U.S. Women's National team loses 1-0 to Japan in friendly at Lumen Field

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 14: Ally Sentnor #9 of United States and Maika Hamano #17 of Japan compete for the ball during the International Friendly match between United States and Japan at Lumen Field on April 14, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.  (Soobum Im / USSF / Getty Images)

SEATTLE - The U.S. Women's National Team lost 1-0 to Japan on a Maika Hamano goal as Akane Okuma made five saves in a shutout effort in the first game at Lumen Field on its new grass surface ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Hamano's goal came in the 27th minute and was enough to hold up against a late United States push over the final 20 minutes. Hamano delivered a brilliant shot-fake that forced a defender to bite and allowed for space to beat goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce for the only goal of the night.

"They're a world-class team," U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said. "I think when you win the first one, inevitably, the second one becomes that challenge. They are a top side, so we have to give them a lot of credit, and game on for the third game."

The U.S. controlled possession time at 67 percent throughout the game, but Japan pressed aggressively when they did have the ball and caused problems for the Americans defense. Tullis-Joyce made a great save on Manaka Matsukubo in the 64th minute to keep the lead from doubling in Japan's favor.

The U.S. had its best chance to equalize in the 74th minute as Jaedyn Shaw and Ally Sentnor had three total shots from the box blocked by Japanese defenders. The ensuing corner kick was cleared from danger successfully by Japan.

A pass toward the front of the goal in the 83rd minute was jumped on by Okuma to deny a scoring chance. In the 84th minute, Lindsey Heaps was screaming about a potential handball in the box that wasn't called.

Heaps had one final volley on goal in the 93rd minute that was stopped by Okuma, though the play was already called offsides.

The match was the first played at Lumen Field since the stadium installed the hybrid grass surface that will be used through the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The recent installation required three "home" matches for the Seattle Reign, and a Concacaf Champions Cup matchup between the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps to be played at ONE Spokane Stadium.

"I honestly thought it felt great," said Olivia Moultrie, who plays for the Portland Thorns in the NWSL. "If I didn't know anything about Lumen Field, I wouldn't necessarily walk out onto the field and be like ‘oh, this is laid down grass.' So I thought it was good."

"I think it played nicely," added Hayes. "I didn't get the sense that there was an issue there. However, because it was so wet, it played really quick."

With the Sounders set to host Tigres UANL in the second leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night, the surface will get an early test with two months to go until the World Cup kicks off on June 11.

The USWNT won the prior meeting between the two teams, 2-1, last Saturday in San Jose, Calif. Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Heaps each scored for the U.S., while Riko Ueki had the lone goal for Japan.

Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey – the only player from the Reign currently a part of the USWNT – did not play Tuesday night after playing the entirety of the game in San Jose.

The final match of their three-game series between the two teams will be on Friday at the home of the Colorado Rapids in Commerce City, Colorado.

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