Claire Hutton, Lindsey Heaps control midfield, but defensive miscues hurt Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Lilly Reale - USWNT Winners and Losers

Hutton, whose ceiling may be higher than just about anyone in the USWNT pool, embraced the role on Tuesday, serving as the group’s connector in midfield.

“It means a lot,” Hutton said after the match. “For me, it’s such an honor. I’m surrounded by amazing players and leaders, and to know I have that trust from Emma is incredible. It was also so cool when Lindsey came on to pass it to her. She’s someone I’ve looked up to forever, so being able to share that moment was really special.”

Hutton has risen through the youth national team system and, over the past year, has begun to cement her place in the U.S. midfield. Despite the loss to Japan, she played a key role in the team’s control of possession, with the USWNT holding 67 percent across the match.

At times, Hutton lingered on the ball, but overall she kept the lines connected and helped generate several attacking sequences.

“There’s the quote, ‘the devil is in the detail,’” Hutton said. “Every touch counts, every moment counts. We need to clean that up going into the third game and make sure the technical execution is there, because that’s how we’re going to win games.”

Tullis-Joyce came up with a big save late in the game that could have been another goal for Japan, but unfortunately, her first half was hard to forget as she lacked composure with the ball at her feet. She also gave it away in moments that should have been a simple pass out of pressure moments.

The Manchester United goalkeeper still is in the running for the No. 1 spot on the USWNT; however, a clean sheet and more confidence playing out of the back would have helped her case on Tuesday. Entering the third game, both keepers have given up one goal, so who Hayes chooses for Friday's game will likely be her pick for the current No. 1 keeper.

Tullis-Joyce finished the game with four saves.

Heaps didn't necessarily play much on Tuesday, but her impact, when she subbed in, was needed. The midfielder started in the first game against Japan, and subbed in for Lily Yohannes in the 71st minute in the second match.

Heaps came in and did what the USWNT needed, which was to play a simple two-touch game that helped alleviate the pressure from Japan. Heaps also helped the group adjust when Japan went to five in the back, and found gaps and the switch, which created some late chances for the U.S.

"To be honest, I thought, you know, we controlled the game. We had a lot of possession," Heaps said after the game. "I think it was more like what it was leading to. You have a lot of control, and it's a really good thing, but it's like, all right, with all that control, what can we do? What can we do? What can we exploit with that? Japan is a very good and organized team, and they can beat you in transition at any given moment, so you have to be very careful with that as well."

The U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year had everything lined up for her to have a strong start for the USWNT, however an early sequence of errors made her performance one of the weakest of the night.

There's no doubt that Reale is one of the most defensively sound players on the USWNT roster, and has shown that time and time again, for both her club, Gotham FC and country.

Perhaps it was a matter of not having many minutes under her belt this year for the USWNT that came to the forefront on Tuesday, but her decision making when it came to stepping in the press, and losing her feet in one vs. one battles weren't the caliber the USWNT needed against a very talented Japan side.

Reale earned just her eighth cap for the USWNT and seventh start and apart from the first game of the SheBelieves Cup, hadn't played for the U.S. since 2025 due to Gotham FC commitments and an injury.