U.S. Women’s National Team Falls to Japan 1-0 in Second Meeting of Three-Game Series

SEATTLE, WASH. (April 14, 2026) – The U.S. Women’s National Team’s 10-game win streak got here to an finish on a wet night time in Seattle because it fell 1-0 to Japan in the second of three consecutive matches between the 2 sides. Midfielder Maika Hamano scored the game-winner in the primary half to carry the Nadeshiko to simply their third-ever win over the USA. 

The USA had the higher of the match in many areas, holding 67% of the possession, breaking Japan’s press properly all match and outshooting the Asian champions, 12-9, however a scarcity of sharpness on closing passes and ending in the ultimate third can be the USA’s downfall.

The match marked the return of the USWNT to Seattle for the primary time since 2017 as 36,128 poured into Lumen Field regardless of horrible climate, setting the document for the biggest crowd ever to attend a girls’s sporting eventin town. Former Seattle Reign FC goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce began in her previous residence stadium and defender Tierna Davidson, who entered the match in the sixty fifth minute, made her first look for the U.S. since Feb. 26, 2025, following her restoration from an ACL harm in March of 2025.

For the fourth time in her tenure, U.S. head coach Emma Hayes completely modified her beginning XI from the final match. It was solely the ninth time in program historical past {that a} coach has swapped out their complete beginning lineup in consecutive matches. Tuesday’s beginning lineup averaged 23.9 caps heading into the match, lower than half the typical caps of the earlier match on April 11 in San Jose (56.3). Japan additionally made 9 modifications to its lineup from the earlier assembly.

The USA practically had back-to-back video games with early objectives when midfielder Jaedyn Shaw’s shot from the highest of the field pressured a save from Japanese goalkeeper Akene Okuma in the fifth minute. Shortly after, defender Emily Sams performed a protracted ball to fellow defender Avery Patterson making an overlapping run down the appropriate aspect. Patterson’s cross contained in the field was headed away earlier than falling to ahead Emma Sears whose shot was blocked for a nook.

Japan additionally created a number of probabilities in the primary half earlier than scoring the go-ahead aim in the twenty seventh minute. Hamano gained possession in the central third and Japan mixed passes up the sector earlier than ahead Maya Hijikata performed it again to Hamano on the appropriate aspect of the penalty space. She reduce inside previous U.S. left again Lilly Reale to her left foot and rifled a shot off the fingertips of Tullis-Joyce and into the higher proper nook. Hamano additionally scored the game-winning aim in the AFC Asian Women’s Cup Final towards Australia final month.

Second-half substitutions amped up the document crowd because the USWNT got here shut to discovering the equalizer. In the 71st minute, Davidson performed a ball excessive to ahead Sophia Wilson, however her right-footed shot from about 10 yards out was proper at Okuma. Wilson had one other alternative minutes later after Trinity Rodman discovered her proper in entrance of aim, however her shot was cleared off the road. The rebound fell to Shaw, however her try was deflected out for a nook kick.

In the ultimate moments of second-half stoppage time, midfielder Claire Hutton arrange Heaps for a flying side-volley that was headed in the direction of the underside left nook, however Heaps was offside, rendering Okuma’s diving save moot.

The USWNT closes its three-game sequence towards Japan on Friday, April 17 at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

Goal Scoring Rundown:

JPN– MAIKA HAMANO (MAYA HIJIKATA), twenty seventh minute: Maika Hamano gained possession in the central third and continued her run down the appropriate aspect as Japan mixed passes up the sector. Just exterior the penalty arc, Maya Hijikata performed the ball again to Hamano with area on the edge of the field. Hamano took a contact inside to beat Lilly Reale and despatched a left-footed shot slightly below the crossbar, off the outstretched hand of Phallon Tullis-Joyce into the higher proper nook of the online. USA 0, JPN 1

Additional Notes:

