U.S. women's coach Emma Hayes plans to give Europe-based players ‘much needed break' this summer
United States women's head soccer coach Emma Hayes plans to give Europe-based players a 'much-needed break' this summer and instead will rely on a pool of almost exclusively domestic talent for the upcoming international window.
In an interview with ESPN on Tuesday night, Hayes said the only Europe-based player she expects to call up is Chelsea defender Naomi Girma. The vice-captain and defender returned from injury to the national team for the first time in 2025 earlier this month.
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'This is the first opportunity, and the only one for them, to take a break between now and the World Cup in two years,' Hayes said, 'and player welfare and rest and recovery are also important for these players.'
The USWNT has a pair of friendlies against Ireland in late June in Colorado and Ohio, followed by a match against Canada in Washington, D.C., on July 2.
The decision to rest players, Hayes said, was collaborative with input from the USWNT's medical and performance teams. They accounted for the number of games played, lengths of players' seasons and their frequency of games, beginning with the 2023 World Cup.
This year offers a rare respite from international competitions for U.S. national team players. World Cup qualifying begins next year, followed by the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and then the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Hayes pointed to players like Arsenal's Emily Fox and Lyon's Lindsey Heaps, who in the past two years had little to no time off due to a packed international calendar that transitions quickly into their club seasons in Europe.
'In Europe, players play for 10.5, 11 months, Hayes said. 'And with those tournaments and the way that they take place, sort of in late summer in (the) football calendar, meant that they were literally getting a week's break and going back into a full 11-month season.'
Fox, for example, helped Arsenal lift the UEFA Women's Champions League trophy on May 24 in Lisbon, Portugal, before flying to the national team camp in Minnesota in June. Arsenal's preseason is set to begin in July.
'It means the player doesn't get an offseason, which in the short term, doesn't have a negative impact on the U.S. women's national team, but when we factor in the World Cup, followed by an Olympics 12 months later, this is the only real opportunity that they can have an off season,' Hayes said. 'We don't necessarily decide the international calendar, but this is one where we think it's in the best interest for the players.'
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Most of the players called up for this next training camp will likely be from the NWSL, which will break from its regular season in July. This upcoming roster also has the potential for some USWNT veterans to return to the fold.
Hayes hinted at midfielder Rose Lavelle making her return to the national stage after a six-month absence following ankle surgery. She had a successful return to the club stage with Gotham over the weekend, despite the team falling to Kansas City Current, 2-1.
'Very much hope that she will be with us in camp,' Hayes said. 'She's had, as she calls it, you know, a very lengthy layoff. … I think it was great for her to make an appearance at the weekend, but we miss her at the national team.'
Hayes also told ESPN that forward Trinity Rodman will remain absent from this upcoming window, as the 23-year-old continues to wrestle with an ongoing back injury. She anticipates her return to the Washington Spirit 'in July at some point.'
'She's in great spirits, and I know we're moving in the right direction with Trin,' Hayes said. 'Both club and country have been working hard to get her to this stage.'
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