
New year, new faces for US team navigating life without Naeher
Naeher stepped down from international duties late last year after keeping 12 clean sheets and conceding only a dozen goals in 22 starts at the World Cup and Olympics, helping the U.S. team to their fifth gold in Paris.
When they open their latest SheBelieves campaign against Colombia on Thursday, the team will look to either 2023 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Jane Campbell or Utah Royals' Mandy McGlynn, who has made only one appearance for the U.S.
"With both of them, they're both extremely talented and again, both very eager to just get on the field, get the connections, get the relationships and show what they have," Arsenal right back Emily Fox told reporters on Tuesday.
Campbell and McGlynn are far from the only candidates to replace Naeher, however, with Paris Olympic backup Casey Murphy a prime choice along with Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
"We have so much talent in our goalkeeper pool," said defensive midfielder Sam Coffey.
"It is a really exciting time and opportunity for them to kind of come into this position where it's kind of open and there is an opportunity to really, you know, take a shot at it."
The United States play in their 10th SheBelieves Cup without some of their most familiar faces, as Trinity Rodman recovers from a back injury and Mallory Swanson opts out due to personal reasons.
The third member of the U.S. attacking trio, Sophia Wilson - who changed her last name from "Smith" after marrying NFL wide receiver Michael Wilson last month - is also regaining her competitive strength, U.S. Soccer said.
Four of the seven forwards called up have four or fewer caps for the senior national team, while fans will cheer the return of Chelsea forward Catarina Macario, who had to withdraw from the U.S. Olympic team due to knee irritation.
"While it's a totally different vibe and there's a lot of new energy, fresh faces and, you know, there's challenges in navigating that in certain moments, I think there's so much opportunity for us as a team to continue to deepen our player pool, to continue to layer in our understanding of tactics and the way we want to play," said Coffey.
The United States play their first match of the four-team invitational round robin tournament against Colombia at Houston's Shell Energy Stadium, while Japan and Australia face off on Thursday at the same venue.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
England's Marlie Packer: ‘This team is No 1 in the world – we're going to be under scrutiny'
'If you asked me at the start of pre-season: 'Am I going to this World Cup?' No. I didn't think I was going,' says the former England captain Marlie Packer. Self-doubt around her selection may surprise a lot of people. A World Cup winner in 2014, the 35-year-old will compete in her fourth successive global showpiece for the Red Roses after being duly confirmed in the 32-player squad for the host nation. But Packer has been through a lot in the past 12 months. She was named world player of the year in 2023 and during the two seasons that she led England, the side won all 20 games. Then, in January, the openside flanker had the captaincy taken away, with the second-row Zoe Aldcroft given the armband. Packer was made a vice-captain for the 2025 Six Nations but was included in only two matchday squads. Defiance and determination have been hallmarks of her 111-cap international career. She has built a resilience and is keen to push the message that whatever is right for the team to put them in the best position to win the World Cup when it gets under way on 22 August is the decision she will always agree with. But she also describes decisions out of her control in 2025 as 'tough'. When asked which hurt more, having the captaincy taken from her or being left out of matchday squads Packer lets out a little laugh, looks away out of the window and is a little emotional before saying: 'That's a question isn't it?' She adds: 'When me and Mitch [the coach John Mitchell] sat down and talked about the captaincy, I am an openside flanker and what he sees and wants from his flanker is to cover six and eight; I don't cover six and eight in the role he wants it to be. 'The game has changed and evolved, that is the way he wants to play. I knew if I wasn't starting that I am more likely not to be in that matchday 23. He has told me that in black and white. I know where I stand and where I sit. 'Anything can happen, injuries happen so I always have to make sure I am ready. But with that, all I can keep doing is when we do extras at the end of training sessions I am showing I am upskilling myself in those areas so if I ever was called upon I know I can do what is asked of me. That's all I can do. 