SAN JOSE, Calif. — The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team kicked off a three-game friendly series against reigning Women’s Asian Cup champions Japan with a tense 2-1 win on Saturday, extending their undefeated run to 10 consecutive victories for the first time since 2023.
Rose Lavelle delivered a standout performance to mark her 100th international start for the U.S., netting one goal and notching an assist that set up Lindsey Heaps’ first-half strike, putting the Americans up 2-0 early in the second half. The milestone goal came in the ninth minute, when Trinity Rodman flicked a free kick from Sam Coffey into Lavelle’s path, putting her away for the 28th international goal of her career.
Less than three minutes after halftime, Lavelle turned provider, slipping a precise pass to Heaps who converted for her 40th career goal in a U.S. uniform. Japan finally broke a long U.S. shutout streak in the 61st minute, when Riko Ueki headed home to cut the deficit in half. Ueki’s score marked the first goal the U.S. had allowed since an October 26 win over Portugal, ending a 866-minute scoreless run for the American defense.
The match also marked a feel-good milestone for Sophia Wilson, who earned her first national team start since giving birth to her daughter, and her first cap for the U.S. since October 2024.
Coming into Saturday’s clash, Japan carried major momentum after a dominant run to win the 2025 Women’s Asian Cup. The Nadeshiko outscored all their tournament opponents by a combined 29-1, capped off by a 1-0 defeat of host Australia in the final that secured their ticket to the 2026 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. For the U.S., qualifying for the same World Cup will come in the CONCACAF W Championship set to take place this coming November. Japan also held a recent upper hand over the Americans, having beaten the U.S. 2-1 in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup final.
The three-match series will continue Tuesday night in Seattle, before wrapping up this coming Friday in Commerce City, Colorado.