April’s international break is in the books and after three matches played against Japan, some valuable moments were delivered involving young players taking leadership roles, breakouts, returns, and milestones reached.
It was game three when San Diego Wave center-back Kennedy Wesley entered the match from the bench at halftime and delivered the performance of her life.
The first goal in Kennedy's international career ☝️ pic.twitter.com/SDAFyeLUJq
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 19, 2026
She was a planned substitute for Tierna Davidson and had a tremendous impact on the match’s outcome, contributing to the three goals scored in Colorado.
She assisted in Naomi Girma’s goal only two minutes into the second half. Almost 10 minutes later, she intercepted a pass to launch the counterattack that led to Rose Lavelle scoring. The cherry on top happened in the 64th minute when she scored her first goal with the national team, with Jaedyn Shaw’s assist.
The Bay FC midfielder cemented her place in the squad in this series. Although she played a few minutes in game 1, she had the privilege of receiving the captain’s armband in game 2 in Seattle. In this way, she became the youngest player to start a match as a USWNT captain since 2001.
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 15, 2026
The final score wasn’t good. Actually, it was the only match the US lost in this series. However, since coach Emma Hayes decided to go with rotation in this one, she had to lead a very young team against the Asian champions.
Captain Claire 🫡©️Claire Hutton is the youngest to start a USWNT game wearing the captain’s armband since 2001. pic.twitter.com/gHKuINXptj
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 15, 2026
The young midfielder started in game 3 and nearly scored in the same match but hit the crossbar.
USWNT captain, Lindsey Heaps, also reached a milestone in this series. The No.10 not only boasts 170 caps with the national team but she also reached 40 goals donning the USA jersey.
4️⃣0️⃣ for our cap!! 🍻 @michelobultra Moment pic.twitter.com/qiXhADoNDp
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 11, 2026
The Olympique Lyonnais player and Champions League winner is expected to join the Denver Summit in June and bring all that scoring prowess and leadership to the expansion club.
A 100th match celebration for Rose Lavalle couldn’t have been written in a better way! It was Game 1 and the midfielder scored in the 8th minute. Not only that but she also provided an assist later on that game.
💯 starts in the red, white and blue for Rose! pic.twitter.com/Rr1O3lQCKL
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 11, 2026
This international break saw the return of Sophia Wilson after being absent due to maternity leave. The Portland Thorns’ striker played 60 minutes in San José and contributed to the 2-1 win. Wilson didn’t suit up for game 2 but she did in game 3, logging 25 minutes in the 3-0 victory.