2 months ago
Sophia Wilson will make her long-awaited return to nan US women’s nationalist squad adjacent week, arsenic portion of a 23-player roster named by Emma Hayes for a trio of friendlies against Japan.
Wilson past appeared for nan US connected 27 October 2024, entering arsenic a sub against Iceland successful a friendly. She announced her gestation successful March 2025 and did not look for nan US aliases nine squad Portland Thorns that year. Her girl Gianna was calved successful September 2025. The 25-year-old Wilson made her return from maternity time off for nan Thorns past period and started her first crippled past play successful a triumph complete nan Kansas City Current.
Gotham FC defender Tierna Davidson besides returns to nan USWNT aft missing astir a twelvemonth pinch a torn ACL. She has travel disconnected nan chair successful each of Gotham’s past 3 matches successful NWSL play.
Japan won nan AFC Women’s Asian Cup earlier this twelvemonth successful ascendant fashion, conceding only 1 extremity and scoring 29 en way to nan location crown. The US first play Japan connected 11 April astatine 5.30pm ET successful San Jose, California, past again connected 14 April astatine 10pm ET successful Seattle. The bid finishes connected 17 April successful suburban Denver, wherever nan teams will footwear disconnected astatine 9pm ET.
Here’s what to cognize astir this roster.
You again!
After aggregate windows of world debuts, callups elevated from nan younker nationalist teams and testing somewhat chartless quantities, Hayes’s astir notable inclusions are a trio of reigning golden badge winners.
Davidson has proven a earthy complement to Naomi Girma on nan back, offering a veteran’s consciousness successful each phases, tin aerial defending and vulnerable line-breaking distribution.
Jane Campbell is besides backmost among nan goalkeepers, having seemingly supplanted Casey Murphy arsenic this cycle’s resident veteran. Campbell has agelong been among nan NWSL’s champion goalkeepers pinch nan Houston Dash, and is simply a viable contender to gain starts.
Inevitably, nan brightest spotlight will autumn connected Wilson. She has shown ample inaugural disconnected nan shot and successful pressing arsenic she useful to get backmost to her world-class champion successful beforehand of goal. While she has yet to people , she’s already logged 158 minutes crossed 4 games, including 67 minutes past play against Kansas City.
A crystallizing core
While Hayes’s expansive research of examining nan extent of nan USWNT excavation gave 27 players their world debuts, nan nearing Concacaf W Championship – and, done it, qualification for nan 2027 Women’s World Cup successful Brazil – has forced her to found immoderate continuity. Given nan ample turnover since nan Paris Olympics, it’s worthy identifying nan players who person been selected much often than not successful caller windows.
Campbell joins Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Claudia Dickey successful nan goalkeeping corps. Tullis-Joyce has had a beardown play pinch Manchester United, and held Bayern Munich scoreless successful nan opening limb of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final. Dickey is backmost betwixt nan sticks pinch Seattle Reign, having performed good capable successful US camps to support Tullis-Joyce from cementing herself arsenic Alyssa Naeher’s successor. All 3 are viable options to commencement adjacent summer.
Davidson ever felt for illustration a halfway personnel moreover aft her latest year-long absence, but seeing her connected this squad helps reenforce nan program’s religion successful her fittingness contempt logging conscionable 74 minutes successful nan young NWSL season. Girma and Emily Sonnett are chap Olympic holdovers who Hayes trusts, while Emily Sams (who won a golden badge arsenic an unused substitute but debuted aft nan Olympics) and Kennedy Wesley information retired nan center-backs. Emily Fox is dependable arsenic they get astatine correct back, while Lilly Reale is nan reigning young subordinate of nan twelvemonth and a frontrunner to commencement connected nan left. Avery Patterson and Gisele Thompson are tin of fitting successful some full-back spots.
Midfield sees nan fewest surprises. Sam Coffey and Claire Hutton are top-level protect midfielders, capable to surface nan backline and clasp possession pinch tidy passing. Olivia Moultrie brings a box-to-box attack to cardinal midfield, while Lily Yohannes offers world-class diagonal playmaking and helps nan forwards onslaught abstraction down nan backline. Rose Lavelle is successful arguably nan finest shape of her storied profession complete nan past year, while Lindsey Heaps and Jaedyn Shaw connection different looks successful nan No 10 role.
Wilson was sorely missed arsenic this squad struggled to place a 2nd surefire striker, but Ally Sentnor’s dynamism and expertise to driblet heavy toward midfield make her a threat successful starts and substitute shifts alike. Alyssa Thompson and Trinity Rodman are among nan world’s astir move wingers, while Michelle Cooper and Jameese Joseph connection multi-role elasticity and increasing extremity product. Emma Sears is simply a menace dribbling down nan flank, capable to hit debased protect blocks pinch her world-class shot power astatine apical speed.
The kids are each right
While nan goalkeepers are successful their diversion primes betwixt 26 and 31, nan different position groups each see rather a fewer up-and-comers. Full-backs Patterson, Reale and Thompson are each 23 aliases younger. Girma, Wesley, Davidson and Sams are 27 aliases under. Moultrie (20) and Yohannes (18) are nan pool’s champion midfield progressors, while Hutton (20) tin spell toe-to-toe successful immoderate midfield battle. Shaw (21), Sentnor (22), Joseph (23), Cooper (23) and Sears (25) each look to person untapped imaginable successful spite of their accordant performances. And, fixed their successes successful nan NWSL and WSL, it boggles nan mind to retrieve that Rodman and Thompson are conscionable 23 and 21, respectively.
World, beryllium warned: nan USWNT is built for now and nan foreseeable future.
US roster
Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Lilly Reale (Gotham), Emily Sams (Angel City), Emily Sonnett (Gotham), Gisele Thompson (Angel City), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)
Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Manchester City), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Bay FC), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)
Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns)
