• Guijarro and Navarro score in opening 14 minutes

• US midfield and defensive lapses exposed by Spain

• Yohannes misses penalty as US fightback falls short

In less than a year’s time, the United States and Spain will almost certainly arrive in Brazil as the top two contenders to win the Women’s World Cup. Spain, holders of the top spot in Fifa’s rankings for the past 60 weeks, are the defending champions; the second-ranked US won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This month’s pair of friendlies between the two sides are taking place with caveats. Both sides are missing several of their most important players to injuries. The opening match in Brazil is 258 days away. Spain have booked their place, but the US still have to actually qualify for the World Cup, through a regional tournament that begins next month.

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© Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

© Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

© Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Anthony Tommasini (LitHub, 9/10/26), "Beauty in Ambiguity: On Marian Anderson's Lifelong Love For Schubert": "When selecting songs ... she always looked first to Schubert, 'the composer I love best,' who wrote 'hundreds of them,' each 'more beautiful than the last.'" E.g.: Ständchen (No. 4 in D. 957); Der Tod und das Mädchen (D. 531); Ave Maria (D. 839); and Erlkönig (D. 328) i.e. Goethe's poem based on a ballad also adapted in Benedikte Naubert's 1792 "The Erl-King's Daughter." Classical Voice North America on Tommasini: Anderson "feared she would be remembered for breaking barriers rather than for her artistry." At LitHub, Tommasini discusses "Wohin?" and "Ungeduld" from D. 795, but also "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child." He mentions Roland Hayes singing Schubert as an influence. At Largehearted Boy, he makes more suggestions.