Spain forward Salma Paralluelo extended her arms wide like airplane wings Tuesday night, much to the dislike of the U.S. crowd.
asserted
Paralluelo → extend → crowd
Five minutes after its first goal, Paralluelo had doubled Spain’s lead on the U.S. women’s national team.
asserted
Paralluelo → double → team
Alexia Putellas had scored the first goal then recorded the assist on the second.
asserted
Putellas → score → second
It felt like a similar script to the U.S. women’s national team’s 2-0 loss to Spain just three days prior.
asserted
It → feel → Spain
But the Americans showed in the second half that they can, in fact, punch back.
asserted
they → show → fact
Sophia Wilson fed Ashley Sanchez, who tucked the ball past Spain’s goalkeeper and into the far corner.
asserted
who → feed → corner
Then, in the 86th minute, Mallory Swanson scored her first goal with the national team since the 2024 Olympic gold medal game after having a child.
asserted
Swanson → score → child
She ran and jumped into Jaelin Howell’s arms to celebrate.
asserted
She → run → arms
“That’s the U.S.’s DNA,” Howell said after the 2-2 draw.
asserted
Howell → ’ → draw
“It’s just grit and fire and never-say-die mentality, and so I think that’s what you saw from everybody today.
asserted
you → ’ → everybody
And proud of the group, but obviously a lot of work to do, too, and everybody knows that continuous climb together, and it’s important.”
asserted
it → do → climb
For the first time in recent memory, and with the FIFA Women’s World Cup just seven months away, the U.S. isn’t the team to beat.
asserted
U.S. → beat → Cup
That title belongs to reigning World Cup champion Spain, which has bloomed from an up-and-coming federation to a global powerhouse.
asserted
which → belong → powerhouse
This unfamiliar position has forced the U.S. to confront a new reality in which reclaiming the top spot will require measuring itself against the team that holds it.
asserted
that → force → it
A pair of exhibition matches against Spain — a 2-0 loss Saturday in Washington then Tuesday’s draw — offered the U.S. a chance to gauge where it stands, expose its weaknesses and see what it will take to challenge for the world title in Brazil next summer.
asserted
it → offer → Brazil
“They’re world class, we’re still in progress,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said.
asserted
Hayes → ’re → progress
“They’re deserving of being world champions.
asserted
They → ’re → ?
Our job is to hunt that.”
asserted
job → hunt → that
U.S. midfielder Lindsey Heaps said the matches against Spain were an “incredible experience” for the Americans, who are set to begin their World Cup qualification journey at the Concacaf W Championship in November.
asserted
who → say → November
“It was nice to leave on a little bit better note tonight,” Heaps said.
asserted
Heaps → leave → note
“Obviously we’re still disappointed because I think we could get the win tonight, but this is a tough opponent and it’s a difficult team to play against with some quality, quality players.”
uncertain
it → ’re → players
Spain looked like the better team for most of the two friendlies — even without arguably the world’s best player, Aitana Bonmatí, who remains out as she deals with lingering pain in the leg she broke last year.
asserted
she → look → leg
Ex-Gotham FC star Esther González was surprisingly not called up.
asserted
González → call → ?
“Doesn’t matter if they were missing some of their best players, they demonstrated in two games why they’re world champions,” Hayes said.
asserted
Hayes → matter → games
“We have to get to that level.”
asserted
We → have → level
The Americans have finished no lower than third place in eight of the nine World Cup tournaments.
asserted
Americans → finish → tournaments
Spain won the last World Cup while the U.S. suffered its earliest-ever exit in Cup history when it got bounced in the Round of 16.
asserted
it → win → 16
The U.S., ranked No. 2 in the FIFA world rankings, is eager to reclaim the top spot.
asserted
U.S. → rank → spot
“That’s the goal,” Sanchez said.
asserted
Sanchez → ’ → ?
“When you’re on a team like the U.S., I mean, that’s always the standard that we’ve had. …
asserted
we → ’re → that
The goal, it’s always the goal to win.”
asserted
it → ’ → ?
The Aporia
