‘Game on’ - USWNT face Japan in series decider: Five keys to the finale

It’s a unique challenge to face the same opponent three times in a row, even with rotation across lineups. Historically, Japan has beaten the U.S. just three times in 43 meetings - though two of those wins have come in the past 14 months under Emma Hayes.

Before the series, Hayes said she planned to use two different groups across the three matches. After splitting the first two, the expectation is a return to the side that opened the series.

Hayes pointed to progress, even in defeat.

“In terms of measuring progress, I go back to playing Japan last year with a largely inexperienced group,” she said after Tuesday’s match. “I think we dominated a lot of really good things without having the secret sauce. Game on for the third game.”

Hayes swapped all 11 players from the first game to the second game, and on Friday, the group will look much more like the first team that played at PayPal Stadium. Hayes went with experience in the first lineup, with Lindsey Heaps, Sam Coffey and Rose Lavelle in the midfield to then a very young midfield in 20-year-old Claire Hutton, 20-year-old Olivia Moultrie and 18-year-old Lily Yohannes in the second game. Heaps did enter the game in the second half against Japan on Tuesday, adding much-needed leadership between lines.

After the first meeting against Japan, Hayes said, "We have to prepare ourselves for qualifying. We don't have a lot of windows left, so we need to get some of these players playing back together again. I think it's important. And then the second part is, I want to play, I want to see a different side to us in the second game, with a less experienced group, and see the progress that we have made in the last 12 months."

Following the 1-0 loss on Tuesday, Hayes compared the situation to trying to cook a Michelin-star recipe, without the secret sauce, just yet. "I think we've got players that have some of the recipe and they're trying to imply it in their entirety, but it's a work in progress, and I think if I play solely to win, we maybe don't change a lot in these games, we play the vast majority of seniors...but that's not where I'm at, and I don't regret those decisions."

The USWNT dominated the match with 67 percent possession on Tuesday night, but struggled to execute in the final third.

All of the pieces are there, though, from Jaedyn Shaw's post-up game, Ally Sentnor's positioning and work rate defensively, and the pace and service of players like Emma Sears, Rodman, and Wilson.

In the first game against Japan, the USWNT scored off of a free kick and then built up a sequence that fell into the feet of Heaps just above the 18-yard box. Friday's test will be about Alyssa Thompson finishing her chances in the box, Lavelle continuing to finish like she does, and of course, a true test for fringe players like Michelle Cooper and Jameese Joseph to step up.

"Some of that stuff was better, but at the highest level, you've got to be decisive in the boxes," Hayes said in the post-game press conference about learnings from the second meeting against Japan.

She continued, "I always think [about] the final third in football, that's where connections really matter, and it's still very early on for us with that. So it looks a little clunky to me."

Sophia Wilson and Trinity Rodman started up front for the USWNT in the first match against Japan, and got subbed into the game on Tuesday. The two members of 'Triple Espresso' really haven't played much together since the 2024 Paris Olympics where they famously named themselves 'Triple Espresso' alongside fellow USWNT forward Mallory Swanson.

Wilson had a baby this past year and Rodman has been building her way back to top form after dealing with injuries and setbacks thrown her way. After Tuesday's game, Hayes spoke to the media about the progress of the two players.

"It takes months to build momentum with form and Soph and Trin in the last two games; they've played together 90 minutes in the last 18 months, but I have to start somewhere with doing that," Hayes said. "But I also cannot play them in all three games, because their bodies are still early on in their season. So I think they're both students. They both want to keep growing, and I'm sure there'll be, you know, roaring to go come our next fixture."

Rodman and Wilson will likely have managed minutes in the final match, although it wouldn't be surprising to see them in the starting lineup, at least Rodman, given her timeline.

It wasn't a surprise that we've seen Claudia Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce split the two games in goal. What will be surprising next, is who Hayes leans on in the final match against Japan on Friday.

Most signs are pointing to Dickey, even with both keepers conceding a goal in their performances. Dickey has shown more composure in net, and has also a bit more experience than Tullis-Joyce. Tullis-Joyce's performance against Japan was disasterous in the first half, and a bit uncharacteristic out of a keeper that entered the game with two clean sheets in the two matches she played for the USWNT in 2026.

“At the highest level, you’ve got to be decisive in the boxes. So, giving up a pretty poor goal, but not creating enough down the other end,” Hayes said in the post-game press conference.

Should Dickey earn the start, the sign will be pretty clear who the No. 1 keeper is at the moment. Dickey is good with the ball at her feet, which helps the team transition out of the back and maintain possession; a massive trait of the USWNT. In the first game against Japan, Dickey finished the match with five saves, including a big stop in the 79th minute to keep Japan from equalizing.