FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia -- United States women's national team head coach Emma Hayes said it will take a collective effort on both sides of the ball to defeat world No. 1 Spain in a pair of highly anticipated friendly matches in the coming days, despite the number of stars on the field for both teams.
Spain is the world's top-ranked team and the reigning World Cup champion. The United States women are second in FIFA's rankings and the reigning Olympic champions.
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"I think it's about the team game, rather than the individual game," Hayes told reporters on Friday. "In order to defend well against them, you have to do it well as a collective. In order to attack well against them, you have to do it well as a collective."
The two teams will play on Saturday at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., and on Tuesday in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Hayes said "it's been a really, really good training week." On Tuesday, the U.S. women had their first training session at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center.
Earlier this week, Hayes called the match against Spain "essential" preparation for the 2027 World Cup, which the the U.S. must still qualify for next month. Spain has already qualified.
The pair of matches also come in the first FIFA international break in four months. The U.S. split a pair of road games against World Cup host Brazil in June.
"With every game we approach, it's that next set of development to improve our way of playing," Hayes said. "There's different things in our model that we focus on from camp to camp, of course with the aim to defeat whichever opponent is in front of us but, lastly, to just keep improving our game."
The USWNT must play Spain without several top players. Defender Naomi Girma and midfielder Sam Coffey had to withdraw from training camp before arriving due to injuries sustained with their clubs Chelsea and Manchester City, respectively.
Girma continues to deal with a recurring calf issue that Hayes told ESPN earlier this week was happening "too often" and would require further consultation with Chelsea.
Spain is without three-time Ballon d'Or winner and midfielder Aitana BonmatÃ, whose return from a broken leg has been delayed by recent pain.
Spain announced on Friday after training at Audi Field that forward Clà udia Pina and defender Mapi León have withdrawn from training camp due to injuries. LucÃa GarcÃa will fly to Washington, D.C., to join the team as a replacement.
Still, Hayes praised other Spain players for their qualities, including midfielder Patri Guijarro, who the USWNT head coach called "an exceptional football player."
The USWNT coach also reiterated a point she has made in recent weeks and months about Spain's collective success. Hayes praised the "clear identity" of Spanish players, which is created by a development and coaching system that is "better than anyone else in the world."
Throughout the week, Hayes and her players spoke about the need to both handle Spain's defensive pressure and to put pressure on them when they have the ball.
"They're really good at pressing." U.S. forward Trinity Rodman told ESPN's Futbol W earlier this week. "I think what's going to be a challenge is getting out and getting it to our forward line, which we've been working on."
