Five Things To Know: USWNT vs. Italy on Monday, Dec. 1 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Here are five storylines before the U.S. Women’s National Team faces Italy on Monday, Dec. 1 at Chase Stadium
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. Women’s National Team returns to action for the second of a two-match set against Italy in the final FIFA window of the calendar year. After scoring three goals to shut out Italy 3-0 in the opener, the USWNT will look to close out this cycle and end 2025 on a high note.
Here are five storylines heading into Monday’s finale:
1. Four-Match Streak of Fast Starts
The U.S. Women’s National Team has been opening matches at an incredible clip. In four consecutive games, the team has scored a goal in the first 10 minutes of action. Rose Lavelle kicked things off, scoring 33 minutes into the match against Portugal in Chester, Pennsylvania in October. Olivia Moultrie and Emma Sears kept things going with their goals in the USWNT’s next three matches. The USWNT prides itself on being aggressive from the opening whistle, and we’ll see if the team can set the tone early with another lightning-fast start.
2. Goals, Goals, Goals
The USWNT has scored in 15 straight matches, including all 14 in 2025. That’s good enough for the team’s longest streak since scoring in 73 straight games from July 2017 to July 2021. Furthermore, the USWNT has won seven of its last nine matches by margins of at least three goals, including the 3-0 win over Italy on Friday, Nov. 28. In that stretch, the U.S. has a goal difference of +28 (31-3), the best over any nine-match stretch since 2022.
3. Olivia Moultrie and Catarina Macario With Chances To Catch Mia
The two goal scorers in the Nov. 28 win over Italy have the chance to join elite company if they find the back of the net again Monday in Ft. Lauderdale. Twenty-year-old Moultrie has scored three goals in her last two USWNT matches. If she scores Monday, she’ll join USWNT legend Mia Hamm as the only players to score in three straight USWNT appearances before turning 21 years old.
Catarina Macario’s second-half brace against Italy was her second brace in back-to-back matches. If she scores more than once Monday, she’ll become the seventh player in program history to record a streak of at least three straight games with multiple goals: Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, Alex Morgan, April Heinrichs, Carli Lloyd and Abby Wambach.
4. No. 30 For Head Coach Emma Hayes
Monday’s match against Italy will be No. 30 for Emma Hayes as USWNT head coach. Since coaching her first official match on June 1, 2024 – a 4-0 win for the U.S. over Korea Republic – Hayes has used 54 different players, the most of anyone in their first 30 matches as full-time USWNT coach. Forward Jameese Joseph and defender Kate Wiesner are the latest debutantes, becoming the 26th and 27th players to earn their first caps under Hayes. The only coach in USWNT history to give out more first caps in their first 30 games was Anson Dorrance (28).
5. Closing Out The Year With A Win
This November/December camp and Monday's match mark the last in the 2025 calendar year for the U.S. Women’s National Team. The next time the USWNT will be in action is January 2026 for its annual training camp, which will be held in Southern California from Jan. 17-27 and feature two international matches against Paraguay and an opponent that is still TBD. Los Angeles native and two-time World Cup winner Christen Press will be honored prior to the match on Jan. 24.
Next year also ushers in qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Qualifying is top of mind for the USWNT, but before they get to that point, they will look to take care of business against Italy and earn the team’s 12th win of the year.