What's next for the USWNT: Lineup changes vs. Jamaica, and a camp with the USMNT?
Over the weekend, the U.S. women's national team cruised to a 3-0 win over China on goals by Catarina Macario, Sam Coffey and captain Lindsey Heaps. The Americans out-shot their opponent 18-4, including 7-2 in shots on goal.
Highlights included goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce earning her second cap and second clean sheet for the senior squad, Kansas City Current captain Lo'eau LaBonta becoming the oldest player in USWNT history to earn her first cap at age 32, and Naomi Girma playing a full 90 minutes in her first U.S. match this calendar year.
The USWNT returns to the pitch Tuesday night in St. Louis when it faces Jamaica in another friendly to end this camp window. On Monday, manager Emma Hayes said to expect lineup changes.
"At this moment in time I'm interested in developing experiences for the individuals, but within a framework that we want our players to work towards," Hayes said. "Nothing has changed in terms of our objectives. There will be changes tomorrow and I'm taking this camp and next camp to do all of those things.
"The things we need to dial up in this next performance are one, things we'll work on in training and two, we'll work on in the classroom when we go back. And I look forward to seeing how our team achieves that, not just the starting group, but the group that comes in. Because I want to make sure that whether you start, whether you come into the game, it shouldn't alter our level. If anything, we should keep finding other levels in us."
Subs we could see may include giving first caps to Seattle Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and defender Kerry Abello as Hayes looks to continue widening her talent pool ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
U23s split matches in Germany
The USWNT U23 squad recently played two games in Germany and split the results. Hayes was able to watch both matches and said she was pleased with the progress that age group is making as it pertains to the development of younger players that could positively impact the senior team in the future.
"Two tremendous games," Hayes said. "The exposures we got for our players playing a top German team that also had five overage players, I never once looked at that game and thought anybody was out of place there, which is a starting point.
"This is why Germany and England and Spain, on many levels, have taken leaps in the right direction. Because they've had a U23s program, and programming at U20s and U17s, that has been above the volume we've been doing in the U.S. So addressing that balance is critical for future success and these two games will, I think, be pivotal for the success of these players, whether they'll be eligible for [the 2027 World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and/or the 2031 World Cup]."
USWNT-USMNT joint camp?
While the USWNT prepares for a match in St. Louis, the USMNT is training about 300 miles north in Chicago as it readies itself for pre-Gold Cup friendlies against Turkiye (June 7) and Switzerland (June 10).
It's not often that the two senior teams train at the same time. So Hayes was asked if she'd ever consider having a joint camp with the men's side and if anything could be gained from doing so. Hayes and USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino are close friends, and Pochettino has said in the past that his team can take inspiration from the USWNT's success as it prepares for the 2026 World Cup.
"To be honest with you, it's not on my radar," Hayes said, noting that the USWNT's schedule is mostly planned out between now and the 2027 World Cup and that it can be a tricky matrix to determine who and where and when the team is playing.
However, with the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Atlanta expected to open in spring 2026, those opportunities to train at the same time could very well "arise more organically," Hayes said.
"But of course, it has to be in line with where our games are and things like that," she added. "Yes is the bottom line, but not an easy answer to answer based on all [those] factors."
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman . Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
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