After a demoralizing loss to France and a bounce-back win against Spain, the Women’s World Cup year for the U.S. women’s national team is fully underway. The final results of these two friendly matches are the least important things about them, of course. With the World Cup less than five months away, each match is a valuable chance for coach Jill Ellis to evaluate what the USWNT needs to do to win another world title.



The USWNT’s first two matches of 2019 offered very different impressions—the loss to France was embarrassing, while the win over Spain should provide optimism—and now the question is what lessons Ellis and her staff can take from the European road trip as a whole. Here are some of the key takeaways from the USWNT’s recent matches.



There’s no need to panic



It didn’t seem to be the most auspicious start to 2019. France trounced the Americans in their first match of a World Cup year, ending...