Over its glorious 37-year history, the U.S. women’s national soccer team hasn’t lost very often, never mind two games in a row. But with a 2-0 defeat against shorthanded Spain on Tuesday, the four-time world champions were saddled with their first losing streak in 5½ years and third in 20 years.
The friendly in Pamplona, Spain, came four days after a 2-1 defeat to No. 4 England at Wembley Stadium. While that setback against the European champions was not a big surprise, Tuesday’s game was a major disappointment. Spain is ranked No. 8 but was missing 15 players in a dispute with Coach Jorge Vilda and the Spanish soccer federation.