A productive USWNT loss. Plus: 3 big women’s soccer questions
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While these U.S.-Brazil friendlies have us excited for the Women’s World Cup, it’s still a year away. In the meantime, we are getting our international soccer thirst quenched with The Athletic’s coverage of the men’s World Cup, which kicks off Thursday.
In case you need a crash course, like us, read our writers’ 2026 World Cup predictions followed by Jerry Brewer’s thoughtful piece about who this tournament is actually for.
Now, in today’s Full Time:
🇺🇸 USWNT’s test
3️⃣ Big questions
🏆 2027 World Cup taking shape
Let’s start with …
USWNT vs. Brazil: A ‘mock test’ for the U.S.
As familiar as the U.S. and Brazil’s women’s national teams are with each other, historically and recently, their first meeting of 2026 at the Neo Química Arena in São Paulo on Saturday still exposed new sides of both teams. (That’s part of the reason why I believe it’s among the greatest rivalries in global women’s football, but I’ll save that for a future column.)
Not only did the USWNT lose to the 2027 World Cup hosts in a 2-1 battle, but it did so in an extraordinary atmosphere filled with more than 33,300 Brazilian supporters, who have the beautiful game deeply embedded in their DNA. Their full-throated cheers for Brazil and heckles for the U.S. boomed through the television screen, and the impact that had on the USWNT was equally as apparent.
More than just playing, learning how to perform in that hostile environment has arguably been the best developmental experience for the U.S. since Hayes began shaping up the under-23 squad.
Applying the “mock test” Hayes described in Saturday’s post-match news conference, I’m grading the U.S. a B-. The full report:
Wilson scores again
Sophia Wilson needed just two minutes into Saturday’s match to score her first goal with the USWNT since becoming a mother. It was a well-worked sequence that began with Trinity Rodman’s pressure in midfield, forcing Brazil to cough up the ball. Wilson picked it up from there, attacking the space in front of her before showcasing again the unlocked skill of her left-footed shot at the top of the penalty box’s arc.
Had the match ended differently, the narrative around Wilson’s goal would surely be different. Brazil equalized nine minutes later and took the lead three minutes after that, but we cannot underestimate the importance of Wilson returning to her scoring ways for the U.S.
Reintroducing Dudinha
San Diego Wave fans have long known how special a player Dudinha is. The same goes for any NWSL fan whose team has been victimized by the 20-year-old’s attacking exploits since the Wave signed her last July. Despite missing half the NWSL season, Dudinha made swift and seismic contributions to the Wave last year, scoring five goals in 11 matches. She’s grown her toolkit this season by adding assists to her game and leads the top-ranked Wave with four, to go along with five goals.
“I think she’s got all the qualities to be one of the very best,” Hayes said of Dudinha, and that much was clear Saturday night. Her winning assist to Bia Zaneratto was only one indicator of the multi-pronged threat Dudinha poses; she’s just as effective playing centrally as out wide, with the ball at her feet or running into space. Without the steadying forces of Naomi Girma or Sam Coffey, the USWNT defense struggled to contain her.
What’s next?
The impulse to worry about a USWNT loss is basically football canon, but this is invaluable experience for the squad — both the senior team and the under-23s, who are also training and competing in Brazil right now.
Fortaleza promises to bring a similar electric crowd tomorrow night. Hayes has been tight-lipped about any changes to her starting XI in the second leg, but given her commitment to exposure and development, it feels right to expect a fair amount of rotation. This could be the last dress rehearsal of its kind before the World Cup begins next summer.
📺 Watch: Tomorrow’s friendly is at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT and Telemundo. The match will also stream on HBO Max in English and Universo and Peacock in Spanish.
That’s all from me, Tamerra. Now over to Meg.
Meg’s Corner: I’m back … with questions
What a perfectly wild time to return! Thanks to the NWSL for going on break the weekend before my first day back from parental leave, because it’s giving me plenty of time to catch up on everything that transpired for the first chunk of the season, but it was right back to business on the international side of things.
Re-entering the world of women’s soccer for real, I’ve got three big questions of my own looking ahead to the second half of the year, all on different topics:
1. Will the USWNT be ready for 2027? The Americans went to Brazil for the exact experience they got in that 2-1 loss on Saturday, and Hayes doesn’t have her preferred starting XI at the moment. Will that match serve as the exact lesson the team needed?
2. All eyes are now on the Spirit to lift a NWSL Championship trophy at home at Audi Field this fall, after two years of coming up short in the final. Can they make it a third consecutive time — and finally change their luck?
3. What’s the future of the USL Super League? Lexington SC lifted their first trophy in a fun final, but between the shuttering of Spokane Zephyr and the news that the league will flip their calendar to match the NWSL, there are still existential questions to answer for the other Division I league here in the U.S.
LISTEN: If you missed last week’s “Full Time” episode, Meg had some fun grilling Tamerra and Jillian Sakovits on NWSL narratives. See what they are buying and selling this season.
World Cup Qualifying
Who has made it to 2027?
The road to Brazil remains a long one, but for three teams, that journey just got a lot clearer.
Over the weekend, Germany, Argentina and Colombia joined the growing list of teams that have qualified for next summer’s World Cup. The trio joins hosts Brazil and seven AFC and OFC nations who have already punched their tickets, including Australia, China PR, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Philippines and New Zealand.
World Cup winners Germany became the first European nation to qualify for the tournament after topping Norway 2-0 on Friday, with three UEFA spots still on the line come tomorrow, when this current window closes. (Coverage is split across CBS platforms, including streaming on Paramount+.)
Meanwhile, Colombia and Argentina topped the CONMEBOL Women’s Nations League to receive automatic berths, with the remaining teams still fighting for the final two slots that qualify them for the 10-team intercontinental playoffs later this year. (Coverage is available on Fox; find the schedule here.)
What’s next?
World Cup qualifiers for European teams continue in the fall, in addition to those CONMEBOL intercontinental playoffs. Meanwhile, Concacaf nations will qualify through the confederation’s W Champions starting in November, while CAF qualifying kicks off with the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in July.
First Looks
Big plans: Gotham FC doubled down on continuity and promoted Yael Averbuch West to president of soccer operations. Averbuch West joined the club in 2021 as general manager and constructed two NWSL Championship rosters (2023, 2025). She will take on a larger role now as the team looks to its next steps, focused on infrastructure. The team hopes to move into its own training facility soon and could possibly move out of New Jersey into NYCFC’s new stadium in Queens, coming in 2028.
Strong feelings: Few transfers in women’s soccer have generated as much backlash (or shall we say buzz?) as Katie McCabe’s move from Arsenal to rivals Chelsea, highlighting both her star power and the growing intensity of fandom in the Women’s Super League. Katie Whyatt explores the new ground for WSL fans.
Now or never: The NWSL Championship is coming to Audi Field, and for Michele Kang, Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit, the opportunity to lift a title on home turf may never be better.
Devastating data: The scars of abuse in sport can last a lifetime. New data highlights the alarming prevalence of sexual, physical and psychological maltreatment among female athletes and the lasting impact it has on careers and well-being.
Manifesting: In an exclusive interview with the “Full Time” podcast, midfielder Croix Bethune reflected on her record-setting move from the Spirit to the Kansas City Current and her USWNT ambitions. What is she manifesting? Midfielder of the year, breaking the assist record (again) and an NWSL Championship trophy lifted in a venue she knows well.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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