Five Things to Know: USWNT vs. Chile
Here’s everything you need to knowing heading into the USWNT match against Chile on Tuesday, Jan. 27 in Santa Barbara, California
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The U.S. Women’s National Team is set to conclude its annual January camp with a friendly against Chile on Tuesday. Following the team’s exciting 6-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday, the USWNT looks to keep the momentum going heading into its second match of the year.
Here are five storylines you should know for Tuesday’s matchup:
The USWNT has now won five consecutive matches dating back to the end of 2025, defeating Paraguay, New Zealand, Portugal and Italy twice. Four of the five matches were shutout wins, and the U.S. outscored its opponents 20-1 across that span. A win on Tuesday would mark the first time the USWNT won six matches in a row since 2024, when the team won nine straight, including its Gold Medal Olympics run.
Saturday’s win over Paraguay was not only the first match of the year for the USWNT, but it was a match full of firsts for multiple players on the roster. Reilyn Turner, Sally Menti and Maddie Dahlien earned their first caps, becoming the 286th, 287th and 289th players to debut for the USWNT. Turner also scored her first international goal, making her the 25th player to score in her first cap. Izzy Rodriguez, Gisele Thompson and Croix Bethune all earned their first assists, while Trinity Rodman wore the captain’s armband for the first time before passing it to Claire Hutton, also her first time. Head coach Emma Hayes said she will have a different starting lineup against Chile than the one used versus Paraguay, and she expects to make a maximum number of substitutes, leaving the door open for many more firsts on Tuesday.
The USWNT has never played an international match in Santa Barbara, but it has history in the city that links to two of its previous FIFA Women’s World Cup titles. The USWNT held a training camp at UCSB in the fall of 1991 prior to leaving for the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China PR, where the USA earned its first star above the crest. The team returned to Santa Barbara in March of 2019 and held its training camp at Harder Stadium before going on to win the World Cup that summer.
Chile is ranked 47th in the world and sixth in South America behind Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela and Paraguay. Chile is another rare opponent for the USA; the two nations have met just three times all-time in the series history. Both of the first two matchups were also friendlies in California, with the U.S. winning both matches 3-0 and 4-0. The most recent meeting came during group play at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the USWNT won 3-0.
Tuesday’s match will be the USWNT’s last contest before the team looks to lift its first trophy of the year in March in the 11th annual SheBelieves Cup presented by Visa®. The tournament will feature the USA, Argentina, Canada and Colombia in Nashville, Tenn., Columbus, Ohio and Harrison, N.J. The match against Chile will also be the USWNT’s final friendly before the recently-announced triple-header in April against long-time rival Japan.