Why does Hayes want a fast start from the USWNT against Spain?

Key takeaways

• ESPN reports that USWNT head coach Emma Hayes wants a fast start from the team in its second friendly against Spain.
• Two friendlies against the same opponent in one window give coaches a rare chance to set a specific target for the second game.
• Friendlies carry no qualifying points, so their main value is in preparing players, testing ideas and building squad depth.
• The United States and Spain qualify for the Women's World Cup through separate confederations, so friendlies are among the few chances they have to meet.
• How quickly a team starts depends on its pressing plan, its build-up structure and how ready players are after joining up from their clubs.

What is happening between the USWNT and Spain?

The United States women's national team is playing Spain twice in a short series of friendlies. ESPN reports that before the second match, head coach Emma Hayes said she wants the team to start fast. The report covers the build-up to the second game. This article does not cover the score or events of either match, because those details are not available here and should not be assumed.

The story is useful because it shows how a two-match window works in women's international football. The opponent stays the same and so does the camp. The second game becomes a direct follow-up to the first, and staff can name a specific area they want to see improve. Hayes has publicly named the opening phase of the match as that area.

Why is this in the news now?

Women's national teams can only gather during international windows set in FIFA's calendar. Outside those windows, players are with their clubs. Each window is short, so coaches rarely get to work on one problem across two games against the same team. When a coach publicly sets a target between two matches, it reflects that unusual chance: the second game can test something the staff have looked at closely since the first.

The opponent also matters. Spain won the most recent Women's World Cup, and their style is built on keeping the ball and controlling territory. For any team, a match against Spain shows how its structure holds up under sustained pressure on the ball. A coach who wants to measure progress before a major tournament gets more information from a game like this than from one against a weaker side.

What background does a newcomer need?

Several systems sit behind a fixture like this.

The first is qualification. The Women's World Cup is run by FIFA, but each confederation runs its own route to it. The United States plays in CONCACAF, the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean. Spain plays in UEFA, the European confederation. Each confederation runs its own competitions and decides how its places at the finals are filled. This is why teams from different confederations do not meet in qualifying. Outside a World Cup or a similar intercontinental event, they only play each other in friendlies arranged between the national associations.

The second is what a friendly is. It is an international match with no competitive result attached. No points are awarded and nobody advances. Friendlies still count for world ranking purposes under FIFA's system, but their main purpose is preparation. Coaches use them to try out formations, give caps to newer players, test combinations and see how the squad copes with different kinds of opposition.

The third is the next tournament. The next Women's World Cup will be held in Brazil. Every window before it is part of a long preparation period. Coaches have to balance two needs: settling on a core group and keeping enough options open in case of availability problems later.

Who is affected and how?

The coaching staff are the first group affected. A two-game window lets them review the first match, adjust training and check whether the changes work. Setting a clear target, such as a fast start, gives the review a measure that everyone in the camp can understand.

The players are affected because friendlies are where places in a tournament squad are often decided. Each window is a chance to show how well a player understands the team's plan. This article makes no judgement on individual players. The general point is that the second game of a series can carry real weight in a squad's selection picture, even with no result at stake.

Spain are affected too. A side that likes to settle into possession has to deal with an opponent that has said it will push from the first minute. Spain's staff will have their own goals for the window, and those goals are not known here.

Supporters and broadcasters are affected in a smaller way. A series against the world champions draws more attention than a typical friendly. That attention can shape how the matches are discussed, even though nothing is formally decided by them.

Where do informed people disagree?

There are real debates about how much friendlies mean. One view says friendly results should not be read too closely. Coaches rotate players, try unusual set-ups and sometimes put learning ahead of winning, so a single scoreline tells you little. On this view, the quality of the process matters: whether the team carried out what it set out to do.

The opposing view says matches against elite opponents are the closest thing to tournament conditions a team can find between competitions. Patterns that keep appearing against strong sides deserve attention, and a team that repeatedly struggles in certain phases of a game against top opposition has something to fix.

