More changes coming to USWNT roster ahead of Sunday matchup with Ireland
U.S. women's national team fans can expect more change from Emma Hayes this weekend as the national team prepares to face Ireland for the second time in four days in Cincinnati.
The U.S. women's head coach told reporters in a brief media availability on Saturday that she will continue making changes with the roster, keeping with her theme of testing the depth of the national team's player pool.
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The team continues its three-game week with the second of back-to-back friendlies against Ireland at TQL Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The team then heads to Washington, D.C., where they face continental rival Canada on Wednesday at Audi Field.
When asked what Hayes will look for in her team during this window, she said: 'Progress, always.
'With that, when you play the same opponent twice in four days, is (seeing) how quickly you can learn. Not just about yourself, but when an opponent makes adaptations, how are you going to look to exploit that? So, (looking at those) details, looking for those things, particularly with the fact that I'm going to be making changes tomorrow.'
Changes have become the norm for Hayes, who has seen 21 players debut on the senior team since she took over as head coach of the program last year.
The U.S. cruised to a 4-0 victory against Ireland on Thursday in a match that saw midfielder Rose Lavelle's triumphant return from injury as well as three debuts. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey of Seattle Reign FC and left back Lilly Reale of Gotham FC earned starts in Colorado. Reign defender Jordyn Bugg also earned her first cap, subbing on late in the second half for captain Naomi Girma.
The three remaining uncapped players on the roster heading into Sunday include Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, who did not dress for Thursday's game, Seattle Reign midfielder Sam Meza and Kansas City Current defender Izzy Rodriguez.
This current USWNT roster is without some of its veteran stars. Hayes chose to give European-based players the summer off, describing this rest as a necessary break from long seasons in Europe. This is especially important as the team looks ahead to World Cup 2027 and the Olympics in Los Angeles the following year.
Girma, who plays for Chelsea, is the only European-based player on the roster. The remaining 24 players on the roster play in the NWSL.
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The match on Sunday is also serving as a homecoming for Lavelle, who hails from Cincinnati. The veteran midfielder had been absent from the pitch for six months, recovering from ankle surgery. She had an explosive return with the U.S. on Thursday, recording a goal and an assist in her first game back with the team.
'I think the structure in the team has allowed her game to elevate another level,' Hayes said, 'and what we saw the other night was how much we've missed her, even in the few months she's been out.'
But Hayes cautioned that Lavelle's time on the pitch will continue to be managed. In their first match against Ireland, the midfielder was subbed off in the 59th minute.
'I have to, again, proceed with a bit of caution, because she's just coming back, so it's a really tight turnaround, and I'm going to have to manage things properly tomorrow for her,' Hayes said. 'But we're delighted to have her back.'
(Photo of Avery Patterson celebrating with Ally Senator and Rose Lavelle: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
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But given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and its unprecedented setbacks, she appears to also be accounting for that stolen time when granting younger or inexperienced players looks at the senior level. Meza, who started in the second USWNT match against Ireland on Sunday, has won Concacaf titles at the under-15, under-17, and under-20 levels. Her journey on the national team was cut short during the pandemic, which saw the cancellation of the Under-20 Women's World Cup that year, a tournament in which Meza was likely to play. But after establishing herself as a pro, first with the Dallas Trinity in the USL-W (where she was playing on loan from the Seattle Reign) and then back with her home club, she caught Hayes' eye and worked her way back into camps. 'I've grown up in the U.S. youth system, and my cycle of under-23s kind of got canceled a little bit, so I hadn't been to camp in a while,' Meza said on Thursday. She called the pair of Germany games 'really good exposure, and then, as we know, the under-23s are being used in a great way. I think it's going to benefit the U.S. in general. We have so many talented players, and to be able to harness and use those players in the right way is just going to be so beautiful.' It also helps that each of the previously uncapped under-23 players in this window — Bugg, Meza, Reale, and Anderson — have all had strong starts to their NWSL seasons, which Hayes says she follows closely. Bugg has started each of Seattle Reign's 13 games, notched two goals, and intercepted an average of 1.73 passes per 90 minutes; Meza has recorded two assists for the same club and averages 4.7 tackles and 2.7 blocks per game; and Reale has shone at NJ/NY Gotham FC with a goal and an assist, with an average of 3.1 tackles each game. Anderson, meanwhile, has a 67.7 per cent save percentage and has an average of 1.54 actions taken outside the penalty area each game, per FBref. 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