Oct 23, 2024, 07:29 PM ET
AUSTIN, Texas — United States women’s coach Emma Hayes on Wednesday called the team’s October training camp “the perfect window” to test out new players who could bolster the squad following its Olympic gold medal earlier this year.
Hayes called up six uncapped players to the USWNT for a training camp ahead of a pair of games against Iceland, and a third match against Argentina next week. Three of those players are also in their first senior team camp.
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“There will be debuts over this block,” Hayes said on Wednesday at Q2 Stadium. “This window, plus the January window, are the two big windows in the immediate to be able to assess what other players from outside the current playing pool are going to be candidates to be involved with what we’re going to be doing.”
Thursday’s match against Iceland will also mark the first time the team has gathered since the Americans won Olympic gold on Aug. 10 in Paris. For as much talk there is about turning the page toward the 2027 World Cup and identifying new talent, the three games this window are contractually considered the team’s victory tour.
“Number one, we want to celebrate,” USWNT midfielder and captain Lindsey Horan said. “We want to celebrate with our fans. We haven’t been back together since the Olympics, so this is an incredible moment for us to be back on home soil and be able to celebrate.
“But it’s also a new cycle, and we have new players in. My big message at the beginning [of camp] and Emma’s message as well is, these players are here for a reason. You’re here to make the program better, and we are looking forward to the future.”
Forwards Emma Sears and Yazmeen Ryan, and defender Alyssa Malonson have each been called into a senior national team camp for the first time. Hayes stressed last week that those call-ups were direct rewards for players’ form in the NWSL this season.
Defenders Emily Sams and Eva Gaetino, and midfielder Hal Hershfelt are also uncapped, but have been in previous training camps. Hershfelt and Sams were alternates at the Olympics, and Sams earned a gold medal since she made a gameday roster as an injury replacement.
Forward Alyssa Thompson and midfielder Ashley Sanchez are both in their first training camp since late 2023. Hayes requested to expand the training camp roster by three to 26 members so she could evaluate as many new players as possible.
Hayes was restricted by the USWNT’s collective bargaining agreement, which stipulates that all available players from the Olympic roster be called up for a victory tour. Four players from the Olympic squad are missing from training camp: forward Trinity Rodman (back), defender Tierna Davidson (hamstring), and midfielder Croix Bethune (meniscus) due to injuries, and defender Crystal Dunn due to personal commitments.
Emma Hayes speaks to her USWNT players during a training session at their October camp. Getty Images
Forward Sophia Smith is with the USWNT after missing over a month of action for Portland Thorns FC due to an ankle issue that she said has bothered her since the Olympics. Smith returned to the field for the final 29 minutes of Portland’s 1-0 loss to Racing Louisville FC on Saturday.
“It’s been go, go, go for a while now for me, so I felt like I needed to address it before it got worse,” Smith said on Wednesday. “But I’ve been feeling good. I’ve been doing a lot of work in Portland with our medical staff, who’s great. I haven’t been in games, but I’ve been working hard and staying ready.
“I’m feeling good now, just building minutes. Obviously, we have three games in this window and then I go back, have a game very early with Portland. It’s just kind of building minutes, getting my feet back underneath me and feeling good again.”
Smith’s minutes will be restricted over the next week with the USWNT — and she won’t be alone, even among healthy players. The NWSL’s final round of the regular season kicks off on Friday, Nov. 1 — two days after the USWNT plays Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Thorns sit in seventh place and are haven’t clinched a playoff spot.
Portland is one of four NWSL teams playing that Friday, which will limit who Hayes plays against Argentina. The former Chelsea coach said that “in an ideal world,” nobody will play more than two full matches across the three fixtures.
The USWNT coach said the compact NWSL schedule is more of a challenge than having European-based players (the USWNT has four in camp) fly over to Texas.
“I think the bigger issue is the NWSL has games [next] Friday,” Hayes said. “In Europe, they don’t play until [next] Sunday. So, the bigger challenge are the four teams that are playing NWSL games on the Friday, which as we know is far from ideal.
“And these are conversations I’ve had with the NWSL, and the player welfare is critical. We all, of course, know what the FIFA windows are, so hopefully in the future we’ll work towards not having scheduled games on a Friday after a Wednesday international game. We’re working hard with NWSL in our communication to plan for the future.”
Hayes said she and her staff have conducted an “extensive, comprehensive report” around the Olympics that will inform their strategy as the team shifts focus toward the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. That strategy will be shared internally in January at a camp feature senior players training side by side with a “futures camp” of younger players who are relatively new to the national team experience.
“I think the rest of this year is very much celebrating this victory tour for the players, plus recognizing the achievements of those that have performed really well in the NWSL,” Hayes said.
