Will Mallory Swanson return as Americans seek response in crucial World Cup qualifying tune-up? Five keys for USWNT's rematch vs. Brazil

Hayes went with a midfield trio of Bay FC's Claire Hutton and the OL Lyonnes pairing of Lindsey Heaps and Lily Yohannes, a group that made sense given Sam Coffey's absence from this camp.

There were good moments from the three. They adjusted to the pace and pressure of the game and showed flashes of the technical quality Hayes wants in the middle of the field. But the game started to open up more after the substitutions, even if those changes did not all come in midfield.

The additions of Michelle Cooper and Avery Patterson gave the USWNT a more physical presence up top and out wide, which proved useful against Brazil. Both were able to compete in one-vs-one battles, stretch the field and create more time and space for the midfield to get on the ball.

Rose Lavelle and Jaedyn Shaw also came into the middle late in the second half. Neither had much time to change the game, but both helped keep the tempo high and ensured the level did not drop.

That balance will be important in the rematch. Against Brazil, the USWNT cannot afford to get dragged into constant duels without finding the right moments to play through pressure.

"If you're always fighting without releasing the ball, you're playing to Brazil's strength," Hayes said. "As my father would have said to me, wipe your mouth, move on and get ready for the next one."

Hayes' goalkeeper picture remains unsettled, but the Brazil camp offered another clue into where things stand.

Claudia Dickey, Mandy McGlynn and Phallon Tullis-Joyce were the three goalkeepers originally called into camp, before Tullis-Joyce was ruled out through injury and replaced by Jane Campbell. That group has been among the most consistent in recent USWNT camps, but the No. 1 job still feels open.

McGlynn got the start in the first meeting with Brazil, with Campbell on the bench and Dickey not in the matchday squad. If available, Dickey would seem like a logical candidate to get a look in Tuesday's second meeting.

McGlynn's stat line will show two goals conceded in the opening 14 minutes, but neither was especially on her. Brazil's early pressure put the USWNT under immediate stress, and McGlynn was left dealing with a game that became stretched and chaotic almost from the start. She still finished with four saves on Brazil's six shots on target.

"This is exactly what we want to practice," McGlynn said after the match. "To be in these environments — it's loud and chaotic, but we want to be uncomfortable, so come this time next year, we'll be comfortable."

That is the bigger picture for Hayes. McGlynn was steady enough with the ball at her feet in a transitional game, and she had to organize a backline that had not played together before. It was not a clean night for the USWNT defensively, but given the pressure, the crowd and the unfamiliar group in front of her, McGlynn handled the chaos reasonably well.

Now the question is whether Hayes gives Dickey or Campbell a chance in the rematch, or sticks with McGlynn as the goalkeeper competition continues to take shape.

The USWNT had chances to get back into the game against Brazil. The issue was turning those moments into something more.

After Wilson's second-minute opener, the Americans struggled to regain control once Brazil hit back with two quick goals. The USWNT improved after halftime and created opportunities, but the final ball, finishing touch and small details in possession were not sharp enough to force an equalizer.

"I think if you look at this game as a whole, second half we came out and we created opportunities, [but] we could have scored," USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps said. "I think there are parts of the first half, maybe the first 15 minutes [where] it took us a little bit to grow into the game."

Hayes saw it similarly. The USWNT started well, but Brazil were more clinical once the game opened up.

"The reality is, we start the game and we score a goal," Hayes said. "But you have to compete and stay in the game, and I think Brazil took their chances really well in the early part and they made it very difficult for us, and that's a great learning for my team."

That is where Tuesday's rematch becomes important. The USWNT do not just need to create chances; they need to be more efficient with them. They also need to take better care of the ball, win more duels and manage the small moments that kept them from finding an equalizer in the first meeting.

"I still have a lot of young players out there, first experience doing that," Hayes said. "So we'll be much better for that."

Brazil's pressure is difficult enough on its own. Add in the atmosphere, and Saturday's match became exactly the kind of uncomfortable environment Hayes wanted her team to experience.

That same challenge will be waiting again Tuesday. Brazil will press, the crowd will be loud, and the USWNT will have to manage the chaos better than they did in the first meeting. The benefit, though, is that the Americans have now felt it once. They know what the pressure looks like, what the tempo feels like and how quickly Brazil can punish mistakes.

After the match, Heaps pointed to the combination of Brazil's style and the atmosphere as the biggest adjustment.

"It's the chaos that this Brazilian team brings," Heaps said. "The physicality and how they make the game out, but also the atmosphere that we just played in, what an incredible experience."

She added: "This is what you're going to experience and having fans against you like that, the whistling, and not being able to hear anything."

Hayes also acknowledged that the environment was unlike anything some of her players had experienced.

"I'm sure for many of my players this is the first time that they've experienced an intensity from the crowd," Hayes said. "I think Brazil took their chances very well in the early part and they made it very difficult for us, and that's a great learning for my team, and the atmosphere for sure contributed to that."

That makes the rematch a useful measuring stick. The USWNT do not need Tuesday to be comfortable. They need to show they can handle the discomfort better.

Wilson did not need long to make her impact.

Just 96 seconds into Saturday's match, Rodman forced a turnover deep in Brazil's defensive third, and Wilson did the rest. She collected the loose ball, drove inside and curled a shot into the bottom corner for her first USWNT goal since October 2024.

It was the kind of moment that showed exactly what Wilson still gives this team. Brazil were physical throughout the match and gave her little room to operate, but she held her own up top and still found a way to punish one mistake.

"It always feels good to score on this team and contribute in any way that I can," Wilson said after the game. "Obviously once that goal happened we needed to do a bit of a better job controlling the game and keeping the lead, but this a really good test for us."

Heaps was thrilled to see Wilson back on the scoresheet, especially given how difficult Brazil made the game for her.

"I think that's what she does best," Heaps said. "I think it was a really difficult game for her, just because of the way that they played against her, but I think when you can get Sof in situations like that, when she's dribbling at the back line, there's no stopping her."

That is the reminder the USWNT can take into Tuesday. Even when the game is physical, chaotic and uncomfortable, Wilson only needs one opening to change it.