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USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Mallory Swanson and Ashley Sanchez shine against Spain, but shaky goalkeeping and defensive lapses leave Emma Hayes with plenty to fix

Swanson and Sanchez delivered against Spain, but shaky goalkeeping and defensive lapses leave Emma Hayes with pressing questions before World Cup qualifying.

Celia Balf

  • The USWNT have a history of responding when they get another shot at the same opponent. They bounced back from defeats to Japan and Brazil earlier this year. Spain, though, posed a different kind of challenge.

    In the first meeting, the U.S. looked several steps behind. Lindsey Heaps and Rose Lavelle, usually the players dictating the attack and setting the rhythm, were left chasing the game. A normally composed back line looked disconnected, with Emily Fox and Avery Patterson stranded on their own islands. Up top, chances came, but the finishing did not.

    The second game brought adjustments. There were improvements. But there was still plenty to fix.

    Ashley Sanchez and Mallory Swanson delivered the goals that rescued a 2-2 draw, offering a reminder of the attacking talent available to Emma Hayes. Further back, the picture was less reassuring. Both Claudia Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce endured difficult moments across the two matches, leaving questions in goal heading into qualifying.

    Defensively, there was context to the growing pains: each starting back four was playing together for the first time. Tierna Davidson and Kennedy Wesley anchored both combinations and grew more comfortable as the games progressed, finding more patience in possession rather than rushing under Spain’s pressure. Still, those connections need to develop quickly.

    The next time the USWNT take the field, a World Cup berth will be at stake. A win over El Salvador on Nov. 27 secures their place in Brazil. The friendlies are over. Now, the lessons have to translate into results.

    With that in mind, GOAL looks at who raised their stock and who has more work to do heading into qualifying.

  • Stock Up: Mallory Swanson

    Mallory Swanson, USWNT
    Getty

    Mallory Swanson scored the game-tying goal to help the USWNT earn a 2-2 draw against Spain.

    Swanson was expected to get minutes against Spain. She ended up delivering a reminder of just how good she can be on the world stage - something that can get lost during a difficult club season with the Chicago Stars.

    What Swanson offers is versatility across the front line. Comfortable through the middle. Lethal out wide. A threat wherever she lines up.

    She featured in both games against Spain, but her biggest contribution came in the second, when she scored the equalizer in a 2-2 draw. She looked confident, found the right spaces and delivered the clinical finish the U.S. needed.

    Afterward, Swanson told reporters it all felt a “little surreal.”

    “It's been like two years since I scored, and a lot has happened,” she said. “I think it's just nice to get that first one out of the way.”

  • Stock Down: Claudia Dickey

    imago-sport-1084524242.jpg
    Icon Sportswire

    Claudia Dickey conceded two goals in the USWNT's opening 2-0 loss vs Spain.

    Dickey started the first meeting against Spain and was on the back foot almost immediately. Just three minutes in, the 26-year-old was caught out of position as Spain scored with their first shot.

    A second goal followed soon after. The breakdowns extended beyond Dickey, but she struggled to provide the organization and shot-stopping that are usually her strengths. Against an opponent this clinical, those shortcomings proved costly.

    It was a demanding assignment. Facing the world’s top-ranked team gave Dickey a valuable opportunity to test herself against elite opposition. There are lessons to take from it, but also clear areas to improve.

    The opportunity is still there for both Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce to claim the No. 1 job. After these two games, though, neither made a convincing case to settle the debate.

  • Stock Up: Ashley Sanchez

    Ashley Sanchez

    Ashley Sanchez scored a goal in the USWNT's 2-2 draw against Spain.

    Sanchez’s 20 NWSL goals made her hard to ignore. Against Spain, the challenge was translating that form to the international stage.

    After finding her rhythm off the bench in the first meeting, she earned a start in the second. Early on, she rushed passes and forced dribbles. But she grew into the game, showing more patience and composure in the final third.

    Her breakthrough came in the 49th minute, when she scored the USWNT’s first goal of the series. She read the defender, picked her moment and placed her shot into the far corner. There was patience in the approach and precision in the finish.

    Sanchez had already made her case at club level. By delivering against Spain, she strengthened her argument for a place in Hayes’ qualifying squad.

  • Stock Down: Phallon Tullis-Joyce

    Phallon Tullis-Joyce, USWNT
    Getty

    Tullis-Joyce started in the USWNT's second match vs. Spain.

    Tullis-Joyce’s start offered plenty of encouragement in the opening 20 minutes against Spain on Tuesday. She made important saves, initially looked comfortable with her feet, and was more assertive in organizing the defense. Then La Roja found an opening in the 27th minute, and Alexia Putellas made it count.

    What followed was more concerning. After receiving a back pass, Tullis-Joyce sent her clearance straight down the middle to Spain. The hosts needed composure after conceding. Instead, the giveaway helped Spain double their lead.

    Tullis-Joyce’s experience against top European opposition is an asset in her competition with Dickey. So are her size, reach and athleticism, which allow her to make difficult saves and cover plenty of ground.

    But her distribution remains a concern. Against a team that presses as relentlessly as Spain, the goalkeeper has to offer a reliable outlet. Tullis-Joyce showed encouraging signs, but she was not consistently secure enough on the ball when the U.S. needed her to be.

  • Stock Down: Tierna Davidson and Kennedy Wesley

    Emma Hayes, USWNT
    Getty

    Tierna Davidson and Kennedy Wesley were the starting pair of center backs in the USWNT's two matches against Spain.

    With Naomi Girma and Emily Sonnett absent, Tierna Davidson and Kennedy Wesley were the natural choices at center back. For both, the Spain series was a major opportunity to bring composure and leadership to the heart of the defense.

    There were encouraging moments, but also costly mistakes. Mistimed steps, gaps between defenders and moments when they kept attackers onside gave Spain openings they could not afford to concede.

    Wesley has made clear strides early in her international career. Davidson brings far more experience, but is still finding her rhythm after a lengthy recovery from ACL surgery. Both have qualities the U.S. need: intelligence, composure and the confidence to build out of the back.

    Against Spain, though, those qualities had to be matched by sharper, more decisive defending. Spain’s movement stretched the back line, and even the smallest gaps became opportunities. Davidson and Wesley needed to be more connected in how they stepped forward, covered space and responded to danger.

    Hayes has other options at center back, but chemistry comes through repetition. More time together could help Davidson and Wesley build that understanding. The challenge is that their next opportunity could come with a World Cup berth at stake.