Arya News - A pair of first-half bangers from Cat Macario and Jaedyn Shaw help the U.S. end the year on a very good note.
The United States women"s national team ended 2025 on a high note, picking up a 2-0 win over Italy on Monday. After two first-half goals from Cat Macario and Jadeyn Shaw, the team held on for the shutout over Le Azzurre in the final friendly of the year.
The USWNT, coming off a decisive 3-0 win over Italy on Friday, continued to show that strength on Monday. The U.S. dominated on possession and took three times as many shots as the Italians, and two of them found the net relatively early on.
First was a goal from Macario in the 20th minute, with the forward sending a floater over the head of Italian keeper Francesca Durante.
Then, in the 41st minute, Shaw added to the tally with a screamer from just outside the box.
Both goals encapsulated the spirit of the USWNT at this point: Macario and Shaw"s individual talent shined as they scored, but it was the rest of the lineup that allowed the attack to materialize. (Macario should have had a second goal, too, but the second-half rebound shot was called back after an apparent, but unclear, foul was called against the U.S. in the box.)
Italy was able to adjust well to the USWNT attack in the second half, holding the score at 2-0. But it was still a great victory for the U.S., and a fitting end to 2025.
2025 has been a year focused on growth for the USWNT — individual growth, squad growth, growth in the player pool. Including Monday"s victory, U.S. has picked up 12 wins and three losses this year as USWNT manager Emma Hayes stretches and experiments with the team in a year without a major tournament.
Coming off a gold medal run in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hayes suddenly found herself without several core players. There were retirements (Alyssa Naeher, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Becky Sauerbrunn) and injuries; Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, two-thirds of the forward trio known as Triple Espresso, missed the season while pregnant.
Hayes, though, has used the turnover as a perfect opportunity to expand the player pool, setting up both the next World Cup cycle and the next generation of the USWNT. Since taking over as head coach in 2024, 27 players have made their international debuts under Hayes. Hayes has also taken advantage of the down year to try out different combinations on the field: 50 different players have started for the USWNT team this year, per OptaJack .
Next year, the tone of Hayes" approach is likely to change as the run-up to the 2027 Women"s World Cup begins in earnest. At this point, though, it"s unclear to tell who will find themselves on that final roster. Smith and Swanson are likely to make their returns soon, while other players will have to fight for the limited spots on the team as the field solidifies.
But with the space in the lineup, it"s been delightful to watch players like midfielder Claire Hutton or goalkeepers Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Claudia Dickey break out, while players like Macario, Shaw and Alyssa Thompson return to form.
For now, the USWNT only has one game on the schedule for next year — a friendly against Paraguay on Jan. 24 — though there will be more to come. Hayes will have a lot of tough decisions in the future, but for now the U.S. can be happy to end the year strong.