4 Things to Know USA vs Italy
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Three days after defeating Euro semifinalists, Italy 3-0 on Friday, the U.S. women’s national team are back in action. After a year focused on building the player pool and establishing new talent while leaning on the vets, the USWNT will close out the year of competition against Italy for the second. This time, the two sides will meet at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Here’s your SoccerGirl guide to gameday, and the fast four things to know.
1. Hayes’ 30th game as head coach
Not a small feat, and as the 10th U.S. women’s national team head coach in history, she’s made it clear she’s here to stay – and win. Her overall record to date is 24-3-2.
After defeating Italy in the opening of two games, Hayes told the media that starting on the front foot and fast is good, but “my goal is always to create successive, competitive teams. Not just one (team) and then you have to rebuild again over another four-year period. This is how I know to build teams.” Since Hayes took over as head coach ahead of the 2024 Olympics, she has debuted 27 total players; a testament to her investment and belief in the depth and growth of this program.
2. #7 for Macario
The Chelsea forward is the leading goalscorer this year for the USWNT, with 7 goals after scoring a brace against Italy on Friday. In total, she has 15 goals in 28 international appearances.
3. Depth
The roster has depth – in just about every position. Chances are high that Hayes goes for a younger starting IX on Monday, after going the experienced route on Friday to open up the matches against Italy. In matches when at least one player debuted under Hayes, the U.S. is 17-0-1. In this summer’s FIFA window, Hayes gave five players their first caps: Claudia Dickey, defenders Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale and Izzy Rodriguez and midfielder Sam Meza. This camp, all but Meza are featured on the roster in addition to first-time call-ups forward Jameese Joseph and goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz.
The 27 players who have earned their first caps under Hayes are: Sam Staab, Lily Yohannes, Croix Bethune, Yazmeen Ryan, Hal Hershfelt, Emily Sams, Emma Sears, Mandy McGlynn, Alyssa Malonson, Eva Gaetino, Ally Sentnor, Tara McKeown, Michelle Cooper, Gisele Thompson, Claire Hutton, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Avery Patterson, Lo'eau LaBonta, Kerry Abello, Claudia Dickey, Lilly Reale, Jordyn Bugg, Sam Meza, Izzy Rodriguez, Kennedy Wesley, Jameese Joseph and Kate Wiesner.
4. A historic match-up
It’s been 15 years and counting for the match-up between Italy and USA. Of the 16 games that the two countries have played, seven of those occurred before the 20th century. Italy was the USWNT’s first-ever international opponent and they met in 1985 where the Italians were victorious 1-0. Since then, the USA and Italy have met only 15 times over the past 40 years before this window. The U.S. leads the overall record between the two teams 11-4-1.
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