USWNT opens 2026 with 6-0 friendly rout of Paraguay as Rodman captains and scores
The U.S. women’s national team began 2026 with a dominant 6-0 win over Paraguay in Carson, California, featuring a debut goal from Reilyn Turner and a second-half surge led by Ally Sentnor and captain Trinity Rodman. The match offered an early snapshot of squad depth and attacking options as the team builds toward a busy year.
The United States women’s national team opened its 2026 schedule with a 6-0 victory over Paraguay in a friendly, producing a flood of second-half goals after taking a narrow lead into halftime. The match, played in Carson, California, served as an early-year checkpoint for a U.S. side balancing established stars with newer faces competing for minutes and roles.
The U.S. broke through just before the break, with Reilyn Turner scoring in first-half stoppage time for her first international goal in what was framed as a debut moment. That opening strike mattered not only because it settled early nerves, but because it forced Paraguay to chase the game—opening more space for the U.S. to attack after the restart.
After halftime, the match flipped into a one-way surge. Ally Sentnor scored twice as the U.S. repeatedly found lanes behind Paraguay’s defensive shape. A Paraguay own goal added to the damage, and Trinity Rodman—captaining the team—scored as part of a rapid scoring sequence that turned the contest into a rout.
Emma Sears also found the net, closing out the scoring and underscoring the U.S. team’s ability to generate goals from multiple players rather than relying on a single focal point. That distribution is often a key priority in friendlies, where coaching staffs want to see whether chances can be created and finished across different combinations and lineups.
Beyond the scoreboard, the match offered a look at how quickly the U.S. could raise tempo and pressure to overwhelm an opponent. Friendlies can be uneven, but they still provide information about execution: how the team moves the ball into the final third, how midfielders and fullbacks support the attack, and whether finishing is clinical once chances arrive.
Rodman’s appearance carried its own significance. Wearing the captain’s armband and scoring in the same night created an easy headline, but the bigger takeaway is that the U.S. is clearly testing leadership and responsibility distribution within the squad ahead of upcoming competitive cycles.
The U.S. will treat the result as a strong start, while also looking for the next layer of challenge: friendlies that better stress defensive structure, transitions and problem-solving against opponents who can press and counter at higher levels.