Sports

Which USWNT Players Made Their Case in the Japan Friendly Series?

By Theo Lloyd-Hughes Sports Illustrated
The USWNT won its final match against Japan over the weekend with a three-goal showing.
The USWNT won its final match against Japan over the weekend with a three-goal showing. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The U.S. women's national team has just finished its biggest test since the 2024 Olympics: a three-game friendly series against Japan during the April FIFA international window.

Ranked fifth in the world, three places behind the USWNT, and fresh off winning the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, Japan was riding high. The U.S. opened up the series with a 2–1 win, dropped Game 2, 1–0, and then closed out the trio of friendlies with a confidence-boosting 3–0 win.

Things are getting serious with the 2027 Women's World Cup just 14 months away. Continuing the theme of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, manager Emma Hayes called in the best available roster she could. Outside of Mal Swanson (maternity leave) and Cat Macario (hip), this was also the strongest USWNT we have seen since the Paris Games.

Competition for places has never been more intense. Let's take a look at who made their case and what questions remain after this trio of friendlies against Japan.

Who stepped up for the USWNT?

Gisele Thompson

It's hard to think of a U.S. player whose stock has soared higher in 2026 than Gisele Thompson. The Angel City fullback has gone from project to projected starter in a matter of months. She could well be seen as the new left back for the USWNT.

Thompson was handed a start in two out of three matches and appeared in all three, totaling 178 minutes. This was the second-most minutes of any outfield player, behind Emily Fox (180). This sort of dependability is a huge sign of trust between Hayes and the 20-year-old.

In the 2–1 win over Japan, Thompson was electric getting up and down the wing. She led a high-press to help create the second goal of the game and provided a match-saving tackle in the box. It was also telling that, when the U.S. were trailing 1–0 in the second friendly, Hayes called on Thompson to be one of the four players that were sent on to try and rescue the result from that rotated starting XI.

Kennedy Wesley

Well, well, well, is it possible that Hayes has been reading Sports Illustrated's weekly Stock Up, Stock Down feature? After a stunning start to the 2026 National Women's Soccer League season with the San Diego Wave, Kennedy Wesley had been demanding the opportunity to star for the USWNT.

Hayes obliged against Japan and handed Wesley two appearances (135 minutes) at centerback, including a 90-minute showing in the 2–1 win. Wesley was decent enough with her defensive duties in that opening win, albeit she did look prone to an error when trying to play the ball out of the USWNT's defensive third.

However, Wesley came alive in the 3–0 win. Brought on at halftime for Tierna Davidson, Wesley notched her first international goal and assist in the second half. Set pieces were the difference for the USWNT, and Wesley's anticipation at the back post combined with her deft header back across the goal was a brilliant piece of skill. The 25-year-old with the calm temperament is adding tools to her game.

Claudia Dickey

Going into this window, Hayes was keen to dismiss any notions that she had chosen an outright first-string goalkeeper. In her eyes, Claudia Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce were neck-and-neck in the pecking order, and she needs both of them.

"It seems to me we have an obsession in football with finding a number one?" Hayes told the media last week. "My job is to develop at least two goalkeepers who will be contention for next summer. ... Without question, they [Dickey and Tullis-Joyce] are the two leading the way."

For this window, Dickey was given two starts, while Tullis-Joyce was handed just one. Dickey won both of her matches, keeping the only clean sheet of the window in Game 3. But it was Dickey's five-save performance in the 2–1 win that stood out. The 26-year-old rose to the occasion to make several fine late stops as the pressure grew.

What questions remain for the USWNT?

Jameese Joseph

No player was given less of an opportunity to showcase their game than forward Jameese Joseph, who totaled just one substitute appearance (11 minutes) in the 1–0 defeat in Game 2.

Thrown into that game with the U.S. trailing, Joseph failed to attempt a shot or create a chance during her cameo. It wasn't all her fault. Hayes threw on Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson and Lindsey Heaps to try to force the issue, and it resulted in a hasty, direct attack that looked unbalanced.

There's a lot to like about Joseph's game. The 23-year-old is versatile and can play on the wing, but is being designated as a more central threat. Her off-ball pressing game is relentless, but her ability to create on the ball in more crowded positions needs work.

Emma Hayes (center) is still fine-tuning the USWNT's best roster with more than a year before the World Cup. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Emma Hayes (center) is still fine-tuning the USWNT's best roster with more than a year before the World Cup. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Ally Sentnor

Unlike Joseph, forward Ally Sentnor was given ample opportunity against Japan. The 22-year-old appeared in all three friendlies, twice off the bench (the 2–1 and 3–0 wins) and then once from the start (the 1–0 defeat). She racked up 130 minutes, which ranked 12th in the window.

Despite this decent chunk of playing time, Sentnor's performances fell short. She appeared lightweight on the ball and gave up possession in the build-up to Japan's winning goal in the 1–0 defeat. Off the bench, she struggled to impact the game or settle into her role as a false nine or advance creative attacker.

In the end, the USWNT scored five goals across the window and Sentnor wasn't on the pitch for any of them. That likely didn't help her chances of making the roster for next year's World Cup. While it is clear she has all the technical ability, her best position still feels unknown. Is she ready for elite international soccer yet?

Lilly Reale

For Lilly Reale, the everlasting memory of this April window may be her getting outfoxed by Maika Hamano for Japan's winning goal in the 1-0 defeat.

Reale's first mistake was her positioning. She got too tight to Japan forward Mina Tanaka in the build-up, which allowed Hamano space on the wing. Then, once Reale had engaged in a challenge, Hamano gracefully read the tackle and cut the ball back inside and away from the U.S. defender.

Hayes hooked Reale out of that 1–0 defeat in the 65th minute. The only other playing time Reale got against Japan was the final seven minutes of the 3–0 win, which failed to create many moments of note. A tough window for Reale, who left the SheBelieves Cup with an injury and is now in need of rediscovering her form.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 7:07 AM.