Fresh off their first loss in 2026, the U.S. women’s national team will close out a three-game series against Japan on Friday. The Americans are coming off a 1-0 loss on Tuesday, their first since October, setting up a riveting finale.
Japan have now won two of the last three meetings against the USWNT dating back to the 2025 She Believes Cup. The April trilogy has served as both a small reunion of returning USWNT players and a measuring stick for others trying to stake their place in the player pool. With a 10-game unbeaten streak now snapped, the final game against Japan is a chance to start a new one and look ahead to crucial preparations for World Cup qualifying in November.
Head coach Emma Hayes intentionally rotated her roster across the first two games, opting for an experienced lineup in match one and mostly a U23 caliber starting eleven in match two. With the series leveled, Friday’s match lineup could be a mix, and it might be a final chance for players to leave their mark.
Here’s how to watch and storylines:
How to watch
- Date: Friday, April 17 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Place: DICK’S Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City, Co.
- TV: TNT, truTV
- Stream: HBO Max
Storylines for USWNT vs. Japan
Three tests are better than one: Manager Emma Hayes has been methodical in her approach to mapping out the three-game series, from a more experienced lineup in game one to cranking up the heat in game two with more U23 players. Match three will be another opportunity for players across the roster to show familiarity, adaptability, and problem-solving that were missing in game two.
Whether it’s tactical adjustments by Japan or even the shift in weather, Hayes wants the team to embrace all of it.
“That’s why we have positioned through an entirely female lens, the environmental conditions that are required, whether that’s our players coming into altitude, whether it’s going through temperature changes today to tomorrow,” Hayes said in pregame comments.
“I assume that if snow does come down … being adaptable is the is the mode of the game. So we have to be, if that becomes the case, and I’m sure we will be. We have back of house, the team behind the team, that are well orchestrated and positioned to support players and staff to manage those things,” she said.
Japan’s form on full display: What’s in a ranking anyway? Japan might be No. 5 on the official FIFA rankings, but they are truly No. 1 when it comes to global respect. Alongside top form, tactical ability, and skill, they’re showing an outrageous level of discipline, not skipping a single beat even with a coaching shakeup on the sidelines.
“When you talk about Japan from a traditional perspective, players are extremely technical and positionally, in their positional play model has been developed from very early ages. And I think traditionally, against the United States, you would see Japan dominant in possession, United States dominant in counterattack. I think the roles have reversed. And I think by that, I think defensively, I think Japan are the best team in the world,” Hayes said.
Prediction
Both teams each stole a win off the other, so it feels like all that’s left is to leave it all out there on the pitch in a good old-fashioned friendly draw. Pick: USA 1, Japan 1
