The USWNT’s loss to Spain brings some extra spice to their rematch in Chester

The stars of women’s soccer will once again be out on Tuesday night at Subaru Park, and the world of the sport will once again be watching.

But this time, there will be an extra layer on top of the ones that were built in the first U.S.-Spain game on Saturday.

The sense bubbled up as the U.S. pressed for goals, only to be denied by a narrow offside and a failed penalty kick. By the end of the game, it was clearly there. Each shot brought a rise of anticipation from the crowd, each tackle brought an uproar, and the referee’s whistle brought a shower of boos.

In those moments, you can tell a World Cup is coming not just by who the U.S. is playing, but also by how the most demanding fan base in the women’s soccer world reacts.

Is it too cliché to say that atmosphere makes this rematch especially well-suited for Philadelphia fans?

This much is certain: The U.S. team very much wants to win this game, not just play as well stylistically as it did amid Saturday’s 2-0 final score.

“You play the same opponent twice, and there’s things within that you can do a bit better, and I think our team has a really good habit of bringing those things into the second game,” U.S. manager Emma Hayes said before her team’s practice Monday afternoon at Subaru Park. “But we have to do them. You can get away with things against weaker opposition, you just can’t with [Spain].”

» READ MORE: Spain serves the USWNT a wake-up call with a two-goal defeat to open the first of two friendlies

The failure to find the net despite a 10-3 advantage in shots on target remains a talking point. So does the collection of moments where the U.S. could have shot even more, but chose to not.

“You can create a million chances — if you don’t make the right decision and you don’t execute it properly, it’s irrelevant,” Hayes said. “For us, it was how many of those situations did we make the right decision and execute properly, whether that’s with the type of cross or the type of finish? And in reality it was just five times out of about 16. It’s not high enough.”

Forward Sophia Wilson, who was caught on that offside play, took the lead in addressing that from the players’ side.

“I think especially as forwards, you have to have a little selfishness,” she said. “If no one shoots up top, I don’t know who else is going to shoot. So I think we do need a little bit more of that.”

» READ MORE: USWNT star Sophia Wilson has made it look easy since returning from pregnancy. But that doesn’t mean it is.

There are in others, to be fair, and Wilson knows that: in particular midfielders Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Heaps, each of whom flubbed big chances on Saturday.

If a little more time on the practice field would help, it isn’t coming. Monday’s session was the only one between the two games, as this month’s gathering goes by quickly. Next month’s will be longer, as it includes Concacaf’s continental championship — doubling as the region’s 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics qualifying tournament.

“The downside of this team is we don’t have a lot of time together, so those relationships take a bit of time to build,” Wilson said. “But I think with the players that we have here, we have enough of it to be able to combine and create chances, and I think it’s just about finishing those chances. I think we didn’t lack chances last game, we just didn’t finish.”

Hayes compared this moment to one the U.S. faced during its June trip to Brazil. The Americans lost the first game 2-1, then won the second 1-0.

» READ MORE: The USWNT-Spain series coming to Chester is as big for the players as it is for the women’s soccer world

“Sometimes we think, ‘God, everything must look a certain way, it’s got to look completely perfect,’ and actually, it’s quite clunky, that first game,” she said. “I’m expecting it to be a little bit better for us. … I think my big request to the team is, start earlier. Start earlier with the things that really matter. And that’s what I’ll be encouraging us to do tomorrow. "

You can also be sure that Spain will be ready.

“There are no such things as friendly matches for these two teams. We both come to games to win,” Spain manager Sonia Bermúdez said. “We want to try things out, but we also place the right value on the game itself. We intend to go out and win, just as they do, so I expect a much tougher game tomorrow.”

» READ MORE: Both teams are missing some major players due to injuries

Defender Oihane Hernández, who plays her club soccer for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride — the only NWSL player on this Spain squad — echoed that last part in particular.

“I honestly expect a really more physical game,” said. “I think they’re going to be more aggressive. But we’re able to beat them. We’re able to be as physical as they are. So I think we’re going to do a good job.”