The U.S. women’s national team got its trio of friendlies against Japan off to the perfect start with a 2–1 win at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday night.
Gotham FC midfielder Rose Lavelle was the star, opening the scoring in the ninth minute and then providing the assist for team captain Lindsey Heaps to score the second U.S. goal in the 48th. The night also marked Lavelle’s 100th start for the USWNT.
Japan pulled one back in the second half, with West Ham United forward Riko Ueki heading in from close range in the 61st minute. The USWNT backline appealed for offside on the goal, but replays showed Gisele Thompson kept Ueki in play.
The USWNT will next take on Japan again at Lumen Field in Seattle on Tuesday. Here are the takeaways from the first of a tripleheader slate of friendlies.
Revenge for 2025 SheBelieves Cup
Saturday night’s match in San Jose was the first time these two nations have faced off since Japan upset the USWNT in San Diego at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. That defeat was the first for the U.S. under manager Emma Hayes, who now has a 31-3-2 record leading the USWNT.
A friendly is a friendly, and yet this will feel like a satisfying response against one of the most technical international teams in the global game. Currently ranked fifth in the world and fresh off winning the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, Japan is not a team to be underestimated.
“I think 12 months ago, we might have drawn this game,” Hayes said after the match. “I think the progress is in staying in the game and not conceding a second goal. Where we’ve come from the last time that we played them in the SheBelieves Cup. We've come a very long way.”
USWNT Veterans Shine
The USWNT’s two goals came from their oldest and most experienced players. Heaps, 31, scored her 40th goal for her country as she earned her 174th international cap. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Lavelle got her 28th goal and 29th assist for her country on her 119th appearance.
In her 100th career start, Rose Lavelle gets her 28th career goal!
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 11, 2026
USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/Q8vi8IULLP
While 2025 was a year of experimentation, where Hayes decided to field plenty of young players and rotate the minutes around, 2026 is now settling into the USWNT playing the best available XI on every possible occasion.
From the start of 2025 until these Japan friendlies, Heaps ranked eighth for total minutes for the USWNT, while Lavelle ranked 17th. Injuries and limited availability due to club duties have also contributed to both players missing time.
Veterans like Heaps and Lavelle are once again coming into focus as players who need to produce, and on Saturday, the duo was in fine form, finding skill and composure in the box. Especially with Lavelle yet to score or assist in the NWSL in 2026.
Lindsey doubles our lead ✌️
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 11, 2026
USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/5OMALSFyWd
Test in Possession
One of the toughest things about playing Japan was the intensity of the Japanese press. Both teams were often picked off trying to play the ball out from their own box. The USWNT’s centerbacks on the day, Naomi Girma and Kennedy Wesley, were both culpable of giving away the ball on the edge of their own box and needing help to save their blushes.
There’s no doubt that one of the reasons that Hayes will relish about facing Japan three times is the test it requires from her team on the ball. On the face of it, the pass accuracy from USWNT centerbacks Girma (89%) and Wesley (87%) wasn’t terrible. Girma went 1-for-6 on long passes, suggesting she was targeting getting it out of the U.S. half quicker and failed to connect with the higher lines. Against Japan, you need to be perfect not to give chances up against the press. The few errors that arose could have been costly.
Japan Rotates While U.S. Digs in
Hayes was conservative with her in-game rotations against Japan, compared to some friendlies. Nine players played 85 minutes, with seven going the full 90. The USWNT made just four changes on the day, two in the 67th minute (Michelle Cooper on for Trinity Rodman and Ally Sentnor on for Sophia Wilson) and two more in the 85th minute (Claire Hutton on for Heaps, and Emma Sears on for Alyssa Thompson).
In contrast, Japan was quick to tinker, rotate and limit players’ minutes. Interim manager Michihisa Kano made nine substitutions during Saturday’s game, with only two players starting and finishing the match: centerback Toko Koga and goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita. Kano also pulled six players from the game by the hour mark, right before Japan cut the USWNT lead in half.
The USWNT deserves credit for digging in at 2–1. Despite all the fresh legs, most of Japan’s best chances in the final 30 minutes came via set pieces, with the U.S. having more verticality in the wings.
More Women’s Soccer from Sports Illustrated
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- USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Kennedy Wesley Should Be in Emma Hayes’s Plans
This article was originally published on www.si.com as USWNT Takeaways: Veteran Stars Shine in 2–1 Friendly Win Over Japan.
