The first international window of 2026 has come and gone for the US women’s national team – though you’d be forgiven if it felt like a continuation of a familiar, looping theme.
Once again, Emma Hayes used the window to examine fresh faces among her incredibly deep player pool. Even considering the constant shuffling under Hayes after the 2024 Olympics, this was an especially experimental squad. Per the federation, the lineup for Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Paraguay featured the fewest average caps for a starting 11 (9.6) in a quarter of a century. On Tuesday, that record was broken again: a 5.2 cap average across the lineup.
For comparison’s sake, the 22 players called in for the Olympics (including alternates) brought an average of 51.4 caps to France.
So while it all feels a bit like a slow saunter in the wilderness, this year will finally provide stakes that force decisions up and down the roster. Consider this a four-point plan to aid your navigation between now and World Cup qualifying in November …
The continued search for a new No 1
Alyssa Naeher’s international retirement wasn’t a surprise in its own right, as several of her teammates from the 2019 World Cup-winning squad were making similar decisions. It did, however, come at a time when the US is without a surefire successor.
Manchester United’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce (four caps, as of 29 January) seems safely in pole position. She seamlessly integrated into the possession scheme last summer and showcased her shot-stopping prowess. Her star has only grown on the back of excellent play with United.
Part of an all-NWSL squad this time around, Mandy McGlynn (five caps) started the window’s first fixture but faced just two shots from an overmatched Paraguay. Claudia Dickey (seven caps) has increasingly gotten looks under Hayes and logged a near-effortless clean sheet in Tuesday’s 5-0 win over Chile; Jordan Silkowitz of Bay FC has yet to make her debut after making the two most recent rosters. Jane Campbell (10 caps) and Angelina Anderson (none) are the others who have earned calls to campover the past 12 months. Naeher’s former backup, Casey Murphy, hasn’t added to her 20 caps since October 2024.
Considering those who have played since the start of 2025, that’s 26 caps across six candidates. In theory, the favourite to start in Brazil next year will need to rack up appearances to refine partnerships with her defense and build the requisite confidence and momentum that comes with regular starts.
Way-too-early prediction: Tullis-Joyce starts the Concacaf W Championship, with McGlynn and Dickey rounding out the selections.
Fox and ??? and Girma and ???
Half of the backline picks itself at this point. Naomi Girma is possibly the most important player to the USWNT at present, one of the world’s best at any position with remarkable poise in possession and vital line-breaking distribution to boot. Emily Fox has vaulted into the conversation for the world’s best right back, starring regularly for Arsenal and being last year’s highest-ranked USWNT player in both the Guardian’s 100 Best list as well as the Ballon d’Or Féminin.
From there, things are more speculative. Left back is an open question as Hayes looks for alternatives to longtime starter Crystal Dunn. Izzy Rodriguez followed last fall’s goalscoring international debut with a steady shift against Paraguay, providing an assist to Ally Sentnor just after half-time. Kate Wiesner is another recent newcomer to the program, while 2025 saw debuts from Lilly Reale – theNWSL’s Rookie of the Year as well as US Soccer’s Young Player of the Year – and Kerry Abello.
Notably, both left backs from the 2024 Olympic squad – Dunn and Jenna Nighswonger – haven’t been selected since June and February, respectively.
There’s a fierce challenge among the center backs to pair with Girma, with her Olympic partner (Tierna Davidson) back in training with Gotham after an ACL tear. Emily Sonnett offers a vital veteran’s presence and has been a natural complement to Girma’s game, but her positional versatility could see Hayes view her in a more fluid role. Jordyn Bugg, 19, has impressed in her first five caps and Emily Sams captained the side on Tuesday, while Tara Rudd (née McKeown) and Eva Gaetano have become regulars on recent squads.
Spare a thought for a fierce competition to back Fox up at right back. Avery Patterson and Gisele Thompson have been impactful when utilized and start regularly for their NWSL clubs.
Way-too-early prediction: Sonnett starts centrally, Reale on the left.