Fast starts are their own debate. Some coaches favour an aggressive opening: high pressing, quick forward passes and an effort to pin the opponent back early. Others prefer a measured start that lets the team read the opponent's set-up before committing players forward. Against a possession side, an aggressive press can force errors near goal. It can also leave space behind if the press is beaten. Neither approach is simply right, and the choice depends on the personnel and the opponent.

There is also a debate about the calendar. Players arrive from different club environments with different workloads, and how quickly a squad can find shared intensity in a short camp is a practical limit that coaches discuss often.

What are the practical implications?

In practical terms, a coach's call for a fast start usually covers three things. The first is pressing: how high the team defends, who triggers the press and how the rest of the side moves when it does. The second is the team's first actions with the ball: whether players look forward quickly or keep possession to draw the opponent out. The third is mental preparation: making sure the team is ready from kick-off and does not need time to adjust to the speed of the game.

Against Spain, all three are tested at once. A team that presses but is not compact can be played through. A team that wins the ball but cannot move it forward quickly loses the advantage the press created. A team that is not ready from the start can find itself chasing the game.

There is a wider point for squad planning as well. If a coach sets one clear target for a match, the staff can judge players and combinations against that standard. This feeds into the longer process of building a tournament squad and deciding which structures to rely on when results do count.

What should readers watch next?

The useful questions are about structure, not the scoreline. Watch how high the United States defends in the opening phase, how Spain respond to pressure on their build-up, and whether either side changes its approach as the match goes on. Watch how substitutions are used, since friendlies often allow more changes than competitive games and coaches use them to test different groups.

After the window, the main thing to watch is how both teams fit these games into their longer preparation. Later squad announcements will show whether patterns from the series carry over. Their own qualifying campaigns will decide how each team reaches the finals in Brazil. Exactly how the staff will judge this series is not publicly known beyond what ESPN reports.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the USWNT playing Spain twice in a row?

Teams sometimes arrange two friendlies against the same opponent within one international window. This lets coaches review the first match and test changes in the second against identical opposition. ESPN reports that the United States is in this kind of series with Spain, and that Hayes has set a fast start as a goal for the second game. Neither association has publicly stated a wider reason for scheduling two matches.

Do friendlies count towards Women's World Cup qualification?

No. Friendlies have no effect on Women's World Cup qualification. Each confederation runs its own qualifying route, and only those competitive matches decide who reaches the finals. Friendlies do count in FIFA's world ranking calculations. Coaches mainly use them to prepare squads, test tactics and give playing time to players competing for tournament places.

How does the USWNT qualify for the Women's World Cup?

The United States belongs to CONCACAF, the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean. It qualifies through the competitions CONCACAF organises for that purpose, competing for the places allocated to the region. Spain belongs to UEFA and qualifies through Europe's separate system. Because the two teams play in different confederations, they never meet in qualifying.

What does a "fast start" mean tactically?

A fast start usually means pressing high from kick-off, moving the ball forward quickly after winning it and playing at full intensity from the first whistle. The aim is to unsettle the opponent before it settles into its rhythm. Against a possession-based side, an aggressive press can force errors close to goal. If it is beaten, though, it can leave space behind the defence.

Why are matches against Spain valued so highly?

Spain won the most recent Women's World Cup and are known for patient, possession-based football. That makes them a demanding test of how a team defends without the ball and how it plays under pressure. Coaches preparing for a major tournament often look for opponents of this level, because the games come closer to tournament conditions than matches against weaker sides.

Where will the next Women's World Cup be played?

FIFA has awarded the next Women's World Cup to Brazil. National teams around the world are now in the preparation cycle for that tournament, combining confederation qualifying campaigns with friendlies in international windows. For teams like the United States and Spain, every window before the finals helps settle a squad, test tactics and develop depth.

Sources and further reading

• ESPN: report on the USWNT before the second friendly against Spain, including Hayes's stated aim of a fast start.
• FIFA: official information on the Women's World Cup, the international match calendar and world ranking rules.
• CONCACAF: official material on the confederation's women's competitions and World Cup qualifying route.
• UEFA: official material on European women's national team competitions and World Cup qualification.