The U.S. women's national team closed out their three-match summer window in style with a commanding 3-0 win over Concacaf rivals Canada at Audi Field with goals from Sam Coffey, Claire Hutton, and Yazmeen Ryan. In front of a sold-out crowd on Wednesday, the USWNT extended their win streak to five consecutive games against their biggest challenger this summer.
The Stars and Stripes connected on goal against the run of play and on refreshing set pieces, with pinpoint service by Rose Lavelle. Coffey's goal came off a long-distance lob that Avery Patterson helped settle in the box, before Coffey sliced the ball through on goal.
Hutton then doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark with a leaping header off a corner kick. The goal was the first-ever national team goal for the 19-year-old defensive midfielder.
Just minutes away from a narrower scoreline, but late-game substitutes Tara McKeown and Ryan combined for a third goal.
Ryan's goal turned a more narrow scoreline into a blowout. For Canada, the match was also a bit of a performance metric for a program in the midst of transition. Head coach Casey Stoney was hired for the role in January, and the first six months of the year have been an adjustment period of getting to know players, staff, and the ins and outs of Canada Soccer. The manager was quick to point out that the group has much farther to go after half a year on the job.
"Tonight we were miles off. So, it's almost the games we've had in prep to this haven't prepared us. They really haven't. This is the first top opponent we've played, and it shows where we're at," Stoney told reporters after the game.
"First and foremost, we need to get fitter, like, we weren't fit enough to even sustain anything tonight," Stoney said. "We need to be better technically on the ball; too many unforced errors and turnovers. If you're going to do that, you've got to be even fitter."
"We can keep talking about winning a World Cup, we can keep talking about what we're going to do, or we can actually put things into action," Stoney said. "So, I will go away and reflect on the game plan, the selection, the prep. The players need to go away and reflect on their own individual performances and what they need to do to be better come October."
Outside of an early stretch of effective highline play from Canada, the USWNT were largely in control of the match. However, head coach Emma Hayes has been adamant throughout the window that the group capitalize on their chances when they come, and there will be lots to go over with just three goals on 21 shots. Still, a very impressive window, with 11 goals scored, three shutouts, and a victory against a top opponent, and Hayes expects the group to continue the work back with their respective clubs.
"I said to the players in the end, in the huddle, is that if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters. It's what you do when you go back to your club," Hayes said. "If you want to be a proficient set-piece taker, for example, you have to rehearse it every day. If you want to be a great one-v-one defender, you have to rehearse it every day. And every player knows where their gaps are.
"So, my expectation is that they are training [all] that in their own environments. But as I've said many times, I'm all about improving the whole ecosystem, and I think more opportunities for more players at the national team level will improve the NWSL because it gives players hope and belief that if they perform, that they're going to get an opportunity. That means whether you're Izzy Rodriguez, going back to club, Sam, Mesa, Jordyn Bugg, I don't know whether they're going to be called in again, but I know that they understand what it takes, and it will give them the ambition and the appetite to be here."
With no international window for the USWNT till October, there are roughly four months until the group gathers together again. When they do, it might be a different team moving forward. Hayes has previously indicated that the summer window was a deadline for her and the staff to narrow down the heavily expanded player pool that has grown over the previous six months.
Hayes now faces tough decisions as she evaluates her roster ahead of upcoming tournaments. With a blend of veterans and rising stars, she'll have to refine this deep squad as they build toward the 2027-28 cycle. For the coach, there's still plenty of work to do and a wide range of lessons to grow from over the first half of 2025.
"I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but we haven't won anything. We've just won a game. There's a long way to go to do those things, but there were, I think, felt for me, things that I I've been looking for in terms of dictating tempo, controlling the game from start to finishing, finishing strongly, all the messages, all the learnings, especially from Brazil, from Japan, I felt we dictated and we played the way we wanted to. It's not about the opponent, it's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant tonight."
Sam Coffey opens the goal scoring for USWNT in the 17th minute and Claire Hutton extends the lead past the halfhour mark. Yazmeen Ryan extends the lead to three late in the match.
A third goal for the USWNT and its Yazmeen Ryan with a rocket on the edge of the box! A good display by the recently subbed-on forward, assisted by another recent substitute, Tara McKeown.
80' Sam Meza and Yazmeen Ryan sub into the match for Claire Hutton and Lynn Biyendolo.
78' Lynn Biyendolo just can't buy a goal tonight. Definitely not lack of effort, she's hit the bar twice now, and that'll be her final attempt of the night as subs prepare to come in.
