Laken Litman
College Football & Soccer Analyst
Trinity Rodman and captain Lindsey Heaps scored quality goals and the U.S. women’s national team beat Brazil 2-0 in the first of a pair of friendlies on Saturday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.
The USWNT started strong, with Rodman’s goal coming five minutes into the match; Heaps extended the lead when she converted from the spot in the 66th minute. The Americans matched the physicality of Brazil, who hoped to avenge their loss the last time these sides met in the Paris Olympics gold medal match. The U.S. won that final, 1-0.
U.S. coach Emma Hayes said ahead of this game that the April window would feature a lot of experimentation with lineups and player combinations as she works to give younger players more exposures. The starting lineup included a mix of young and veteran players, with Ally Sentnor and Tara McKeown each getting their respective third starts.
There were two debuts, with Hayes starting Phallon Tullis-Joyce in goal and subbing defender Avery Patterson on late. That brings the number to 17 players who have earned their first caps under Hayes.
Here are the takeaways from the match.
Play of the game
It took all of five minutes for Rodman to score in her first game back for the USWNT since last summer’s Olympics.
Alyssa Thompson collected the ball just past midfield and looked like she was going to feed Heaps on the left wing. Instead, the 20-year-old cut inside, beat her man one-on-one, and slipped a perfectly weighted ball into the box for Rodman, who scored with the outside of her right foot.
The last goal Rodman scored for the U.S. was the winning one in a dramatic Olympic quarterfinal match against Japan. After taking several months off from international duty — mostly to get some rest following a busy 2023-24 and recover from a back injury — Rodman is back like she never left.
Thompson’s assist was an example of what Hayes said Friday while discussing the Angel City forward’s development and how far she’s come in the past six months. Hayes described her as a one-on-one specialist, and that the staff have been working with her on honing those skills and getting into the best positions to win battles. The hard work was clear early and often against Brazil as she continued to find the ball in space and create opportunities. She nearly had a goal of her own late in the second half, but was pulled down by a defender, forcing her volley to fly over the crossbar.
Turning point
Only moments after being substituted into the game in the second half, 17-year-old Lily Yohannes was fouled in the box by Ludmila, drawing a penalty.
Heaps took the PK, powering her shot past Lorena to double the USWNT’s lead.
After Heaps converted from the spot, the broadcast noted that the U.S. captain spent time after Friday’s training session working specifically on her PKs, with most going into that left corner.
Key stat
Tullis-Joyce had a clean sheet in her first cap as the USWNT’s starting goalkeeper.
The 28-year-old was invited into her first national team camp at the end of 2024 ahead of matches against England and the Netherlands, and was called up as a training player during February’s SheBelieves Cup. Hayes has been complimentary of the goalkeeper, while adding she still needs to work on her feet and be more vocal within the group.
Tullis-Joyce has started every match for Manchester United this season and has posted 12 clean sheets. Oftentimes in USWNT friendlies, goalkeepers don’t get too much action. But Tullis-Joyce had an opportunity to show what she could do in a fast-paced and aggressive match. Brazil was dangerous on several occasions, forcing Tullis-Joyce to be commanding in the box and make some big saves. One of her best came in the 52nd minute when Brazil’s Gio got in behind and got a shot off, only to be saved by Tullis-Joyce.
With the USWNT’s goalkeeper competition still very much wide open, this was an important performance for an inexperienced Tullis-Joyce.
What’s next for the USWNT?
The U.S. and Brazil will play the second match of this doubleheader on Tuesday at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.
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