer honored former USWNT forward and Los Angeles native Christen Press in a pre-match celebration. The two-time World Cup winner announced her retirement from professional soccer last fall. Press concluded her international career with 155 caps and ranks No. 9 all-time in goals for the program with 64.
USA – REILYN TURNER (OLIVIA MOULTRIE), 45+3rd minute: The U.S. battled in the midfield to win a loose ball and advance the attack. Claire Hutton found Moultrie, and the young midfielder deftly played a through ball to Turner making a diagonal run on the left side of the pitch. Turner used her right foot to cut back and put the ball on her left. From about eight yards from goal at a difficult angle, the forward slid a low shot with her left foot that rolled inside the near post and into lower left corner of the goal. USA 1, PAR 0
USA – ALLY SENTNOR (IZZY RODRIGUEZ), 47th minute: After Olivia Moultrie and Rodriguez combined nicely on the left wing, Rodriguez slipped a pass into the path of Sentnor slashing inside the box. The midfielder lined up her first-time shot with her left foot from the left side of the 18-yard box. Her firm strike caught the tip of the goalkeeper’s hands and sailed into the back of the net. USA 2, PAR 0
USA – OWN GOAL (53rd minute): Croix Bethune made a delicious turn with the ball at her feet to accelerate the U.S. attack out of the midfield. She passed ahead to Sentnor, who played a sharp pass first-time to Moultrie on the left. A Paraguayan defender redirected Moultrie's pass and the deflection carried into the back of the net for an own goal. USA 3, PAR 0
USA – TRINITY RODMAN (TARA RUDD), 56th minute: This goal came off a combination of two Washington Spirit players. With space on the backline inside the U.S. attacking half, Rudd dropped a ball over-the-top and into the box for Rodman. The forward took one touch to corral the ball, then used her second to set up a left-footed shot from just outside the edge of the six-yard box. She slammed home a low, left-footed strike into the right corner of the net to grab a goal in her first match as captain. USA 4, PAR 0
USA – ALLY SENTNOR (GISELE THOMPSON), 57th minute: Out of the back, Thompson thread a long vertical ball through the Paraguayan defense for Sentnor. The midfielder took one dribble inside the box and struck a low shot with her right foot that skipped into the left side netting to record her brace on the day, the second of her international career. USA 5, PAR 0
USA – EMMA SEARS (CROIX BETHUNE), 72nd: Bethune created a takeaway right outside the 18-yard box to lead to a quick counter for the U.S. Bethune poked the ball to her right to Sears. The forward picked up where she left off last season as the highest-scoring American in the NWSL. Sears took two dribbles – one short, one long – to fire a low strike with her right foot that rolled into the left, lower corner. USA 6, PAR 0
Tonight’s Starting XI averages 9.6 caps entering the match – the fewest average caps for a starting lineup in 25 years. The caps average for today’s starting lineup was 55% lower than the previous lowest average caps for a Starting XI since 2001, which came against New Zealand on Oct. 29, 2025, with the starters averagin 17.3 caps heading into that match.
Trinity Rodman, 23, captained the USWNT for the very first time and when she subbed out, passed the arm band to 20-year-old Claire Hutton, who also wore it for the first time.
With her debut and first start, Reilyn Turner becomes the 286th player to debut for the USWNT — 28th debut under Emma Hayes and first debut of 2026.
Turner earned her first cap and first goal tonight, becoming the 25th player to do so. The most recent to achieve that feat was Izzy Rodriguez on June 29, 2025. Christen Press, whose retirement was honored tonight, also scored her first goal in her first cap. In fact, she had two.
Turner earned her debut and first goal in front of her hometown crowd. She is from Laguna Beach, Calif. and played at UCLA.
Lo’eau LaBonta earned her first start in her fifth appearance for the U.S. She’s the oldest player to make her first start at 32 years, 10 months and five days old, surpassing Aubrey Kingsbury’s mark of 31 years and 177 days old.
Trinity Rodman scored her 12th career goal in her first game back since April 5, 2025. She also scored in the 2-0 win over Brazil that night.
Ally Sentnor scored the second brace of her career, the first of which came against Jamaica on June 3, 2025.
Izzy Rodriguez and Gisele Thompson earned their first career assists, assisting Sentnor on her first and second goals, respectively.
Olivia Moultrie earned her second career assist, the first came on June 29, 2025, vs. Ireland
Tara Rudd earned her third career assist.
Sally Menti and Maddie Dahlien subbed on in the 63rd minute to become the 287th and 288th women to debut for the USWNT and the 29th and 30th women to debut under U.S. head coach Emma Hayes.
Hal Hershfelt earned her first cap since Dec. 3, 2024, her fourth cap overall.
Emma Sears scored her fifth career goal. Croix Bethune earned the assist, the first of her career.
Tonight’s first five goals were scored in a 12-minute span.
- U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT -
Match: United States Women’s National Team vs. Paraguay
Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, Calif.
Not dressing: Jordan Silkowitz, Jordyn Bugg, Sam Meza
Head coach: Emma Hayes
Subs not used: 13-Yanina Servín, 18-Nabila Perruchino, 19-Agustina Varela
Head coach: Herminio Barrios Peña
Stats Summary: USA / PAR
Referee: Marianela Araya (CRC)
