The Americans have faced Spain only once before: a friendly in January during World Cup qualifying season. Spain’s women’s side is relatively new to the international stage, but it held up well, scrapping to a 1-0 defeat that caught international soccer experts by surprise.
Forward Jennifer Hermoso has come on strong with two of Spain’s only three goals throughout the tournament. She’s talented enough with the ball on her feet, though, that she could pose substantial problems for an American back four that were exposed by Sweden. Attackers were able to run at defenders one-on-one and open up gaps between them or out wide.