The U.S. Women’s National Team faced Japan three times during the April FIFA international window in a week that was filled with restaurant and cooking metaphors from head coach Emma Hayes. The USWNT won the opening match 2-1 in San Jose before Japan took the 1-0 victory in Seattle. Hayes said the first two fixtures were “cooking lessons” that the U.S. applied in the 3-0 win it earned in Colorado to close the series.
“You can't become elite without rehearsal and failure and learnings, and it doesn't go in a straight line,” Hayes said. “Of course I want to win every game of football but not at the expense of what we’re trying to achieve.”
Leading up to the matches, Hayes explained the opportunities that playing the 2026 Asian Cup champions three times presented. The lesser-experienced players would earn valuable minutes against one of the top teams in the world and different player combinations could be tested across the pitch, all while seeing what areas the group still needed to work on.
As a result, the USWNT cooked up one of its most dominant wins of 2026 in a performance Hayes will want from the team when it seeks a 2027 FIFA World Cup berth in the Concacaf W Championship at the end of the year.
Possession with purpose
When the USA last faced Japan in a 2-1 loss during the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, the Nadeshiko put the Americans in unfamiliar territory by maintaining over half of the possession. Hayes cited never being able to gain control of the match as one of the main reasons behind the loss.
This past week though, the U.S. turned the tables by holding over 60% of possession in all three matches. It forced Japan to create chances mainly on the counterattack, which is what happened in the Seattle match when midfielder Maika Hamano scored the game-winner after Japan forced a USA turnover at midfield and sprung forward.
However, possession alone doesn’t earn a result. The U.S. had the most possession out of the three matches in the loss (67%) but was unable to find the back of the net. Once Japan took the lead, the visitors changed its defensive shape, which closed down the goal, in part due to a lack of sharpness in the final third from the USWNT.
The Americans found the combination of ball control and attacking prowess in the win in Commerce City. The team recorded 15 shots and seven shots on target while maintaining 65% of possession. Following a strong albeit scoreless first half, the USA suffocated Japan immediately out of the break by scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes against a Japanese side that had conceded only three goals in its last 10 games.
“We've always dominated possession since I've been here,” Hayes said. "I think the difference now is that we can break teams down better than we did then. We [might have been] reliant on a super goal or one-off chance, whereas now I think we're creating at least one XG a half against the top side, which is about par for the course.”
Double Espresso
This camp marked the return of forward Sophia Wilson after the birth of her daughter and the first time she competed alongside forward Trinity Rodman since they led the USWNT to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with their third “Triple Espresso” member, Mallory Swanson. In her return, Wilson looked more and more threatening as the week progressed, especially when she combined with Rodman down the right side.
Though neither landed on the scoresheet over the three matches – in fact, all five USA goals were scored by defenders or midfielders – Double Espresso found ways to be effective. Wilson’s long-range shot less than a minute into the second half of the 3-0 win forced the corner that created the opening goal. Rodman assisted midfielder Rose Lavelle in both victories, one off a volley from a free kick and the other a perfectly paced through ball splitting Japan’s backline.
“Trin and Soph have missed the best part of 18 months,” Hayes said. “I expect that to be the rustiest. But if we're scoring those goals without them, imagine what we're going to look like when we get them from them, and we will.”
With Wilson’s pregnancy and Rodman’s injuries, this camp was the first step in rebuilding their connection the team had been missing for over a year. Swanson is still returning to fitness following the birth of her daughter, leaving just two shots of espresso for the time being. However, the duo’s first three games back together gave a good indication that their chemistry is still there.
“I missed playing with Trin,” Wilson said. "She's like a sister to me, so it translates on the field. It doesn't take a lot of time for us to click like that. The more we get to play together, I think the better it will be.”
Defensive depth
Another returnee on the roster was defender Tierna Davidson, who joined the USWNT for the first time since her recovery from an ACL injury in March of 2025. She started and played the first half of the third match after coming off the bench in the 65th minute in Seattle.
“I thought Tierna looked like she hadn't been away,” Hayes said. “I thought, ‘Well, (the match in Seattle with the USA behind) was going to be a tough game for her to go into,’ and she didn't show that.”
Davidson made a couple strong plays in the final game that helped the USWNT shut out Japan for the first time since the Olympics. Her return brings some experience to the USA’s defensive group that has introduced many new players over the last year. Aside from Davidson, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox and Emily Sonnett, the other five defenders on the April roster entered the camp with 10 or fewer caps. Avery Patterson, Lilly Reale, Emily Sams, Gisele Thompson and Kennedy Wesley all played in at least one of the three matches, which gave them valuable experience against a high-quality opponent, something that is hard to come by during any players’ ascension on the USWNT.
During the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, Hayes said she wanted to build Thompson’s durability and she showed it in this window, playing Thompson in all three games and starting her in two. She shined in the opener in San Jose and forced a turnover that led to the game-winner.
“I thought it was a fantastic performance from Gisele,” Hayes said. “She broke pressure well. Technically, decision-making and execution... I don’t think she turned the ball over. She still has work to do, learning how to stay with the line, not being too deep, but overall, I thought she had a really solid game.”
The final match of the series was the Kennedy Wesley show as the defender recorded her first goal and assist after coming in for Davidson at halftime. Wesley also started in San Jose near where she competed collegiately at Stanford University, and she said she learned a lot from these meetings against Japan.
“They are so dynamic in their movements offensively, so if you take a second off, they can punish you,” Wesley said. "The level of mental focus and fortitude that you have to have for 90 minutes is really important, and I think I've grown a lot in that.”
Hayes also gained a few takeaways from the games, and after some analysis, she and her staff will have a better look at which direction to take as the team heads into its major upcoming competitions.
“When I go back and assess everything, from our appetizers, our main meal and our dessert, I will find things that need improvement upon,” Hayes said. “It might be presentation. It might be texture. It might even be just a little bit of seasoning. Analysis for us is like customer feedback. If you want 200 people at your restaurant every night, you better make sure your cooking is on point all the time.”