• Emma Hayes made a bit extra program historical past by completely altering her Starting XI from the final match. This is the fourth time in her tenure in which she has accomplished that however solely the ninth time total in program historical past {that a} coach has swapped out their complete beginning lineup in consecutive matches.
• She first swapped the total Starting XI between the primary two matches of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. After the U.S. gained 2-0 over Colombia in the SheBelieves opener on Feb. 20, a totally totally different Starting XI began the 2-1 win over Australia. Hayes additionally switched out your entire Starting XI between the 2 matches towards Ireland in June of 2025. The U.S. gained each matches, 4-0. Most just lately, she modified out your entire Starting XI between the 2 January Camp matches towards Paraguay and Chile. The U.S. gained these matches 6-0 and 5-0, respectively.
• This match marked simply the ninth event in 777 all-time matches that the USWNT’s beginning lineup featured 11 modifications in consecutive outings and it’s simply the fourth time – all beneath Hayes – that it has occurred throughout the identical occasion/camp that didn’t embody a closed-door pleasant.
• Emily Sonnett was essentially the most skilled participant on tonight’s beginning lineup. She entered the match with 115 caps whereas the remainder of the roster mixed for 148 caps. The next-most skilled participant to begin the match was Jaedyn Shaw who entered the match with 34 caps. Of the gamers in the beginning lineup, solely Sonnett has seen on-field minutes in a FIFA Women’s World Cup or an Olympics Games.
• The U.S. returned to Seattle, Wash. for the primary time in virtually 9 years. The final time the U.S. performed in Seattle was July 27, 2017, at CenturyLink Field (now Lumen Field) to open the inaugural Tournament of Nations, shedding 1-0 to Australia. This time, Lumen Field boasted a crowd that set the document for largest for a standalone girls’s soccer match in Seattle. The earlier document was 34,130 for Megan Rapinoe’s farewell sport. The match had an added twist because it was the primary for the USA on grass at Lumen Field, with a brand new pitch having been laid down in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
• Claire Hutton (20 years previous) was the youngest captain to begin a match with the arm band since 2001. The USWNT has solely saved captain stats since 1999, however since that point, there have been solely three cases the place a participant began a match with the captain’s arm band and was youthful than Hutton is now: Cat Whitehill was 19 years previous on March 13, 2001 vs. Portugal; Aleisha Cramer was 18 years previous on March 15, 2001 vs. Sweden and Cramer was nonetheless 18 years previous on March 17 vs. Norway.
• Tonight was Tierna Davidson’s first match for the US since Feb. 26, 2025, the ultimate match of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup additionally vs. Japan. This was her first match in 412 days.
• Tonight’s attendance of 36,128 was the nineteenth largest total crowd in USWNT historical past at residence, but it surely was the eighth largest non-World Cup, non-Olympics, stand-alone crowd. Tonight was additionally the biggest ever girls’s sporting occasion in Seattle.
• The USA is now 33W-3L-8D all-time towards Japan.
• The U.S. has by no means gained a match at Lumen Field.

– U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT –

Match: United States vs. Japan
Date: April 14, 2026
Competition: Friendly
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle, Wash.
Attendance: 36,128
Kickoff: 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET
Weather: 48 levels and wet

Lineups:
USA: 24-Phallon Tullis-Joyce; 3-Avery Patterson, 6-Emily Sams, 14-Emily Sonnett (12-Tierna Davidson, 65), 5-Lilly Reale (22-Gisele Thompson, 65); 15-Claire Hutton (Capt.), 7-Lily Yohannes (10-Lindsey Heaps, 71), 13-Olivia Moultrie (11-Sophia Wilson, 65); 8-Jaedyn Shaw (26-Jameese Joseph, 79), 9-Ally Sentnor, 19-Emma Sears (2-Trinity Rodman, 65)

Substitutes not used: 1-Claudia Dickey, 4-Naomi Girma, 16-Rose Lavelle, 17-Sam Coffey, 20-Michelle Cooper, 23-Emily Fox

Not dressing: 18-Jane Campbell, 21-Alyssa Thompson, 25-Kennedy Wesley

Head Coach: Emma Hayes

JPN: 23-Akane Okuma; 2-Risa Shimizu (14-Yui Hasegawa, 79), 3-Moeka Minami 4-Saki Kumagai, 21-Miyabi Moriya (13-Hikaru Kitagawa, 46); 17-Maika Hamano (15-Aoba Fujino, 59), 18-Honoka Hayashi (19-Momoko Tanikawa, 79), 10-Fuka Nagano (7-Hinata Miyazawa, 68), 22-Remina Chiba (16-Yuzuki Yamamoto, 59); 24-Maya Hijikata (20-Manaka Matsukubo, 46), 11-Mina Tanaka (9-Riko Ueki, 68)

Substitutes not used: 1-Ayaka Yamashita; 6-Toko Koga, 12-Chika Hirao

Head coach: Michihisa Kano 

Stats Summary: USA / JPN
Shots: 12 / 9
Shots on Goal: 5 / 5
Saves: 4 / 5
Corner Kicks: 3 / 2
Fouls: 3 / 13
Offside: 3 / 4

Officials:

Ref: Janeishka Caban (PUR)

AR1: Lourdes Noriega (HON)

AR2: Santa Medina (DOM)

Fourth: Sandra Benitez (SLV)