Two months after winning Olympic gold, Emma Hayes and the U.S. women’s national team will be back on the pitch this month for friendlies against Iceland and Argentina. If you thought that the USWNT’s gold-winning squad was set for the near future, think again: Hayes has opted to bring on several talented, uncapped players for the October window.
U.S. Soccer announced Hayes’ October roster Thursday, and while there are several familiar faces, there are some news ones as well. Of the 26-person roster, 18 who played on the Olympic squad are returning to camp in October. However, six players on the roster are uncapped, with five of those six coming from NWSL squads.
In a news conference Thursday, Hayes said that she asked for 26 roster spots instead of 23 so that she could bring in more new players. Under the USWNT collective bargaining agreement, all of the Olympic gold medalists were required to be on the roster for the Olympic victory tour, per Hayes. (Four of the Olympic players — Tierna Davidson (knee injury), Crystal Dunn (personal commitments), Trinity Rodman (back injury) and Croix Bethune (torn meniscus) — are out due to various reasons, leaving a few more spots open.)
The October window includes three games (two against Iceland and one against Argentina), which is one more than in a typical window. While next month will have a massive away matchup against England at Wembley Stadium, this month gives Hayes a little more flexibility. Because of that, the USWNT coach said that she will cycle through players more throughout, and said that there are likely to be three very different rosters for each game.
“This is the one moment I will look to do it,” Hayes said. “This is the window for me to see some of the talent pool beyond the players selected to the Olympics.”
Hayes has spent the past few weeks on a tour of NWSL squads, attending and observing several league games across the country. Although Hayes has said that the USWNT January camp will be a “futures camp” designed to evaluate up-and-coming prospects (which U.S. Soccer confirmed in Thursday’s release), she has opted to bring in some of that talent a little early.
Two of the uncapped players — Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams and Washington Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt — went to Paris with the team, but did not play. Another, PSG center back Eva Gaetino, was called up for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, but did not make the field either.
The other three uncapped players have been named to the roster for the first time, with NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Yazmeen Ryan, Bay FC defender Alyssa Malonson and rookie Racing Louisville forward Emma Sears all getting their first chances at the senior international level. Ryan, a versatile 25-year-old midfielder who has had two stellar seasons with Gotham, has been a popular name among fans as someone who deserved a chance at a call-up.
Forward Alyssa Thompson, who was the youngest member of the USWNT squad at the 2023 World Cup but has not been on a U.S. roster since, is back in the lineup. Midfielder Ashley Sanchez has also returned to the USWNT lineup for the first time since 2023. Jaedyn Shaw, who was part of the Olympic squad but suffered an injury prior to the tournament, is also back on the roster.
Hayes said Thursday that the U.S. has a wealth of talent that she can pull from when she’s determining call-ups, which can make decisions difficult.
“The U.S. could quite easily put two teams out,” she said. “There’s always, always going to be players that are missing, and there are players that are outside of this roster that equally deserve to be in.”
Although there are several U-20 players who could have been called up for this window, Hayes said that she opted to wait until November or the futures camp, given that many of those players are coming off their bronze-medal finish at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The October window will include three games: Friendlies against Iceland on Oct. 24 in Austin, Texas, and Oct. 27 in Nashville, Tennessee, and a matchup against Argentina on Oct. 30 in Louisville, Kentucky. USWNT great Kelley O’Hara, who is retiring this year, will be honored at the Oct. 27 game.
Goalkeepers (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 8), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 19), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 112)
Defenders (9): Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 57/1), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 0/0), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 40/0), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit; 56/0), Hailie Mace (Kansas City Current; 8/0), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC; 0/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 15/2), Emily Sams (Orland Pride; 0/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 99/2)
Midfielders (7): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 18/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 24/1), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 156/35), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 106/24), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 4/2), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage; 27/3)
Forwards (7): Yazmeen Ryan (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 0/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 0/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 16/7), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 56/23), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars; 100/38), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 9/0), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 71/19)
