US women's national soccer team loss to Spain was an ugly result for all involved | Opinion

There are some results that are ugly in the moment, and others that look worse as time goes on. 

This is one of those games.

The U.S. women will likely be fine, despite the 2-0 upset by Spain's B team on Tuesday that gave the four-time World Cup champions consecutive losses for the first time in five years. While the Americans will never be happy with a loss -- there's a reason they're firmly entrenched as the world's No. 1 team -- context is needed with this one. 

The USWNT was missing some of its best players on this quick trip to Europe, including Alex Morgan, Mallory Pugh, Catarina Macario, Julie Ertz, Tierna Davidson and Sam Mewis. Crystal Dunn is still working her way back after having son Marcel in May. 

It's also only been a week since the release of the Yates report that laid bare, in damning and graphic detail, a culture of systemic abuse in the NWSL and indifference to it by league and U.S. Soccer officials. Of course the players are feeling the weight of all that; adept as they are at handling all kinds of challenges, they are still human.

Lastly, the USWNT fell flat in Europe ahead of both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and things worked out OK for them at those tournaments.

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Now that's not to say Nike can go ahead and start making a five-star jersey ahead of next summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. This is a young and inexperienced team, and the gap that once existed between the USWNT and the best European teams has all but closed. 

"That’s why we came here, to learn more about us before the World Cup. Hopefully get prepared better for the World Cup," coach Vlatko Andonovski said. "It’s a tough moment for us as a team, but we’re hoping we’re going to learn a lot from it." 

But the larger concern is for the team that won.

It is easy to see Spanish officials taking the win as a sign they were right to take a hard line against 15 players who've been blackballed after calling for better treatment and double down on their support for coach Jorge Vilda. If Vilda can lead a B team to a win over the mighty Americans, why should Spain bother with those ungrateful women ever again? 

The women are not ungrateful, of course. They have complaints about training conditions, treatment of injuries and Vilda's team selections, and said in a letter to the federation that being part of the team has "significantly" affected their "emotional state" and health.

The letter was signed by 15 of Spain's top players. Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, who is injured, did not sign the letter but later said she supported her teammates. 

 Despite the team's toxic history -- longtime former coach Ignacio Quereda was accused by former players of verbal abuse, homophobia and a general culture of fear -- federation officials sided with Vilda. Not only that, they berated the players for speaking up. 

"The (federation) is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” Spain's federation said in a statement. 

The players would only be welcomed back, the federation added, if they "accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness.”

That kind of condescension and, let's be honest, misogyny has no place in women's sports, as the Yates report showed. When women speak out, there is good reason. 

"It’s uncomfortable to know just the general level of disrespect for women’s teams and women’s players around the world," Megan Rapinoe said last week. 

"It seems a little immature from the Spanish federation, to be honest," she added. "I think they should be sitting down and having conversations and at least listening to the players. Doesn’t seem like they’re doing that at all."

It's doubtful this win will change their minds, and that is bad for Spain's players, bad for the federation and bad for all of women's soccer. Federations need to be doing more, not less, to protect and empower their players so no other women have to endure the awful abuse the Yates report made public. 

This game will be recorded as a loss for the U.S. women but, really, it was a loss for everyone involved.  

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.