{"id":4515,"date":"2026-10-11T20:48:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T20:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/?p=4515"},"modified":"2026-10-11T20:51:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T20:51:47","slug":"spain-strikes-early-to-defeat-uswnt-2-0-at-audi-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/?p=4515","title":{"rendered":"Spain Strikes Early to Defeat USWNT 2-0 at Audi Field"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Story & Photos by Shawn Payne<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 10, 2026 | Audi Field, Washington, D.C.<\/strong>
International Friendly | USA 0\u20132 Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 The U.S. Women\u2019s National Team returned to Audi Field on Saturday afternoon for a highly anticipated international friendly against reigning FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup champion Spain, bringing together two of the world\u2019s top-ranked women\u2019s soccer nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The matchup featured the defending Olympic gold medalists against the world\u2019s No. 1-ranked team, providing an important test for the Americans as they continue preparations for the 2027 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"USWNT
USWNT fans as they prepare for the game against Spain at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
USWNT fans as they prepare for the game against Spain at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
USWNT fans as they prepare for the game against Spain at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Playing before a sold-out crowd of 19,220, Spain wasted little time establishing control of the scoreboard. Patricia Guijarro opened the scoring in the third minute with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area, giving the visitors an early advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spain doubled its lead in the 14th minute when Eva Navarro connected with a cross from Salma Paralluelo, sending a first-time finish past U.S. goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"USWNT
Spains second goal against the USWNT played at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
Spains opening goal playing against the USWNT at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
Spain celebrate their second goal against the USWNT played Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite falling behind 2-0, the Americans responded with sustained attacking pressure. Sophia Wilson came close to scoring twice before halftime, including a powerful effort that Spain goalkeeper Adriana Nanclares tipped onto the crossbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States continued pressing after the break. Wilson briefly appeared to have pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute, but the finish was disallowed following a video review for offside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another opportunity arrived in the second half when the Americans were awarded a penalty. Lily Yohannes stepped forward, but Nanclares made the save to preserve Spain\u2019s two-goal advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"USWNT
The USWNT attacking their opponents goal in their game against Spain played at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
The USWNT continues on the attack looking for their opening goal against the defending World Cup champions Spain at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
Heated conversation between the USWNT captain and the referee at their game against Spain played at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The match grew increasingly physical in the closing stages, with Spain\u2019s Athenea del Castillo receiving a red card in stoppage time following an incident involving Michelle Cooper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the United States finished with 13 shots, including 10 on target, Spain\u2019s early finishing and defensive resilience proved decisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday\u2019s match also marked the return of Mallory Swanson to international competition after 710 days away from the national team, adding another significant moment to an afternoon featuring some of the biggest names in women\u2019s soccer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"USWNT
Spain attacks thru the midfield in their game against the USWNT played at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
Continued attacks from the USWNT as they played against Spain at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"USWNT
Airborne battle for supremacy as the USWNT took on Spain at Audi Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The two nations will meet again Tuesday, October 13, at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, giving the Americans an immediate opportunity to respond against the defending world champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Score: USA 0 \u2013 Spain 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goals:<\/strong> Patricia Guijarro (3\u2019), Eva Navarro (14\u2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Game Highlights \u2014 USA 0\u20132 Spain | October 10, 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story & Photos by Shawn Payne October 10, 2026 | Audi Field, Washington, D.C.International Friendly | USA 0\u20132 Spain WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 The U.S. Women\u2019s National Team returned to Audi Field on Saturday afternoon for a highly anticipated international friendly against reigning FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup champion Spain, bringing together two of the world\u2019s top-ranked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[28,21,50,97,96],"class_list":["post-4515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-friendly","tag-audi-stadium","tag-international-friendly","tag-soccer","tag-spain","tag-uswnt"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4515"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4519,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4515\/revisions\/4519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takethespacemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}