United States women's national team coach Emma Hayes praised the "fearlessness" of her second-half substitutes after the U.S. rallied from a two-goal halftime deficit to draw 2-2 with World Cup champions Spain at Subaru Park on Tuesday.
Hayes made five changes around the 60th minute and another three with 10 minutes left. Forward Ashley Sanchez scored just after halftime, and Mallory Swanson -- who came off the bench in the first wave of substitutions -- struck the equalizer in the 86th minute. Swanson had not scored for the United States since her gold-medal-winning strike at the Olympics in August 2024.
"They were fearless," Hayes said. "Sometimes it's easier when you're coming into a game like that. Job's really clear and you've got nothing to lose. I really admired the fearlessness of the performance of the second half."
Defender Kate Del Fava and midfielder Pietra Tordin made their U.S. debuts in the 80th minute. Del Fava played the long ball to Michelle Cooper that led to Swanson's goal. Hayes shifted to a 3-5-2 formation in the second half, with Cooper and Alyssa Thompson coming on as wingbacks.
Spain's Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo scored five minutes apart around the half-hour mark. The U.S. goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Johnson mishit a clearance leading to Spain's second goal. Despite the early deficit, the U.S. substitutes changed the game's momentum, with Hayes noting they could have won it at the end.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing