The U.S. women’s national team’s current unbeaten run was ended at 10.
Japan edged Emma Hayes’ squad by a 1-0 scoreline at Lumen Field in Seattle on Tuesday night, rebounding in this three-match April series. Maika Hamano’s first-half goal was all the visitors needed to hand the USWNT their first defeat since October 2025.
It also marked the first time the Americans had been shutout in their last 23 matches (0-0 draw with England, November 2024).
Hamano’s lone strike came in the 27th minute as she danced past Lilly Reale before drilling a looping left-footed shot past USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Jaedyn Shaw’s early effort was denied before Emma Sears saw two positive scoring chances denied by Japan’s Akane Okuma.
Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman, and Tierna Davidson all came off the bench in the second half, but couldn’t help the Americans find an equalizer. Davidson was making her first USWNT appearance since February 2025 after being sidelined longterm due to a torn ACL.
Tullis-Joyce finished with four saves and was one of the lone bright spots for the Americans, keeping Japan from further bolstering their lead.
The USWNT will aim to rebound against Japan on Friday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
We have talent in spades and it was a good time to see which of the newbies to retain and which to winnow. What is interesting is that that some of the players that are highly rated had bad games. Tullis-Joyce pooped the bed on the goal and looked very insecure throughout the game. Yohannis was invisible in the first half, but did better for the first part of the second half. Sears needed to do much better with her opportunities. I though Hutton and Patterson showed well. Reale got faked out of her socks on the goal. Not a good sign for a player on the bubble. I thought Emma should have kept the 11 on the field for the full 90. It is good to know who can keep bringing it for the duration because lots of knockout round games go into overtime and Tuesday was as good a time as any to see who could cope.
Game was boring USwnt disappointed me, I know Girma, Macario, Ryan, and other starters were missing, but my goodness. The goal was nice by Japan.
I looked like a game where there was an entire new starting 11 from the first game, so it was never going to be pretty, or fluid imo. Too many turnovers in midfield and not being efficient enough in the final 3rd will render you 2nd best in this sport, which is strange in this scenario considering the US dominated possession
I credit Japan’s highly sophisticated defensive approach that they executed beautifully. They are so fun to watch imo, except against us when they do it to us. They come out high press high energy high line, and the USWNT was late to react and play over the top into the outside channels and either chasing and winning or allowing themselves to set up their pressure defense; instead they insisted on playing through the teeth of the defensive pressure, resulting in too many high pressure touches in our final third early in the match repeatedly, including Tullis-Joyce who was shaky to say the least, and then the turnovers and Japan scored.
Then, they back off with the lead and play that middle third trap with the 20-25 yard whack zone and again, a very high line. The USWNT did a little better vs. this playing over the top into the outside channels and also through Shaw, but the precision on the opportunities in the final third was not sharp, and it’s there I think that we saw them difference in class, at least at present, with some of those who played last night and some of those who played the game before
super lesson for that very young group out there together last night imho
@Ronnie, spot on man
I was talking with a co-worker today kind of felt like maybe timing wasn’t quite back with Sophie, maybe should have just brought her to camp as a practice player and not used her in the match. Hopefully that jinxes me and Sophie has a brace next game.
hey JR, maybe idk, gotta start somewhere, but the pecking order is in full-blown competition, I’m pretty sure about that, with some real depth in contention vying and pushing for the coveted final spots. I neglected to mention Shaw in an earlier post, but she’s excellent to go with the Rodman Wilson Lavelle Thompson Swanson mix…that is some fire power 6 deep with Heaps also deployed high plenty and with a host of next tier options not far behind and closing fast. Interestingly, it’s at GK and along the backline where the questions are and not the same depth either, at CB for sure, along with a midfield looking for ways to evolve with the youth
Beach,
I saw Wilson’s first game back for Portland and then their last game. She hasn’t scored but looked much more her “normal”self. Last night she looked more like the first game back Sophia. At the end of the day it’s a friendly so probably doesn’t matter. I guess with Macario unavailable why not.
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The Crocker departure reminded me that Tracy Kevins, who got grouped at 2022 U20 WC, with a squad of Sentnor, Shrader, Cooper, Shaw, Moultrie, and Thompson. That’s our head of girls youth development. She atleast got them to 3rd in 2024 but needed a miracle with 2 stoppage time goals in the quarters.
thanks JR, I didn’t know any of that, your depth of knowledge is appreciated.