It was nearly time for the panic button. Maybe not to press it, but to acknowledge that it’s within reach. A listless, shorthanded US women’s national team were struggling against Spain, down 2-0, and facing the ignominy of two straight losses at home after being badly exposed in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat in Washington DC.

Then two players who had just returned to the team after long absences turned the tide. Ashley Sanchez and Mallory Swanson, after international goal droughts of 1,648 days and 801 days respectively, each scored in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw with the reigning World Cup champions.

The result may have avoided the worst-case scenario, but the way it unfolded will give US fans pause. Just 255 days from the 2027 World Cup, these two defeats to Spain raise fresh questions before the side’s return to World Cup qualification in late November. But of course, there are caveats. Both teams were missing key players, and with the World Cup still nine months away there’s plenty of time to course correct.

Rather, the matches served as a helpful reminder of what many – including USWNT head coach Emma Hayes – already knew: Spain, the top-ranked team in the world, are the first side in decades who can legitimately outclass the US women, long the international standard bearers for the sport.

“They are world class. We are still in progress,” Hayes said after Tuesday’s match. “I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know.”

Hayes made four changes from the starting lineup she rolled out against Spain on Saturday, handing Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce the start in goal, tapping Claire Hutton in midfield, slotting Sanchez on the wing and attempting to shore up her backline with Angel City full-back Gisele Thompson.

The US fared better in the game’s opening 10 minutes than they did for much of Saturday’s decisive loss, but were once again nearly undone by an early defensive lapse. Around the 15-minute mark, Spain attacker Clara Pinedo easily split US defenders Emily Fox and Kennedy Wesley with a perfectly timed run, and her close-range effort from the far side of the box challenged Tullis-Joyce but did not find the back of the net.

Spain’s pair of goals came on opposite sides of the half-hour mark. The first came courtesy of two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who made easy work of a tap-in at the near post. The ball arrived at her feet after a lovely, patient nine-pass sequence by the Spaniards; Barcelona midfielder Clara Serrajordi’s ensuing cross traversed the six-yard box, was deftly stepped over by Pinedo and found Putellas alone to finish her 43rd international goal.

Six minutes later, the US handed Spain another goal. Under duress, Tullis-Joyce played a pass through her own central defenders and directly to Putellas, who strode forward and threaded an angled ball to OL Lyonnes midfielder Salma Paralluelo, who smashed her effort off the underside of the crossbar and into the goal, silencing the 18,648 in attendance in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Once again missing center-back Naomi Girma and midfielder Sam Coffey, the US were exposed badly in defense; Spain, despite missing three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí and a host of others, were rarely challenged – at least not until the game reached its closing stages, and substitutions turned the tide.

“We see the importance of the squad depth and how are players are developing, especially the less-experienced ones,” Hayes said, referring to the changes for both sides.

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The US finally found the back of the net at the 50th minute on the counterattack. Lindsey Heaps collected the ball in the US box and played it upfield to Sophia Wilson, who did well to fight off a defender and sprint upfield, eventually playing across to Sanchez, who rounded her defender and struck an inch-perfect finish past Spain keeper Misa Rodríguez. Sanchez was consistently in dangerous spots for the US.

The Americans finally managed to seize a bit of control in the dying moments, after both teams made wholesale changes, with the equalizer coming again on the counterattack. Debutant Kate Del Fava did well to gain possession in her own half and found Michelle Cooper with a 40-yard, lofted ball. Cooper crossed to Swanson, who did well to finish from the top of the area. Improbably, midfielder Lily Yohannes very nearly won the game for the US in the final minute of stoppage time, with her effort parried just wide by Rodríguez.

“I don’t think the group coming in the second half did themselves any harm,” Hayes said. “They were fearless.”

The US continue to struggle against Spain, and are winless against La Roja in three matches over the last six years. In the interim, Spain have emerged as a dominant force, sharing the same possession-based, positional-play style the Spanish men have employed for decades. Spanish clubs have been rapidly professionalized over the last decade and those same clubs have pumped millions into youth development, populating the national team with a steady stream of young prospects.

The US women look ahead now to a match against a much lesser opponent, albeit in a contest with much higher stakes: they’ll meet El Salvador in the quarter-finals of the Concacaf W Championship on 27 November in Mansfield, Texas, with direct qualification to the 2027 World Cup on the line.