Emma Sears and Ally Sentnor are in the match for Rose Lavelle and Michelle Cooper! A roaring ovation for Lavelle, who had a massive game tonight and a good game against Ireland. Pristine on set piece services, creating and connecting whenever on the ball. Cooper had plenty of bright spots against Canada out on the wing, leading attacks on the flanks.
A very poor challenge on Thompson by Canada's Ashley Lawrence to try a stop the attacker. It's a scary moment as the tackle gets Thompson's ankle and she's treated on the sideline, but it back in after a bit. Lawrence has struggled all night, no matter who she's marked. Patterson, Lavelle, Thompson, and others. Clearly frustrated after getting the yellow card.
Another solid performance by the right-back, she makes a great decision to switch the point of attack and delivers a long ball over to Alyssa Thompson out wide on the left. Thompson slices and dices, but her shot is blocked, and the USWNT is back at it again.
No changes for either side as the second half commences and the USWNT are right back on the hunt in the attack once more. Rose Lavelle keeps finding the right pockets of space, and Sheridan is there to snuff out some early danger.
Canada's body language is not great as they head into the locker room. Outside of an early spell of counterpressing, the USWNT managed the half much better. Two goals off of set pieces for the Stars and Stripes, a long time coming after a drought on special plays.
USWNT goalkeeper Claudia Dickey comes off her line to recycle the ball, but Canada intercepts. Dickey quickly backpedals and her pace is quick enough to hold off a long-distance chip attempt.
36' It's another set-piece special for the USWNT! This time it's Rose Lavelle from the corner flag and her ball in is on line to a leaping Claire Hutton who heads it into goal. It's the first national team goal for Hutton!
34' Canada with the ball in the USWNT half, and Sonis' attempt deflects to Huitema, who takes a quick shot, but Dickey reads the ball and stops the shot.
It is literally hot, and after the hydration break, it's back to connecting passes and trying to find the next attacking sequence for USWNT. We're offically at the half-hour mark in the game.
19' Canada immediately threatens the opposite way following their set piece laps, Jordyn Huitema carries the ball into the box, but Claudia Dickey snuffs it out and keeps the lead. Some club-on-club crime between the Seattle Reign players.
17' It's Sam Coffey with the opening goal! The scoring sequence comes off a free kick as Rose Lavelle provides the long-distance service. The ball generates a bit of chaos as Avery Patterson settles the ball and tries to take it herself, but it's Coffey who cleans up and slots the ball past Sheridan.
As the match ticks past the 10-minute mark, Canada has now had to sustain counterattacks and is thankful there was not handball called on Ashley Lawrence. It's led to less pressured moments and the USWNT being given time to play out of the back, where they weren't in the opening ten minutes.
8' The group gets behind Canada's higher line, and once again the attack is led by Cooper, with Biyendolo making an alternate run, and the shot is on target but right in the hands of Sheridan.
6' The USWNT quickly counter after Canada's shot and Michelle Cooper, Lynn Biyendolo, and Rose Lavelle are on the move. Cooper did a good job separating herself and creating space for a cross, but Biyendolo is off the bar!
5' As expected, Canada, with some high pressing and spending time in the U.S. half, there's a shot, but it's wide and not too much trouble for Claudia Dickey
Let's have some with a prediction! To be frank, this one has the feeling of a stalemate with both coaching staffs eager to use the match as an inflection point for both programs. But draws are no fun in a rivalry, so here's hoping the newer faces to the rivalry get out there and make a game of it. Pick: USWNT 2, Canada 1
Here's the lineup for tonight! Some real balanced energy here with experience and newbies to the rivalry. Perhaps some indicators by the coaching staff on the players they want to see just a little bit more from before keeping them part of the core player pool moving forward.
USWNT Starting XI: 18-Claudia Dickey; 4-Naomi Girma (Capt..), 6-Lynn Biyendolo, 8-Avery Patterson, 12-Michelle Cooper, 14-Emily Sonnett, 15-Claire Hutton, 16-Rose Lavelle, 17-Sam Coffey, 21-Alyssa Thompson, 23-Lilly Reale
Available Subs: 1-Mandy McGlynn, 2-Emily Sams, 3-Jordyn Bugg, 5-Tara McKeown, 7-Croix Bethune, 9-Ally Sentnor, 10-Sam Meza, 11-Izzy Rodriguez, 13-Olivia Moultrie, 19-Emma Sears, 22-Yazmeen Ryan, 24-Angelina Anderson
Lineups are officially live, and as we revisit the players we need to see against Canada, it looks like Mandy McGlynn and Yazmeen Ryan are available off the bench while Patterson and Cooper earn the start.
