The United States women's national team suffered a shock loss to Portugal on a brisk evening at Subaru Park in the first of three friendlies to be played this international break. The USWNT got off to a white-hot start when Gotham FC midfielder Rose Lavelle scored just 33 seconds into the game. But an organized and technical Portugal scored twice, both times on set pieces, finding a way to defeat a United States that had five clean sheets in a row leading up to tonight's game.
Here are three thoughts about the USWNT's loss to Portugal.
1. Rose Lavelle is back
First, the good news: Just four days after scoring for Gotham FC to earn a draw and secure a place in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, Lavelle scored the seventh-fastest goal in USWNT history to put the Yanks on the board.
Not a bad week for a 30-year-old midfielder who underwent ankle surgery last December, and played her first competitive game this year in June. Lavelle is rediscovering her form, and now has 6 goals and 3 assists in 20 games in all competitions in 2025.
Lavelle's goal tonight was as brilliant as it was opportunistic. Catarina Macario carried the ball to the top of the box, where she was closed down by four Portuguese defenders. Macario executed a nifty pullback then flicked the ball to Lavelle, who controlled the ball with her back to goal, turned, and shot.
It was Lavelle's only goal involvement of the night, but she was at the center of the USWNT attack until she was pulled in the 78th minute for teammate Jaedyn Shaw. Lavelle glided through the midfield, free to find space and distribute passes that had the crowd oohing and aahing.
There was the jump into a flying back-heel pass off her right shoe in the 28th minute, the 28' jumped into a flying back heel pass, the chop pass from an impossibly high angle in the 29th minute, the lunging slide to send the ball over the top in the 68th minute.
This was Lavelle's 114th cap for the USWNT, and yet more proof that she's instrumental to this squad.
Megha Gupta