Build a better midfield
Although most of the USWNT’s Olympic run went to plan, the midfield was a notable area of relative disjointedness. Such has been the case for much of the past seven years, since the seamless trio of Julie Ertz, Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle helped the US defend its World Cup title in 2019.
Every mention of Lavelle comes with a “when healthy” caveat, but her ability to operate in transition and bridge the midfield and forward lines makes her invaluable. Lily Yohannes has chipped in some needed long-range distribution and sprayed balls to the flanks for her wingers to track down, while Sam Coffey earned a move to Manchester City on the back of dependable defending and possession retention with the US and the Portland Thorns.
While all three players’ games are natural complements, it would omit the team’s captain, Lindsey Heaps, which seems like a nonstarter given Hayes’ trust in the soon-to-be Denver Summit star. Hayes has mostly deployed Heaps as a number 10, a sensible spot given her instincts as a former striker. However, her approach to the role doesn’t quite provide the same natural bridge between lines that Lavelle offers, with spacing issues readily apparent at the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics alike.
As with most positions, there are plenty of talented options for all three spots. Claire Hutton has shown considerable poise as a 20-year-old alternative to Coffey at the midfield’s base, while Hal Hershfelt was recalled for the first time since 2024 and offers arguably the best aerial prowess of anyone in the pool. Olivia Moultrie has shared time with Yohannes as the more box-to-box midfielder, and Korbin Shrader has already amassed 26 caps since debuting after the 2023 World Cup.
Jaedyn Shaw and Croix Bethune are dynamic alternatives to Lavelle and Heaps in the number 10 role. If Fifa keeps a 23-player squad limit for the World Cup, midfield is the area that will probably see the harshest cuts.
Way-too-early prediction: Lavelle and Bethune alternating at the 10, with Heaps and Coffey further back in the engine room.
Cutting back on the Espresso?
With Trinity Rodman on fresh contractual terms with Washington, and the anticipated returns of Sophia Wilson (Portland) and Mallory Swanson (Chicago) after missing 2025 as they started their families, it’s impossible not to wonder if we’re in for a second batch of “Triple Espresso”.
Rodman captained her national team for the first time this window, capping a headline-demanding offseason that also saw her become the NWSL’s highest-paid player. So long as her back issues don’t resurface, she is among the first names on Hayes’ team sheet and a danger down the right flank for any opponent to contain.
Wilson’s absence has left the USWNT with a rotation of strikers, with Catarina Macario re-establishing herself within Hayes’ core on the back of dependable performances. However, Macario has become a rotational figure at Chelsea, and is already being linked to an NWSL move as she nears the end of her contract.
Swanson’s status in the program’s lore is forever established, as a member of the 2019 World Cup winners and the decisive gold-winning goalscorer at the 2024 Olympics. Perhaps surprisingly, she hasn’t scored a competitive goal since for club or country alike; while 2024 was a high point at the international level, the club season saw her struggle to regain her trademark shot power and finesse following the previous year’s patellar tendon tear.
In preseason, the Stars have eased expectations for Swanson to return imminently, with new coach Martin Sjögren projecting her to come back “later in the year.”
Her maternity leave coincided with the full breakout of Alyssa Thompson, who was electric with Angel City and has immediately become a key part of Sonia Bompastor’s plans at Chelsea. Like Swanson, Thompson has an ability to manoeuvre in transition and create her own shot after bypassing opponents on her dribble that is a dangerous complement to Rodman’s more cross-capable approach.
Other young players have stepped up since the Olympics. Emma Sears is a dribbling ace with impressive finishing chops, Michelle Cooper has a high work rate in all phases and has added considerable end product to her game with KC Current, and Ally Sentnor has contributed truly remarkable goals while playing multiple roles around the final third.
There may be champagne selection issues abound for Hayes across the entire field, but no cabinet is richer than the forward line.
Way-too-early prediction: Rodman on the right, Wilson at striker, and Thompson from the left.
