Thompson back for first USWNT team since Paris

Six uncapped players will join head coach Emma Hayes’ 26-player roster for the United States women’s national team’s first matches since winning the Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer in August.

The training camp, which begins next week in Austin, Texas, will also mark the returns of midfielder Ashley Sanchez and forward Alyssa Thompson for the first time since late 2023.

Both players were part of the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup squad but dropped from the Olympic picture.

Defender Alyssa Malonson and forwards Yazmeen Ryan and Emma Sears all earned their first call-ups to a senior USWNT camp.

“Our focus is forward, our focus is on our process, and we want to keep chasing new heights,” Hayes said in a statement. “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.”

The USWNT will play Iceland, ranked No. 13 in the world, on Oct. 24 in Austin, Texas, and again on Oct. 27 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Americans, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA, conclude the window against world No. 33 Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky, on Oct. 30.

The USWNT won a fourth Olympic gold medal on Aug. 10, defeating Brazil 1-0 in what was only Hayes’ 10th game in charge.

The USWNT’s collective bargaining agreement requires all available players from the Olympic team to be recalled for victory tour matches. This first international window following the Americans’ gold medal win is considered the victory tour.

However, four of the 22 players (including the four alternates) from the 2024 Olympics are absent from this roster.

Forward Trinity Rodman will not join the USWNT for this camp. Rodman returned to the field for limited minutes with the Washington Spirit on Sunday after several weeks out due to a back injury.

Rodman will remain with the Spirit to rehab ahead of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs, which begin in early November.

Attacking midfielder Croix Bethune had her NWSL season end in late August after suffering a torn meniscus while throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game in late August.

Bethune’s breakout rookie season for the Spirit up until that point — she tied the NWSL single-season record of 10 assists in only 17 games — earned her a spot as an alternate for the Olympics and, eventually, a rostered gold medalist.

Defender Tierna Davidson also suffered an injury over the weekend while playing for NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Crystal Dunn, who started all six games at fullback for the USWNT at the Olympics, “was not available for selection due to personal commitments,” U.S. Soccer said.

Dunn has missed recent Gotham games with an excused absence. All three matches in the upcoming window are considered victory tour matches for the purpose of the team’s CBA, meaning each player could make up to $18,000 per game, the most possible for a friendly.

The three upcoming matches are the last of the year on home soil for the USWNT. The Americans will end 2024 with a trip to Wembley Stadium in London to play England on Nov. 30, followed by a visit to the Netherlands on Dec. 3.

“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,” Hayes said.

Fourteen of the 26 players on the roster have fewer than 20 caps. Among the uncapped players are defender Emily Sams and midfielder Hal Hershfelt, who traveled with the USWNT to the Olympics as alternates but did not play.

Sams earned a gold medal by making a game-day roster. Defender Hailie Mace, who plays for the Kansas City Current, is also back with the USWNT.

She last appeared for the squad in November 2022. Twenty-three players will be selected for each of the three upcoming matches’ game-day roster.

U.S. Soccer confirmed that it will host a “Futures Camp” in January in the Los Angeles area that will include young and less experienced players training in a camp alongside the senior USWNT.

Roster by position (Club; Caps/Goals) – October friendlies 2024

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)