The USWNT's domestic-heavy roster can benefit their World Cup yearning

The Guardian

10 hours ago

While national teams in Europe, Africa and South America prepare for the biggest tournaments in their region, the US women's national team convene this month for three friendlies with a unique approach. For back-to-back tests against Republic of Ireland followed by a meeting with Canada, nearly all of their Europe-based players are on vacation.
'We've left out the vast majority of players that are playing in Europe bar one, and that's Naomi Girma,' said the head coach, Emma Hayes. 'The rest of those players have been playing non-stop [for the] last two years without a summer break and this is the only opportunity they will get for a much-needed break. It also gives us the chance to play players who are playing domestically.'
The USWNT have their eye on winning the 2027 World Cup. Hayes' decision to prepare for that by deferring her Europe-based players to the next window, which is not until the autumn, is a calculated call and one that could bolster the team's chances long-term. In a sport rife with injury amid oversaturated calendars – in addition to the often-overlooked impact of mental health – Hayes is prioritising rest for the likes of Arsenal's Emily Fox, Chelsea's Catarina Macario, OL Lyonnes's Lindsey Horan and Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
The decision is in character with Hayes' approach over the past year as she carefully plans for the individual development and health of each player via the process of periodisation and, in the process, vets a wider playing pool. The timing also provides sharp relief to the tumultuous state of the US men's squad which, too, is lacking Europe-based talent, though in its case due to injuries, uncertain club situations, continued club duty or, in the case of Christian Pulisic, a personal and controversial request for a break. Hayes' strategy is an attempt to pre-empt the exact same situation for the women's team's two years out from their most important event.
Hayes's 25-woman squad contains six uncapped players and four entirely new names. There are 10 defenders in the squad, including Girma, and US fans can expect various permutations in the backline. There will certainly be experimentation at full-back, with Kansas City's Izzy Rodriquez in line for a start at left-back on her first call-up to the squad and Houston's Avery Patterson, who has four caps, likely to feature at right-back in the absence of Fox. As could Gisele Thompson, who returns to camp listed as a full-back having been listed as a forward in the previous camp. 'Gisele may very well move fluidly between those positions,' Hayes noted. 'I think Gisele's best strength is as a wing-back so sometimes it's adept for her to be the full-back in the team and sometimes it's adept for her to be the winger'. As with multiple players in this camp, such as the 18-year-old Seattle centre-back Jordyn Bugg, Thompson might be moved to the youth team as Hayes also uses this time to develop players for the 2028 Olympics and 2031 World Cup.
In midfield, two exceptionally talented Olympians in Rose Lavelle and Croix Bethune also return from injury. Lavelle is among the most experienced players in the squad with 110 caps and Hayes outlined how much of a miss she has been, saying of the 30-year-old: 'She's supremely gifted as a football player and someone who [is still] maturing as a top-level footballer. In the last 12 months she's started to add new dimensions in between the lines.'
On Croix Bethune, the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) rookie of the year, Hayes said: 'There is still work to do for Croix to reach the next level. We want to sit down with her and work through all the things we're looking for at the top level so that she can keep adding those things into a game for the Washington Spirit. But she's exceptionally gifted, particularly with a final pass, her weight of pass. She can execute.'
Starting this week in Colorado, a mix of players returning from injury, emerging into their prime or making their first appearance for the national team will contend for a role in the squad that competes at the World Cup. The circumstances are unique and it is up to them to make the most of that.
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