🏏 Sat, 11 Apr 2026 14:30 PDT
USA Women
vs
Japan Women
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- The United States open this two-match series with their most potent front line. Trinity Rodman, Alyssa Thompson and Sophia Wilson — the 'Triple Espresso' trio that helped win Olympic gold in Paris in 2024 — all start. Wilson, who scored three goals at those Games, was the NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner in 2022 and remains among the sharpest runners in behind in the world game.
- There is serious experience in the American midfield too. Captain Lindsey Horan, a box-to-box midfielder who also thrived as a striker at Paris Saint-Germain, is joined by Sam Coffey, an elite holding player whose ball-winning and progression underpin the build-up, and Rose Lavelle, scorer of the decisive goal in the 2019 World Cup final. Japan's ability to compete in that area will set the tone.
- Japan's back line is notably young. Hana Takahashi, 24, anchors the defence for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies; 21-year-old Toko Koga moved from Feyenoord to Tottenham on a four-year deal in 2025 and was named player of the match on debut; Moeka Minami plays in the WSL with Brighton; and Hikaru Kitagawa joined Everton after a spell at BK Hacken. Domestic and European-based players share the load against a formidable attack.
- Japan's midfield is stocked with regulars from Europe's biggest leagues. Manchester City's Yui Hasegawa and Liverpool's Fuka Nagano take charge of circulation, while 22-year-old Momoko Tanikawa, who scored in three consecutive Bundesliga matches for Bayern Munich, adds forward drive. Hinata Miyazawa, the 2023 World Cup Golden Boot winner, and City's Aoba Fujino provide the threat from wide areas.
- For 21-year-old Mashin Matsukubo this is familiar ground. After leaving Mynavi Sendai for North Carolina she played all 26 league games, scored 11 goals to finish third in the scoring charts and was named NWSL Midfielder of the Year, adding the youngest hat-trick in league history. Her aggressive pressing and advanced positioning are aimed squarely at the American midfield.
- Ayaka Yamashita starts in goal for Japan. At 170cm she is small for the position but compensates with reflexes and positioning, and she has held her own in the WSL since joining Manchester City in 2024. Opposite her is Claudia Dickey, the Seattle Reign number one, who recorded a league-high 15 shutouts at the University of North Carolina and kept a clean sheet on her international debut.
- Gisele Thompson, 20, lines up at right-back for the hosts. The Angel City FC defender and her sister Alyssa became the first siblings to start and combine for a goal in NWSL history, and with Alyssa deployed in attack the pair share an international pitch again. Her pace and overlapping runs will test Japan down that flank.
- The American bench is built around the next wave. Claire Hutton became the youngest captain in USWNT history at 20, Olivia Moultrie signed an NWSL professional contract at 15, Lily Yohannes is an 18-year-old already playing for Lyon, and Emma Sears topped the American scoring charts with 10 goals in 2025. Manchester United's 185cm goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce also waits in reserve.
- Japan hold plenty in reserve as well. Saki Kumagai, 35, a 2011 World Cup winner, right-back Risa Shimizu, on loan at Liverpool, Utah Royals pair Mina Tanaka and Miyabi Moriya, West Ham regular Riko Ueki and Maika Hamano, scorer of the winning goal in the 2026 Asian Cup final, are all options. In the first game of a demanding trip, the timing of those changes matters.