Sonia Bermudez Prepares Spain for Tougher United States Test

Spain women's national team coach Sonia Bermudez said she expects a demanding second meeting with the United States and confirmed Alexia Putellas will make her 150th appearance for Spain in the upcoming match. The comments came during a press conference before the teams meet again after Spain's 2-0 win in Washington.

Bermudez said the rematch will provide another opportunity to test Spain against different playing styles as the team continues preparations for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. According to the coach, Spain wants to evaluate structures and players before the tournament.

"We want to test ourselves against the best teams, with different profiles; we have played European teams, we want to play against all types of styles. These two matches will be very difficult, tomorrow's will be completely different from the one we played. They are very important matches, and although there is another friendly window with different opponents, there is still a long way to think about the World Cup," said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.

The coach added that the squad is focused on short-term objectives and using the match to experiment with tactical options.

"We were very clear that we wanted to play with different styles to test different structures, different players, for when that moment arrives," said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.

Bermudez also assessed the previous 2-0 victory over the United States and highlighted that small details decided the outcome.

"Matches are won by small details. Looking at the game, I would not go back three years, but to the match the other day. We could have been much better, but we had possession of the ball; I heard they had chances to score, and we did too.

Both teams created many chances. Watching the match again, I realized the chances they created came from our mistakes, and we will try to correct them for tomorrow's match," said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.

She said Spain has improved physically compared with previous years and emphasized the competitive mentality of current players.

"What matters is efficiency in the final third and that is where the difference is. From three years ago until now, Spain has evolved a lot physically, which was the weakness when I played. The footballers now live for football and have a competitive mentality. We have to keep working so the new generations can maintain that level," said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.

Bermudez rejected the idea that the match should be treated as insignificant because it is a friendly and said both teams will approach it seriously.

"There are no friendly matches" said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.

"We come to win. Beyond having some players who play more regularly, we want to test different footballers and different structures. Of course we want to win, we are very competitive countries that want to win every match.

We will try to stop their transitions. We want to draw conclusions from different structures, positions and players. Beyond the result, we will value other things," said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.

Bermudez confirmed Alexia Putellas is fit and will reach the milestone of 150 matches for Spain, becoming the first Spanish player to achieve that figure.

"Tomorrow Alexia plays her 150th match; we will see if she starts or comes on later, but she will play her 150th match no matter what. It is a unique statistic and very difficult to achieve, she would be the first Spain player to reach this figure," said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.

"Everyone knows who Alexia is, a reference both on and off the field. She is an inspiration for recent generations and future generations. We will be fortunate to see her in those 150 matches, and hopefully there will be many more.

She will play as many as she feels she should. We have a lot more Alexia ahead. Hopefully we can celebrate those 150 matches with a victory," said Sonia Bermudez, Spain head coach.