The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) played two games earlier this month, first against England on Oct. 7 and then against Spain on Oct. 14. The showing did not turn out the way USWNT fans are used to as the team dropped both games. With the World Cup rapidly approaching next summer, this is an inopportune point for the team to start losing their identity.

In the first game against England, the current European Champions, the Americans lost 2-1. The USWNT almost tied this game up, but their equalizer was taken off the board after a questionable offsides call. They were never able to find the back of the net again, ultimately dropping the game at Wembley Stadium. If you’re looking at the team in its current form with so many regular players missing, it’s fair to accept this loss and move on considering the competition England has played in previous months compared to the USWNT. However, the next match would be an entirely different story. 

The second match against Spain was less competitive and even more worrying. The USWNT were beaten by a score of 2-0. To rub salt in the wound of an already surprising defeat, the Spanish team was down nearly their entire team in protest against head coach Jorge Vilda. Instead of firing the coach, Spain instead replaced all of the players who didn’t report to camp. That is the team the United States lost to. 

These kinds of losses are not typical for this team. The last time they’ve dropped two games consecutively was in 2017 when facing England and France. It was also the first time the team had lost while conceding multiple goals since March 2001.

As the World Cup approaches, it’s clear there is a lot to improve on before July comes. They are going to have to focus on rehabilitation and regaining endurance for injured players such as Sam Mewis, Lynn Williams, Tierna Davidson and Catarina Macario, all of whom are game changers for the team. Julie Ertz and Crystal Dunn also need time to get used to playing again after recently giving birth.

Team chemistry is another big concern with this team. It seems as though this U.S. team is moving forward without players like Christen Press, Jess McDonald, Tobin Heath and several others who were a part of the previous winning World Cup roster. The new players are going to have to learn how to play well together by tournament time. 

They’ll get their chance to reevaluate the roster and try to find growth against another top team, Germany. The U.S. will stay home for these with a two game stand in Miami and New Jersey on Nov. 10 and 13, respectively. The team will hope to bounce back and return to the winning form fans are used to seeing.