Why Japan friendlies are the perfect World Cup preparation for the USWNT
Full Time: A show about women's soccer
The Athletic
4.8 • 807 Ratings
🗓️ 8 April 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This April, United States Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes has booked three friendlies against Japan with the intention of giving her team the perfect preparation for next summer’s Women’s World Cup. So, what makes Japan the ideal opponent for the USWNT to go head-to-head with? How will the three lineups look different? And, what is it about Japan’s style of play that will help iron sharpen iron?
On this episode of Full Time, hosts Jillian Sakovits and Tamerra Griffin look into the past, present, and future of the rivalry between the United States and Japan. From the three consecutive finals between 2011 and 2015, to the nail-biting recent encounters, including their most recent bout at the SheBelieves Cup, where Japan upset their hosts 2-1. Hayes believes that Japan are a strong contender to win the 2027 World Cup, but does the podcast panel agree?
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits, Tamerra Griffin
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Referenced on the show:
Sophia Wilson back with USWNT: ‘I’m in a really great place right now’
World Cup prep continues vs. Japan
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It reminds me of like when I used to play. Like you, there was that opponent that you always, you like didn't even hide how much you were looking forward to playing them because you just knew, regardless of the result, that you were going to get better as a result of it. And that's what I mean when I say respect. Yeah. And that's exactly Emma Hayes's outlook, obviously, in booking this team three times that, yeah, okay, |
| 0:21.5 | it's not going to be a foul city like we saw a few weeks ago, but it is going to be good methodical |
| 0:27.8 | soccer. So rivalry is a tough word because the U.S. is dominated, but I still think when you've |
| 0:33.9 | been, like, defined by big moments, it almost can jumpstart into that. |
| 0:43.3 | Hello, everybody, a very warm welcome to full time. Jillian Sackavits with you today on today's show. |
| 0:56.4 | This is your primer on all things, |
| 1:01.1 | the Japanese women's national team as we get set for a rare treat as the second ranked U.S. women's national team is set to face eighth ranked. Japan three times over seven days. |
| 1:07.6 | It all kicks off on Saturday night. For Emma Hayes, it's a crucial test against a |
| 1:12.2 | respected opponent with the World Cup just 14 months away. While the U.S. has had the upper hand |
| 1:17.9 | in this one, this matchup has been defined by the biggest moments, but all of them coming now |
| 1:23.1 | about a decade or so ago. Two World Cup finals, an Olympic gold medal match. |
| 1:28.4 | So on today's show, we answer the questions, is the heat back between these two rivals, |
| 1:34.4 | should we call them, and are Japan World Cup 2027 contenders? |
| 1:42.9 | And as per usual, on every Wednesday, there is no way I could get us through this show by myself. |
| 1:49.2 | So now we bring in Tamara Griffin. Hello, Tamara. |
| 1:51.8 | Hi, Jill. |
| 1:53.1 | How are you? |
| 1:54.9 | I am basking in the afterglow of a recent birthday. I turned 36 on Monday. What a horrible co-host I am. |
| 2:05.4 | No, no, no, it's fine. This was supposed to be the birthday episode. I forgot. Happy |
| 2:12.5 | no, no, it's fine. I told our producer, Theo, and he was like, oh, yeah, because you are always going on about Aries, which is fair. |
| 2:20.4 | Duh. |
| 2:21.3 | Yeah, you only took this off 600 times and we didn't take the bait. |
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