Avery Patterson: The outside back has been impressive across her five appearances with the USWNT. Her efforts against China in May were an improvement after first-time minutes against Brazil in April, and her start against Ireland came with her first national team goal. While Hayes was complimentary of the fullback's improvement and her listening skills, she also noted the need for Patterson to be tested defensively. She'll get that against Canada.
Michelle Cooper: The winger has made the most of her appearances and has been in the majority of national team camps this year. Her play has stood out, and it's hard to miss when it functions like a jeep being driven by a viper. She goes after opposing backlines with a fearlessness to her play that to others might seem reckless, but with more minutes and matches, can be the exact type of energy needed.
Yazmeen Ryan: Another option among the forward core who can provide crafty wing play, but a club move to the Houston Dash hasn't quite panned out alongside a lingering injury. She scored her first national team goal against Ireland on Thursday after spending time in USWNT camps since last fall.
Mandy McGlynn: No goalkeeper was given consecutive starts in 2025 except for Phallon Tulis-Joyce. With Canada as the top-ranked opponent this window, we could see McGlynn get a start in goal as the most capped goalkeeper on the roster with five starts already. But her moments against top teams in Brazil, she showed some room for improvement on some errors made. A run-out against Canada will be a great test to judge her growth.
Head coach Casey Stoney named a 23-player roster for a pair of summer friendlies against Costa Rica and the USWNT. The manager views the games in a similar lens to Hayes, as a measuring stick for how the squad can fair against top competition.
"This window is an important step forward for our group as we continue building toward our goals," she said in a statement. "We step up to a world-class challenge against the world's top-ranked team, the USA, which is exactly where we want to be."
It'll be the first time Stoney is on the sidelines with Canada against a top regional rival, but several players on the roster have extensive experience facing the Stars and Stripes. Stoney is still in the early stages with the squad, and the match comes at the midway point of the calendar year after she was appointed head coach in January.
"I think, first probably five months, really have been about exploring, about getting to know the players, getting to know the staff, understanding the skill sets of what we've got available, making sure the team plays the strengths of the players, rather than getting the players to adapt to something that we want to do," she said last month.
"I've got to be honest, the first two camps, at least, has been about building trust in coaching and the technical team. I think the players lost trust over the last year, which is absolutely understandable. I'm coming in as a foreign person into a national team that, you know, I genuinely have a desire to do well for. It's a privilege and an honor to represent this team. And what I've gotten to know is there's some incredible people, some incredible talent, and if we can, just fine-tune things we can give the players the right tools to be able to be successful, then we can go up a gear."
Hayes has been clear about a timeline in squad processes in the build-up to the 2027-28 cycle. The expanded player pool over the last six months will likely be narrowed following the match against Canada, a team that Hayes considers a top squad, prime to challenge many of the USWNT's more untested players.
"I look at the Brazil games. I look at the Japan games, for example, tier one, opponents, tier A opponents, I think Canada are in that category. I am curious how much we have learned from playing a tier one opponent ... I think we have an opportunity to show how much we've closed the gap on the details, and not just six or seven senior players. I mean, more numbers being able to do that," Hayes said.
The manager and her staff are also focusing on more tactile and technical areas for the group moving forward. She noted how dangerous the team looked against Ireland, and that four goals is an admirable accomplishment, but that the data presented showed that there could've been even more. She and the coaching staff will evaluate how successful players are in decision-making, executing game plans, and more against Canada.
"Are we getting into the right areas? Yes. Are we taking the right decision when we're in the right areas sometimes, are we executing at the top level in the right situations? Still indifferent for me. I still feel there is another level to close the gap for the volume of opportunities we get and converting them," she said.
"Movement is important in the game to disrupt an opponent, but you have to maintain structures to minimize the impact the opponent can have in the opposite direction. And Canada are very good in their transitions, and if you give them too much transition space, they have pace to hurt you. So I think we need to get those details right, but this is really about improving all the things I've just previously mentioned, but those are one or two that I think can be next steps."
The two sides have a long history against each other, but the USWNT have 53 wins against their continental rivals in 66 previous meetings, and they last squared off during the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. The game ended 2-2 in regulation with goals by USWNT's Sophia Wilson and Canada's Adrianna Leon, but needed penalties to determine a winner. The shootout was high drama, with former goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher making a stop and then converting a penalty kick, and the USWNT won 5-4 on penalties
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Hello and welcome to our live blog of USWNT vs. Canada! We've got a good old-fashioned Concacaf rivalry game on our hands tonight. I'm Sandra Herrera, and I'll be with you providing game updates, analysis, and highlights of tonight's game.
