Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The U.S. women’s national team started its 2026 campaign off strong with a 6-0 romp of Paraguay on Saturday. In a camp where only National Women’s Soccer League players (NJ/NY Gotham FC excluded) were called in, several inexperienced players seized the opportunity to prove their mettle on the national team stage.
It was a tale of two halves. In the first 45 minutes, the U.S. couldn’t capitalize on their onslaught of chances and lion’s share of possession. Paraguay, led by head coach Fábio Fukumoto, was able to sit back and absorb pressure, stamping out dangerous sequences, often at the last gasp. For the U.S., there were as many hopeful passes as sloppy ones. U.S. head coach Emma Hayes knows the team didn’t play up to its standard.
“The realities are, at the highest possible level, you don’t get three and four chances. You get one and two,” Hayes told media after the match.
Trinity Rodman, who was by far the most-capped player in camp and who donned the captain’s armband to start, ate up space on her favored right side and sprayed balls into the box, but no one was able to finish them off.
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