Emma Hayes’ USWNT vision for 2027 World Cup is becoming clear

The United States women’s national team’s 1-0 victory over Canada on Wednesday was not as dominant of a display as eight months ago, when the Americans ran their northern neighbors off the pitch in Washington, D.C. It was, however, an equally important benchmark for the Americans as they turn the corner toward the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Experimentation and inexperience have been the operative words for the USWNT over the past year as coach Emma Hayes trotted out new players — 32 debuts awarded in her first 32 games in charge heading into this tournament. But Wednesday, and this SheBelieves Cup, have been about refinement — about depth and maturity developing before the world’s eyes.

“It was one of my favorite performances, because they’re growing up,” Hayes said of her team after Wednesday’s victory.

Forward Ally Sentnor scored the game’s lone goal 10 minutes into the second half on Wednesday, taking advantage of her start in the wide-open battle for the USWNT’s No. 9 role. She now has three goals in four games this calendar year.

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Sentnor was one of the USWNT’s starters with the most to prove on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, as Hayes aims to figure out who she can rely on as the 2027 World Cup creeps closer. She earned Hayes’ praise after the game for a wise performance.

Sentnor nearly scored in the first half on a corner kick setup identical to the one that led to her goal. She also led the USWNT’s waves of successful high pressure that forced mistakes from Canada, and that pressure led to Sentnor creating a one-on-one opportunity moments before halftime.

She missed that shot at the near post, but Hayes noted the forward’s resolve in forgetting about the mistake and burying her goal shortly after halftime.

Gisele Thompson also started at fullback for the USWNT and was asked to frequently join the attack in another major cap early in the 20-year-old’s career. Thompson went the full 90 minutes for the second time in four days, which Hayes said was intentional because she told Thompson that she needs to be more durable to play regularly for the USWNT.

Thompson and Sentnor were two of four changes from the U.S. lineup that beat Canada 3-0 last July. Wednesday’s USWNT was imperfect, especially in the first half when the Americans looked disconnected in the final third and failed to capitalize on the pressure that they successfully applied high up the field. There were errors in the back early on that allowed Canada to briefly build confidence.

There was a mature undertone to the USWNT’s win on Wednesday, however. Canada’s struggles to create opportunities aside, the USWNT had the mark of a team on a journey from what has felt like open tryouts to a more established group that is finding the best version of itself in a tournament setting.

Hayes offered a peek into this vision the day before the game when she gushed about the progress of Emma Sears.

Sears was a second-round pick in the 2024 NWSL draft by Racing Louisville FC who wasn’t on many radars to be a breakout professional, let alone international.

It was around the time of that Canada game last year that Hayes spoke about the progress that she needed to see from Sears. Ahead of Wednesday’s rematch against Canada, Hayes said she just told Sears this week that if the World Cup started today, she would be one of the first players off the bench.

Sears entered Wednesday’s match in the 69th minute and almost immediately progressed the ball from penalty box to penalty box to earn a corner kick. The question for Sears and several teammates is now less about whether they will make the roster and more about how much and in which scenarios they will play.

Sears, for example, now has 16 caps for the USWNT; Sentnor has 17 caps.

They, along with the likes of budding midfielder Claire Hutton — who started again on Wednesday, as she did against Canada in July — blended in well with the established players such as midfielders Sam Coffey and Rose Lavelle and defender Naomi Girma. Alyssa Thompson, one of the in-betweeners who isn’t new but isn’t a veteran, continued to be dynamic and dangerous on the wing.

Just like last July, Lavelle was electric in the middle of the park on Wednesday. She was such a menacing force that Canada coach Casey Stoney admitted Lavelle was the reason that Canada needed to change its shape to two holding midfielders.

Lavelle, whose international breakout came in the SheBelieves Cup nearly a decade ago, is now the 30-year-old veteran in the squad. She has had her best (and healthiest) year in recent memory since returning from ankle surgery last spring.

“Everybody respects Rose for so many reasons, and I love that she is leaning into being this [leader] too, because the team needs it,” Hayes said. “If you think about the players from Ally Sentnor to Gisele — even Alyssa, Claire Hutton — they are really progressing, their maturity is developing because of players like Rose ensuring that they feel the high challenge of the environment, but most importantly the high challenge of veteran leadership.”

Hayes might have rolled out her best available lineup on Wednesday, give or take a player. It was a mix of newly minted veterans and young players who are mostly now trying to prove that they can handle games like this — tournament soccer on short rest against a solid opponent.

The Americans comfortably saw out the 1-0 victory with no signs of panic or fatigue in sight. That resolve, as much as the victory or any set piece success, will have Hayes smiling her way to New Jersey for Saturday’s SheBelieves Cup finale against Colombia. It will also bring her one step closer to a clearer vision of what next year’s World Cup team might look like.