'I'm not going to lie to you and sit here and say that being left out of the matchday 23 wasn't hard but what happened is that even though I wasn't in the matchday 23, I still travelled with the squad, I was still a massive part of it. I felt so much value in that.' Nonetheless, being left out for the France game at Twickenham – when England squeaked to a 43-42 victory to seal their grand slam in April – stung. 'It's always tough not to be selected for the France game,' Packer says. 'Playing at Allianz Stadium is everything. Two years ago when I captained my country to a world-record crowd and my son was mascot, that is one moment I bottle up and it means everything. 'But at the start of the game week [in 2025] Mitch says: 'I want you in the coaching box with us.' The value of learning what it's like to be up there, what he is thinking, what he is seeing, the plans. You're in the know, you're trusted. That does mean a lot. 'He'll say it; it's one man's decision and it's tough. But he genuinely cares and I know he does and I genuinely care about him and this squad as well.' Mitchell was full of praise for Packer at the World Cup squad announcement and it is clear she remains a key aspect of the Red Roses machine. She is also one of the most experienced in the squad with only Emily Scarratt – who is poised to feature in her fifth tournament – having played in more. But still doubt remained in her mind over her own selection. 'Oh yeah,' Packer responds when asked if there were any worries around her selection. '100%, of course. Any athlete would tell you that in any sport. If you get comfortable being where you are then it's going to get taken from underneath you. 'You get swamped down with things but you have to keep pushing yourself to be the best of the best. We ain't got time for people to be complacent in their role and in their job. We need to keep elevating each other and being the best of the best because that is the difference between winning and losing a World Cup. 'I put myself in the best possible step to go to this World Cup. I came into pre-season, I felt fit, strong, and good. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion 'I am actually really happy … with Mitch's communication with me about where I am going, what his thinking was and what his decisions were looking like over the warm-up games and pool games. For me I know where I'm at, head down, keep going, keep working hard and keep elevating everyone around me.' The warm-ups have not gone completely to plan, though, with Packer being sent off against Spain on 2 August, risking a suspension that would rule her out of the tournament. A disciplinary panel, however, handed her only a one-game ban, putting her out of the warm-up against France, but leaving her free to play at the World Cup. This may be Packer's fourth World Cup but it is her first at home, something she describes as the 'icing on the cake' with the cherry coming if the team win the trophy. The tournament has already broken records, selling the most tickets of any Women's Rugby World Cup with 350,000 sold so far. The final at Twickenham is expected to be sold out which would set a new milestone for the highest-attended women's rugby game. The Red Roses have the opportunity to do something special by winning the trophy at home but they have fallen at the last hurdle in the previous two tournaments, losing both finals to New Zealand. The talk around that will inevitably grow the further England go in the competition but it is apparently not a focus in the Red Roses camp. Packer says: 'That was three years ago and the one before that was eight years ago, there is no point living in the past. This is a whole new group of players. This is a whole new coaching staff apart from Deacs [the forwards coach Louis Deacon]. You have to be in the here and now. 'The media can say and do whatever they want. Some players are going to read into it, some won't but it's what we know within. That's all that matters. 'We know we are going to be under scrutiny, we are the Red Roses. We have been a professional team for a lot longer than a lot of these other nations. We are the team that is ranked No 1 in the world with the highest-ever ranking that has ever been in rugby – not just women's rugby. We are an outfit that can be scrutinised but what we know is we have got to keep living in the moment and enjoying it.' For Packer, past World Cups are chapters already written. Now, with doubts behind her and selection secured, her eyes are on the story England aim to write in this one.


Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Is Rooney the next Lineker? He was more articulate than I expected on Match of the Day
On the face of it, it should not be a problem. One person leaves Match of the Day and is replaced by another. But when the person leaving is Gary Lineker, it all becomes a bit more difficult. Remember, he has been the man in situ for about a quarter of a century. He won the golden boot at a World Cup and never got booked, despite spending much of his playing career in that jungle of the opposition penalty area. So his footballing experience and knowledge was second to none. All right, he got up his employers' noses a few times recently which has resulted in him leaving the BBC before next summer's World Cup. Who to replace him? Well, with seemingly no one obvious candidate, you hedge your bets and hire three. Mark Chapman, very experienced; Gabby Logan, who covers a wide range of sports in exemplary fashion, and Kelly Cates, who has been presenting at Sky Sports for a number of years. But here comes the complicated bit: which of them does what? Chapman presented Match of the Day on Saturday night but not before the evening's Sky football presentation by Cates. Cates had already made her BBC bow earlier in the week by presenting the Uefa Super Cup highlights between Paris St-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night. Then it was all change on Sunday, as Logan presented the weekend's second helping of Match of the Day, which has replaced what we used to know as Match of the Day 2. One week in and we already have our first look at each of the three new presenters that will frequent our screens this season. As I understand it, there will be no absolute hierarchy among the three, but each will work across the channels as and when required. This is in marked contrast to when broadcasters were immensely protective of their talent and prevented them from working for other channels. It was a completely different scenario when I left Match of the Day. ITV had taken the Premier League away from the BBC and so there were no Match of the Day highlights to worry about until it regained the broadcast rights for the 2004-05 season. This situation, and the new set-up, is so different from anything the BBC has done before, so watching how it evolves this season will be fascinating. Among several things to note about the first Match of the Day, Wayne Rooney was alongside Alan Shearer on the pundits' bench. Match of the Day may have lost one former England great who scored 48 goals for his country, but it appears to have gained another who not only scored 53 goals himself, but also captained the Three Lions. It would seem that Rooney is being groomed for more appearances and he is surprisingly more articulate than one might expect. Maybe he will move into the presenter's seat like Lineker did, but he will have to shake off the reputation of his unsuccessful period in management.


Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Aussie Olympian welcomes baby boy and reveals his adorable name: 'We love you so much'
Olympian Mariafe Artacho del Solar has welcomed a baby boy with her husband Jack Curtin. The 31-year-old took to social media to announce the happy news and reveal the newborn's adorable name. 'Luka Michael Curtin arrived in the world on Saturday, the 9th of August,' wrote the beach volleyball champion. 'We love you so much, our darling boy! Mariafe, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, included a gallery of cute pictures of her newborn in the Instagram post. In one snap, Luka, wrapped up in his cot in a thick blanket, can be seen sporting an impressive head of dark hair. Mariafe posted another photo of her little boy dressed in an oversized cardigan with a 'welcome world' sign. It wasn't long before the couple were inundated with well wishes. 'Congratulations!!!' wrote Australian swimmer Cam McEvoy, who welcomed his first child only last month. 'Beautiful, congrats guys,' added Steeplechase competitor Gen Gregson, who was part of the Australian Paris 2024 team. 'He's finally here!! Congratulations. Luka is gorgeous,' wrote swimmer Shayna Jack. Mariafe made headlines in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics alongside teammate Taliqua Clancy when the pair brought home the silver medal in the beach volleyball finals. The dogged pair competed in a gruelling match against the US team of April Ross and Alix Klineman on Friday, hoping to win Australia's second gold medal in the sport. The pair had earlier defeated Latvia in straight sets winning 23-21 and 21-13 in just 43 minutes, which sent them into the final. But the American proved too good. Mariafe had played in the 2016 Games with her then partner Nicole Laird and didn't win a game while Clancy made it to the quarter-finals with her former teammate Louise Bawden. The new duo got together in 2017 and won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Mariafe, who was born in Peru, moved to Australia when she was 11 with her mother and in 2012 relocated to Adelaide to take up a beach volleyball scholarship. In 2024 Mariafe announced she had no plans to retire. 'I've always wanted to make it to five Olympics, finishing at home in Brisbane [in 2032],' she said. 'So I'd love to come back for it. We'll see what life has in store,' reported Seven News at the time.