Jan 27, 2026; Santa Barbara, California, USA; United States defender Emily Sams (6) in the second half at Harder Stadium. (Photo Credit: Will Navarro-Imagn Images)
The U.S. women’s national team defeated Chile 5-0 in a commanding win at a sold-out Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Tuesday night to close out the first camp of 2026.
The Chilean national team struggled to make any offensive headway of their own or keep the ball out of the net against a revamped lineup of American youngsters, a different bunch than head coach Emma Hayes started three days prior in the team’s 6-0 takedown of Paraguay. Tuesday evening’s starters found the back of the net quite a bit faster than their weekend predecessors, controlling the pace of play from the start despite notable senior team inexperience among them.
It was an evening of firsts for the players vying to impress Hayes as her window for experimentation nears a close.
Fittingly, a trio of first-time scorers put the Americans on the board early, giving the team a 3-0 lead going into the half. An opening opportunity presented for the victors within the first minute of play, but it was Croix Bethune who kicked off the scoring eighteen minutes into the match. She was assisted by Ayo Oke, earning her first senior team cap in her first call up.
A hungry Emma Sears continued to put pressure on the 47th-ranked Chilean national team, hitting the post twice in the first 20 minutes of play. By the 26-minute mark, senior team debutant Jameese Joseph had extended the lead to two. The team’s captain for the evening, 26-year-old defender Emily Sams, followed suit shortly thereafter, tapping one in off her left foot on an assist from a still-searching Sears.
In rapid succession, the three starters became the 14th, 15th and 16th players to score their first international goals under Hayes.
With an average of just 5.2 caps per player on the pitch for the U.S women’s national team entering Tuesday night’s match, the lineup marked the team’s most inexperienced set of starters in 25 years — besting the previous low set just three days prior when Hayes’ squad defeated Paraguay on Saturday on the back of a roster with an average of 9.6 caps among its starting 11.
For the youngsters playing in a camp without any international stars, Tuesday presented as the final opportunity to prove themselves invaluable to a team that Hayes will soon start whittling down. With the SheBelieves Cup on the horizon — and the imminent return of the USWNT’s veteran players with it — and 2027 World Cup qualifying also top of mind, establishing consistency will likely soon take precedent over providing reps for fresh faces.
Hayes, however, continued to prioritize the latter while she could. The head coach made a singular swap at the half, subbing 19-year-old Jordyn Bugg in for Oke.
Within seconds of the second half starting, Sears finally found what she’d been looking for: the back of the net. Scoring in her second straight game for the U.S. women’s national team, the forward brought her tally to six goals in 14 caps for the senior team.
Hayes eventually tapped Olivia Moultrie, Trinity Rodman, Ally Sentnor, Claire Hutton and Maddie Dahlein in for some second-half minutes. Rodman quickly made her presence known, both by adding to the goal differential and the subsequent celebration she roped her coach into. Rodman’s energy carried the Americans through the end of their 5-0 win.
The U.S. women’s national team will take the pitch next on March 1 at the start of the SheBelieves Cup. The Americans will first face Argentina in the group stage in Nashville, Tenn. The question now is who will make Hayes’ cut.
