USWNT roster: Post-Olympic October squad contains gold medal heroes as well as fresh faces for Emma Hayes

The United States women's national team will compete in a trio of friendlies in October and head coach Emma Hayes has named a 26-player roster for the upcoming training camps ahead of those matches. The squad will face Iceland and Argentina in their first matches post-Olympics and the first games at home on U.S. soil since the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup final against Brazil.

As per the USWNT players collective bargaining agreement, games following a major tournament are required to feature tournament-rostered players to commemorate a "victory tour." Due to those prerequisites, 18 of the 24 players who were named to the 2024 USWNT Olympic roster have been named for the October international window. However, some gold medalists are currently injured, and Hayes has called up newer names for an opportunity this month.

"There's no doubt that the summer was brilliant, and we want to make these three games about celebrating some amazing accomplishments and players, but at the same time, we can't rest on any laurels," said Hayes. "Our focus is forward, our focus is on our process, and we want to keep chasing new heights. I love that we get to see most of our Olympic Team again after a few months, but I also love getting to work with some newer players and evaluate how they perform in our environment. Every 90 minutes of an international match is full of learning, for me and the players, and we're looking forward to three great games for our fans to end our home schedule before we go to Europe in November."

NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Tierna Davidson, and Washington Spirit players Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune will miss out on the matches due to injury. Defender Crystal Dunn was not available for selection due to personal commitments. Additionally, North Carolina Courage's Ashley Sanchez, Portland Thorns Olivia Moultrie, Kansas City Current's Hailie Mace, and Paris Saint-Germain's Eva Gaetino are back in the mix. First-time call-ins to the USWNT training camps feature NWSL standouts Yazmeen Ryan, Emma Sears, and Alyssa Malonson.

Take a look at the full roster:

U.S. Women's National Team October Roster 

(Players listed by Club; Caps and Goals)

Goalkeepers (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 8), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 19), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 112)

Defenders (9): Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 57/1), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 0/0), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 40/0), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit; 56/0), Hailie Mace (Kansas City Current; 8/0), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC; 0/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 15/2), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 0/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 99/2)

Midfielders (7): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 18/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 24/1), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 156/35), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 106/24), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 4/2), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage; 27/3)

Forwards (7): Yazmeen Ryan (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 0/0), EMMA Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 0/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 16/7), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 56/23), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars; 100/38), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 9/0), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 71/19)

An Olympic celebration during a playoff push

The three Game schedule for the USWNT will feature Games against Iceland and Argentina held in Austin, TX, Nashville, TN, and Louisville, KY. Along with celebrating the program's Olympic gold medal, where will be 100 cap celebrations for Mallory Swanson and Rose Lavelle, and a retirement ceremony for Kelley O'Hara. While 26 players were named to the October roster, only 23 will suit up on the offical matchdays, leaving room for player rotation througout the international window.

It'll be a sigh of relief for NWSL clubs who have already clinched a playoff spot and for teams in the hunt with the postseason set to begin in early November. Fourteen of the 22 NWSL players on the roster play for clubs that have qualified for the playoffs while seven are on teams still in contention for spot in the postseason. The majority of the players are typically starters for their club teams. The extra players on the USWNT roster is a strategic move, one that Hayes made to ensure opportunities for minute management. 

"I have vowed to work alongside the NWSL to make sure we not only give opportunities to our players, but that means that I will be playing, you know, three different teams, three different lineups, to make sure that I provide that opportunity for players," Hayes said to media. 

"So, we need a squad of 26 to be able to do that. So I'm sure it won't feel like a lot as a result of so many changes. But this is, I'll be clear on this, this is the one moment I will look to do it in the build up to the November camp. So this is a window for me to see some of the talent pool beyond the players that were selected for the Olympics."

An eye on the future

With this window of games set to be a celebration, Hayes and her staff are already looking ahead to the final matches in Europe against England and the Netherlands to close out the calendar year, while planning for their "Futures Camp" in January 2025. Hayes told media that the program intends to hold the Futures Camp alongside the full USWNT training camp in January in Los Angeles and will feature national team prospects.

While January will mark a place for younger, next-gen players, Hayes won't shy away from calling in more experienced NWSL players for evaluation. 

"As far as older players, the door's never closed," Hayes said. "That's why I call it a futures camp, because there might have been some more senior players, more experienced players, that equally entitled to be into camp now, and I don't want to shut the door even in January. So, a futures player could be a more experienced NWSL player that didn't get a look now that I really want to look at. I want to keep that quite loose and fluid, and not limited to just under 20s and under 23s. It will be above that too, but it will be an exception to the rule, rather than the norm."

The strategy for Hayes and her next cycle is in full swing, and it includes evolution of her technical staff as well. The program recently bid farewell to former interim-head coach and full-time assistant Twila Kilgore, she's taking some brief time away from soccer before pursuing other opportunities. Staying ahead of the curve includes evaluations on all fronts, including coaching roles, and Hayes wants to continue to develop in that area as well. 

"We've gone through the review process, and now we're at the strategy process. The last thing I want to make is quick decisions. I want to make sure we put in place anything that's new coming into and around this team. That it's been well thought out as part of the strategy, whether that's a new member of a coaching team, for example, or some of the things that fit in line," she said.

"So, the big vision piece for us is to be world leading in a 'female 360' approach. So by that, I mean everything in and around, holistically, around the female athlete. We want to make sure we build the strategy possible before we hire within that, and I think that's the wise thing to do. Don't have an Olympics coming up or a World Cup coming up, but we want to build the foundation that is solid going into our next steps."

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