It's a weird time to be a fan of the Stars and Stripes. Honestly, if you’re just casually checking the us women's national soccer team score on your phone after a long Saturday, you might be a little confused by what you see lately. We aren’t exactly in the era of 13-0 blowouts anymore.
Things feel... different. Experimental.
Last time the senior squad stepped onto the pitch for a real match was back on December 1, 2025, against Italy. They won 2-0. It was a solid, professional result in Ft. Lauderdale, but the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. The "vibe" of the team is shifting. We’re currently in that awkward, exciting middle ground where the legendary veterans are moving on and a bunch of kids who were born in 2009 are starting to show up in training camp.
Breaking Down the Recent US Women's National Soccer Team Score
If you look at the 2-0 win over Italy to close out 2025, the names on the scoresheet might not be the ones you expect. Catarina Macario opened things up in the 20th minute. Then Jaedyn Shaw doubled it later on.
Macario has been on a tear, scoring in three straight international matches. That’s the kind of consistency Emma Hayes needs as she prepares for the 2027 World Cup cycle. But it’s not just about the goals.
Check this out: in that Italy game, Kate Wiesner became the 50th different player to start a match under Hayes. 50! In just 30 games. That is an insane amount of rotation. Hayes is basically using the us women's national soccer team score as a secondary metric while she treats the actual roster like a giant chemistry set. She’s trying to see which players actually "react" well together before the stakes get too high.
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The 3-0 Canada Win: Game of the Year?
A lot of fans are still talking about the 3-0 thumping of Canada from July 2. It was recently voted the U.S. Soccer Game of the Year for 2025. Why? Because the U.S. did it without almost all of their European-based stars.
- Sam Coffey (midfield anchor)
- Claire Hutton (her first international goal at just 18)
- Yazmeen Ryan (sealed it in the 89th minute)
They outshot Canada 22-7. It was dominant. It was fun. It felt like the "old" USWNT for a second, but with a completely fresh coat of paint. Claudia Dickey was in goal, earning a clean sheet in only her second cap. That’s the depth people have been screaming for.
What's Coming Up in 2026?
We are currently in the middle of January camp in Southern California. If you’re looking for the next us women's national soccer team score, mark your calendars for January 24.
The U.S. faces Paraguay at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. A few days later, on January 27, they head to Santa Barbara to play Chile.
This January roster is young. Like, "can't buy a beer" young. The average age is 24.1. Trinity Rodman is the "grizzled veteran" of the group with 47 caps, which is hilarious considering she's still in her early 20s. There are five uncapped players in this camp, including North Carolina Courage standout Riley Jackson.
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The SheBelieves Cup Factor
After the January friendlies, things get serious. The 2026 SheBelieves Cup schedule is locked in:
- March 1: USA vs. Argentina (Nashville)
- March 4: USA vs. Canada (Columbus)
- March 7: USA vs. Colombia (Harrison, NJ)
Argentina and Colombia have made massive strides in South America, so these won't be walkovers. Everyone remembers the 2025 SheBelieves Cup where the U.S. actually lost to Japan. That loss was a wake-up call. It proved that the world has caught up, and "playing hard" isn't enough anymore. You need tactics. You need a system.
Why the Scoreboard Might Lie to You
Kinda feels like we’re obsessed with the result, but Hayes is obsessed with the process.
She’s given caps to 44 different players in the last year alone. For context, no other full-time manager in USWNT history has even come close to that level of experimentation in their first 30 games. Usually, a coach finds their "best 11" and rides them until the wheels fall off. Hayes is doing the opposite. She's building a pool of 30 or 40 players who all understand her philosophy.
So, when you see a 0-0 draw or a narrow 1-0 win against a team the U.S. "should" beat, don't panic.
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It's usually because there are three teenagers on the field and the tactical instructions are incredibly complex. They're learning how to break down low blocks—something that haunted the team during the 2023 World Cup exit.
Real Talk: The Limitations
Let’s be real for a second. The transition hasn't been perfect.
The U.S. lost to Brazil in a friendly last April (2-1). They struggled at times in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. The defense, while generally solid with Naomi Girma acting as a human wall, has had moments of miscommunication when the veteran presence of someone like Becky Sauerbrunn isn't there.
Also, the "Triple Espresso" attack (Smith, Swanson, Rodman) is world-class, but when one or two of them are injured or resting, the goal production tends to dip. We saw that in some of the tighter matches against European sides where the U.S. dominated possession but couldn't find the final ball.
How to Follow the Team Right Now
If you want to stay ahead of the curve and not just react to a Google notification, here’s how to actually track the us women's national soccer team score and progress:
- Watch the January Friendlies: Paraguay (Jan 24, TNT/Max) and Chile (Jan 27, TBS/Max). These games will show you which "fringe" players are actually ready for the SheBelieves Cup.
- Track the NWSL Integration: Most of the current roster is NWSL-based. Keep an eye on players like Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt. Their club form is directly dictating their minutes with the national team.
- Look at the "Game of the Year" nominees: U.S. Soccer puts these out annually. It’s a great way to see which tactical performances the federation actually values versus just looking at which games had the most goals.
- Focus on the 2009 Birth Year: The U-17 team just drew 2-2 with Germany in Spain. Players like Maddie DiMaria and Deus Stanislaus are the names you’ll be seeing in senior box scores by 2028.
The reality is that the USWNT is no longer a team that wins just because they are better athletes. They have to outthink the opponent now. The scores might look "closer" than they did ten years ago, but the technical level of the play is arguably higher than it's ever been.
Keep an eye on that March 4 rematch against Canada in Columbus. That’s going to be the real litmus test for where this "New Era" stands.