FootyPop: USWNT Struggles Against Spain

In this week’s women’s soccer news, the USWNT struggled against Spain; there was quite a bit of NWSL injury news; U.S. Soccer announced a new club tournament; and more!

High of the Week

There was a lot of concern from the USWNT friendlies against Spain, but two bright spots were Ashley Sanchez and Mallory Swanson finding the back of the net. In Sanchez’s first return to the USWNT since 2024, she played really well. Then, in the second match against Spain she scored a great goal that showed off her ball skills and was perfectly placed. It was her first goal for the national team since 2022. The way that Sanchez has been playing with the North Carolina Courage and then in the last two games with the USWNT, she certainly looks like a player that Emma Hayes has to take to the 2027 World Cup.

During the loss to Spain in the first meeting, Mallory Swanson made her return to the field for the first time in two years. In the 86th minute of the second meeting, she scored the equalizer to help the USWNT avoid two straight defeats. It was her 39th goal for the USWNT, and it was great to see her pick up right where she left off.

Low of the Week

This week there was unfortunately quite a bit of injury news. The first news came from Boston Legacy when they announced that their starting goalkeeper Casey Murphy would miss the remainder of the season. She suffered a partially torn PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) during their 4-2 win over the Portland Thorns on October 3. The PCL is located in the knee and is the ligament that connects the femur to the tibia. This season, Murphy has played in 25 games and made 83 saves. Luckily for Murphy and the Legacy with this being a partial tear, it’s highly likely that she’ll be healthy and ready to go for the start of the 2027 season.

Gotham FC was dealt a massive blow of injury news when they lost both rookie Jordynn Dudley and Bruninha to season-ending injuries. The club announced that Dudley suffered a fractured foot during a training session. In her first year, Dudley has made quite the impact for Gotham, appearing in 25 games, scoring four goals, and tallying three assists. Bruninha suffered a torn ACL while away on international duty with Brazil. The defender has been with Gotham since 2022, and this season she has made 15 appearances for the club.

It’s unfortunate news for both these players and Gotham as they prepare for the playoffs and defend their NWSL Championship. Right now Gotham is in first place with 55 points and three regular season games to go.

The Seattle Reign also announced that forward Maddie Dahlien will be out for the rest of the season. She suffered an ACL tear while with the USWNT U23s. Dahlien had been playing really well for the Reign. This season, she made 25 appearances, scored three goals, and four assists.

News of the Week

This week U.S. Soccer announced the creation of the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup. The tournament was created to bring clubs from around the country together in one tournament to crown a winner. The first edition of the tournament will feature all teams from the NWSL and Gainbridge Super League facing off against each other in a single elimination format. The winners will receive a prize fund of $1.1 million dollars and qualification to the Concacaf W Champions Cup. The timing of the tournament is still being discussed in order to think about player safety and to avoid conflicts with league schedules.

It’s a neat concept to see teams from both top leagues face off against each other and earn bragging rights on top of the prizes. It will be interesting to see how U.S. Soccer is able to schedule and plan the tournament, but there’s potential for this to be quite the event.

Fail of the Week

The USWNT faced off against Spain twice this week, and they were unable to get a win. They didn’t play well, and it was exploited by a very good Spain side. The first of the two games ended with the USWNT being shutout and losing 2-0. They gave up two early goals in the first 15 minutes. Neither team played great in this match, but there is concern with how this USWNT played with World Cup qualifiers on the horizon. The team lacked chemistry, and they were just unable to get anything going.

The lack of Sam Coffey in the midfield was extremely evident in this game, and it showed how important she is to this team.

In the second game, the U.S. looked a little better but still not great. Once again, they conceded two goals in the first half and were down 2-0. In this game, though, they were able to come up with an answer. They got a quick goal at the start of the second half thanks to Ashley Sanchez in the 49th minute. In the 86th minute, Mallory Swanson was able to find the equalizer and save the USWNT from two straight losses.

Since getting the head coach job, Emma Hayes has worked hard to expand the USWNT player pool, which was much needed. With that said, it does play a part in making it difficult for this team to create that chemistry on the field. While these two friendlies did raise some alarms, the panic button doesn’t need to be hit. Spain is a very good team, and the test of playing against them is huge as this team prepares for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

The next time the USWNT takes the field, it’ll be at the CONCACAF W Championship, which starts on November 27.

Game of the Week

Angel City and Denver faced off in a must win game for Denver, who is fighting for playoff positioning. It was a well-fought game from both clubs, but ultimately Angel City got all three points.

The game started with Melissa Kössler getting the scoring underway just two minutes into the game. In the 18th minute, Lindsey Heaps found the back of the net to double Denver’s lead. Angel City kept fighting, and in the 32nd minute they found their breakthrough thanks to Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir. Just seven minutes later, Angel City would find the equalizer off of Taylor Suarez. The scoring didn’t stop there; in the 43rd minute, Ally Sentnor found what ended up being the game winner.

After five goals in the first half, neither team was able to score in the second half. Denver desperately needed to get points out of this game as they try to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. For Angel City, the win takes them into fifth place.

Goal of the Week

Ally Sentnor’s game-winner for Angel City was a thing of beauty. Sentnor got the ball at the top of the box and was able to cut in to center herself and send a rocket soaring into the back of the net. She was able to get enough on the ball to place it where the goalkeeper has no chance to save it.

Win of the Week

The San Diego Wave got a really good win over the North Carolina Courage that secured them a top four finish and a home playoff game with two regular season games left to go. Melanie Barcenas got the Wave a lead early with a goal in the fourth minute. That was the lone goal in the first half, but just seven minutes into the start of the second half, Trinity Byars doubled their lead. North Carolina did get a goal back in the 83rd minute, but the Wave were able to secure the three points. With two games left, the Wave are just one point out of first place with a real shot at taking the Shield.

Return of the Week

Julie Dufour made her return to the field for the Portland Thorns 392 days after suffering an ACL tear. The forward is in her second season in the NWSL. She started off with Angel City ahead of the 2025 season before she was traded to the Thorns in August 2025. Before suffering the injury, she scored two goals in five appearances for Portland.