The Rondo, USWNT edition: How far behind Spain are the Americans? Is Mallory Swanson’s scoring return a sign she’s getting back to her best?

Tom Hindle: Fine? Emma Hayes has spent the last couple of years expanding the player pool, and these two games sort of felt like what happens when you separate the real internationals from the bench squad. The U.S. were good in moments, and coming from behind to snag a draw in the second game is no small feat. But Spain, in terms of quality, are miles ahead.

Celia Balf: I would say a firm OK. The USWNT weren’t completely outplayed, but they also didn’t convince me they are ready for the World Cup, at this moment. I think the second game was noticeably better than the first, but if anything became very clear, it’s just how good Spain is.

Alex Labidou: Disappointing for the most part, but the U.S. showed signs of improvement in the second half on Tuesday. You expect a team of their caliber, especially on home soil, to do better than concede four unanswered goals across two games before finally responding. At the same time, Spain really are that good. But U.S. Soccer pays Emma Hayes to be one of the highest-paid coaches in women’s soccer for a reason: to deliver against teams like this. Against Brazil and Spain - and even Japan for stretches - there have been clear frailties on display, especially defensively and in goal.

TH: Immense, but not entirely insurmountable. Yes, they were missing a few big names and still looked the better side, but a full-strength USWNT would have given them more of a game - especially in the first fixture. Put it this way: Spain look like the world champions. The U.S. looked like a team still figuring itself out - but with plenty of room to grow.

CB: I would say the gap is large, and larger than we can really fathom right now because Spain didn’t even have all their best players out there across the games. They also made several changes at half across both games, which was just a testament to their insane amount of depth.

AL: At times, it looked pretty stark. Outside of the forward positions, the U.S. looked overmatched across the pitch, from goalkeeper to midfield. Some of that comes down to talent, but some of it comes down to Hayes’ approach. She has to adjust to opponents, and right now it feels like she wants to stick with the approach of bombing forward that served her so well at the Olympics. The problem is that was two years ago. That’s a lifetime in soccer. Teams adapt, and she needs to as well.

TH: Mal Swanson, if only because she's steadily showing that there's still a player there. She's basically been away from the top level of the game for two years, but her performance in the 2-2 draw - which included a valuable goal off the bench - put her name back in the conversation.

CB: Michelle Cooper. She not only came into the first game as an outside back, she’s a winger mind you, but also was fundamentally responsible for holding the ball up which led to Ashley Sanchez’ goal. Cooper is versatile, explosive and really puts the super in sub.

AL: It was really encouraging to see Mallory Swanson show signs of returning to the player she was a few years ago. It’s been a tough season for her at club level, playing for the NWSL’s bottom side and scoring just twice in the league. Maybe this gives her the spark she needs for a strong finish to the season. Also, big shouts to Ashley Sanchez, who ended a lengthy international goal drought and helped drive the turnaround that earned the Americans a draw on Tuesday.

TH: Lily Yohannes. She's supposed to be the next great hope of this U.S. midfield, and her declaring that she would indeed represent the USWNT a couple of years back felt like a massive coup. But she struggled a bit here, and the penalty miss in the first game summarized a rough 10 days or so.

CB: Disappointment because there is still no clear answer to who the USWNT’s No. 1 keeper is. Neither Claudia Dickey nor Phallon Tullis-Joyce had impressive showings, and left everyone a little confused as to who the USWNT will and should be going with..I also was disappointed in the midfield performance across the board. Too often the USWNT were trying to be Spain, and they aren’t. They do different things, and they do different things well. But they can’t be trying to play like Spain.

AL: There are several options here, ranging from goalkeeper to defense. Neither Claudia Dickey nor Phallon Tullis-Joyce came out of this window looking like the clear answer in goal. But what concerned me more was the midfield play, especially Lindsey Heaps, who was kept extremely quiet across both games. Heaps is one of the best players in the world at her position, but Spain were able to counter just about everything she tried. Hayes will need more from the Summit star if the U.S. are going to truly contend in Brazil.

TH: Nope, but this was a really valuable wake up call that gives Hayes plenty to work with. The SheBelieves Cup and friendlies with Japan can only teach you so much (even if one of those ended in defeat). Spain are the cream of the crop, and the U.S. now have a decent picture of where they're at. A tie and a loss to the world champs, eight months before a World Cup? There are worse outcomes - especially for a side that has a lot to give.

CB: I wouldn’t say worried, but a little bit more perspective around just how much needs to be fine-tuned and figured out come tournament time. While this game format allowed the U.S. to play Spain twice, without any consequences, a World Cup has the consequences of getting booted.

AL: Yes, alarm bells should be ringing. Listen, Spain are very good, but the reality is so are the U.S. There were stretches when Spain looked like they were toying with the Americans. More concerningly, through the first three halves, the home side didn’t seem to have many answers. The second-half response on Tuesday was encouraging, but to win the World Cup, the U.S. will have to do a better job of imposing their will. Against Spain and Brazil, that hasn’t happened consistently enough.