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The United States women's national team lost 2-0 to Spain on Tuesday at El Sadar in Pamplona, Spain. The team was unable to ever generate any meaningful attack throughout the match, recording only two attempts on target, compared to three from Spain. While the Americans did outshoot Spain 10-8 they were out-possessed, completing only 415 passes to the Spaniards 454. The USWNT faced a depleted Spain squad, missing several key players to injury and over a dozen primary starters at a standstill with the Spanish Football Federation over poor playing conditions under current head coach Jorge Vilda. 

Despite the missing 15 players, Spain made the win look easy by capitalizing on the attack alongside the flanks. Laia Codina and Esther Gonzalez recorded the goals in the victory. The USWNT return to home soil winless in their last two matches, after a previous loss to England at Wembley Stadium on Friday. 

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We will be back with takeaways from the match.

You can't compartmentalize all the time

The recent loss against Spain is officially the start of a winless skid for the USWNT. Their 2-1 loss to England on Friday provided a bit of mixed perspective with massive scenes at Wembley Stadium providing the backdrop of promise to an ever-growing women's side of the game despite the generational hardships endured by its players over the decades. 

The build-up to the matches included an emotional and mental interruption as U.S. Soccer released the full findings and recommendations of Sally Q. Yates' independent investigation into allegations of past abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women's professional soccer. The jarring report highlighting sexual misconduct, abuse, and racism within women's professional soccer shifted expectations of a winning result to further player evaluations and overall experience. 

However, England's victory felt less like a loss and more about lessons learned for both the coaching staff and young players on the squad. Sophia Smith needs no more tests, she is a vital member of the USWNT's attack. Trinity Rodman should have more minutes against international opposition. Naomi Girma is having more than a breakout season. She is presenting a revelation at the center back position for the future of this team. 

Despite a few bright spots, the recent loss also highlights the remaining issues with the team. The system is no longer working the way it once did. Missing USWNT personnel excluded, England ran through the U.S. midfield, and Spain exposed the U.S. outside backs.

So why does the loss against Spain feel so different? 

Similar problems lingered for the midfield into the game against Spain as they did with England and though the USWNT weren't out-bullied in the middle third against Spain, their failure to convert their press into offense haunted them into Spain's wings.

Spain's "B" team was eager to show their talents to the coaching staff, and a 2-0 win against the number one-ranked team in the world showed that. They stifled the flanks throughout the match, and Jorge Vidal's five-back presented a challenge to the USWNT that was difficult to unlock despite a promising opening 20-minute press where the U.S. was able to keep possession mostly even. 

A failed clearance off a corner kick in the first half against the run of play provided the scene for Spain's first goal, followed by exposed space in the final third with a brilliantly executed finish by Esther Gonzalez.

The two-game skid is the first for the USWNT since 2017 when the team lost to England and France during the SheBelieves Cup. It was an underwhelming performance that ended a formation experiment with three at the back by then-head coach Jill Ellis post the 2016 Olympic quarterfinal elimination. 

What's next?

The team has undeniably gone through a massive week filled with the mental and emotional tolls around the state of women's pro soccer in the U.S. The mental exhaustion is perhaps an unfamiliar scene for a program that has prided itself on its mental focus as an x-factor for games under bright lights. But when the team is struggling to maintain composure during such difficult times, it is on the coaching staff to provide the support and system to elevate players if necessary. 

The 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is 10 months away. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski said it best when addressing the timeline and injuries ahead of the World Cup, that if the event started tomorrow – the team is not ready.

The USWNT will close out the calendar year with a two-game series against Germany in November.