American midfielder Claire Hutton celebrates her first international goal against Canada during the first half at Audi Field.

Following a first year on the job defined by tactical evolution and stone-turning evaluation — plus a run to Olympic gold — U.S. women’s national soccer team coach Emma Hayes said before a 3-o win over Canada on Wednesday night that her squad was ready for the “next phase.”

With the World Cup in Brazil two years away, Hayes has given 24 players their international debuts in her first 25 games in charge.

Missing her vaunted “Triple Espresso” front line — Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson are on maternity leave and Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is managing a back injury — she has tried out myriad attackers since the Paris Olympics.

Several goalkeepers have earned looks following Alyssa Naeher’s international retirement.

From teenage prospects to sturdy veterans, Hayes has held auditions at every position.

After the United States kicked off this international window with back-to-back 4-0 blitzings of Ireland, eighth-ranked Canada posed a stiffer test before 19,215 at Audi Field.

Yet it hardly mattered as the Americans swept aside their rival to the north behind strikes from Sam Coffey, Claire Hutton and Yazmeen Ryan and goal-creating set-piece service from Rose Lavelle.

This inexperienced U.S. squad still hums with attacking verve, defensive poise and ball-controlling serenity.

(The Washington Post)

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“We need younger players coming in, and I think Emma does a really good job of giving them that trust but also confidence,” said defender Naomi Girma, who wore the captain’s armband.

“And I think that’s why you see them going out and playing like their best self.”

The victory was even more comfortable than the score line would indicate. 

Controlling 65 percent of the possession, the United States outshot Canada 21-7 and didn’t concede a second-half shot on target until stoppage time.

“I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but we haven’t won anything.

We won a game,” said Hayes, who improved to 21-2-2 since taking over in May 2024.

“But there were, it felt for me, things I’ve been looking for in terms of dictating tempo, controlling the game from start to finish and finishing strongly.”

When the U.S. team next gathers in October, a year out from Concacaf’s World Cup qualifying tournament, it is likely to do so with a narrowed player pool and renewed focus on results.

These three friendlies allowed Hayes to be experimental.

After turning over her entire lineup for the second match, Hayes went back to 10 of her 11 starters from the opener Wednesday night.

The lineup included just five members of the Americans’ Paris Olympics squad: defenders Girma and Emily Sonnett; midfielders Coffey and Lavelle; and forward Lynn Biyendolo.

Making her second international appearance, Seattle Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey was among five U.S. starters who entered the match with six or fewer caps.

It was the Americans’ first match at Audi Field since they labored through a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica last July — an Olympic send-off match undermined by scorching temperatures and a lackluster field.

(A D.C. United game later that month was moved to Chester, Pennsylvania, because of concerns over the surface.) The conditions were better this time around: The pitch, recently used for three Club World Cup matches, was up to snuff, and the temperature mercifully hovered in the low 80s.

The United States went ahead in the 17th minute.

After Lilly Reale earned a free kick and Lavelle swung the set piece into the box, the deflected service fell to Avery Patterson.

As the right back tried to corral the ball, her teammate Coffey pounced and swept home a 10-yard strike through traffic.

“We have been working toward set-piece goals,” Lavelle said.

“That has definitely been an emphasis in film sessions and training sessions, so to see the fruition of our work come to play today was really, really nice.”

Dickey came up big to preserve the lead three minutes later, when she denied Jordyn Huitema’s breakaway bid and smothered Jessie Fleming’s attempt off the rebound.

At the other end, a fluid U.S. movement ended with Alyssa Thompson not making clean enough contact to stab a shot past Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.

The United States doubled its advantage in the 36th, when Lavelle curled a corner kick and the 19-year-old Hutton glanced a header past Sheridan for her first international goal.

“Being able to get my head on Rose’s perfect ball there was just amazing,” Hutton said. “Hoping for more in the future.”

U.S. defender and Spirit stalwart Tara McKeown marked her 26th birthday by entering in the 86th minute and promptly notching an assist on her home field.

Collecting the ball at right back, McKeown forged ahead and picked out Ryan, who found the net with a left-footed effort from the top of the box in the 89th.

“It was like everything came together,” McKeown said.

McKeown was joined on the U.S. squad by Washington teammate Croix Bethune, who did not play.

The Spirit’s Gabrielle Carle started and went 86 minutes for Canada.

Now 54-4-9 against Canada, the United States continued to get the better of an opponent that it topped last year in a pair of shootouts, in the Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinals and the SheBelieves Cup title game.

“Being able to come out with a 3-0 dominant win against a really great side like Canada is a huge step in our development,” Coffey said.

“We want to continue to be a consistent team that wins big games.”