The U.S. women's national team erased a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with defending World Cup champion Spain in an exhibition match in Chester, Pa., on Oct. 13, 2026.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
The U.S. women's national team (USWNT) tied defending World Cup champion Spain 2-2 in an exhibition match on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. The result followed a 2-0 loss to Spain three days earlier in Washington.
Spain took an early lead with goals from Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo. Putellas scored the first goal and provided the assist for Paralluelo’s second, which came five minutes after the opener. The USWNT responded in the second half. Sophia Wilson assisted Ashley Sanchez, who scored to make it 2-1. In the 86th minute, Mallory Swanson scored the equalizer, marking her first goal with the national team since the 2024 Olympic gold medal game and following the birth of her child.
Jaelin Howell, a U.S. midfielder, commented on the team's performance after the draw. "That’s the U.S.’s DNA," Howell said. "It’s just grit and fire and never-say-die mentality, and so I think that’s what you saw from everybody today. And proud of the group, but obviously a lot of work to do, too, and everybody knows that continuous climb together, and it’s important."
The USWNT is currently ranked No. 2 in the FIFA world rankings, while Spain holds the title of reigning World Cup champion. The two teams faced each other in a pair of exhibition matches designed to gauge the USWNT's readiness for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, scheduled for next summer. The USWNT is set to begin its World Cup qualification journey at the Concacaf W Championship in November.
Spain competed without Aitana Bonmatí, who is dealing with lingering pain from a leg injury sustained last year, and Esther González, who was not called up for the matches. Despite these absences, U.S. coach Emma Hayes acknowledged Spain's strength. "Doesn’t matter if they were missing some of their best players, they demonstrated in two games why they’re world champions," Hayes said. "We have to get to that level."
Hayes also noted the disparity in team cohesion. "They’re world class, we’re still in progress," Hayes said. "They’re deserving of being world champions. Our job is to hunt that."
U.S. midfielder Lindsey Heaps described the matches against Spain as an "incredible experience" for the team. "It was nice to leave on a little bit better note tonight," Heaps said. "Obviously we’re still disappointed because I think we could get the win tonight, but this is a tough opponent and it’s a difficult team to play against with some quality, quality players."
Ashley Sanchez, who scored the first goal for the U.S. in the draw, emphasized the team's ambition. "That’s the goal," Sanchez said. "When you’re on a team like the U.S., I mean, that’s always the standard that we’ve had. … The goal, it’s always the goal to win."
The draw highlights the competitive gap between the USWNT and Spain, who won the last World Cup while the U.S. suffered its earliest-ever exit in Cup history during the Round of 16. With the FIFA Women’s World Cup seven months away, the USWNT faces the challenge of reclaiming the top spot in global soccer against a Spanish team that has established itself as a global powerhouse. The exhibition matches served as a critical diagnostic tool for the U.S. coaching staff to identify weaknesses and refine strategies before the qualification tournament.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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