The U.S. women’s national soccer team experienced a changing of the guard for their two-game friendly series against Australia this past week, winning 3-0 on Saturday and drawing 1-1 on Tuesday.

The young roster included 13 players with 10 caps or fewer. Forward Sophia Smith (10 caps) and goalkeeper Bella Bixby (zero caps) were the only two players who didn’t see the field after they were placed in concussion protocol.

The Australia friendlies gave USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski a chance to evaluate the less experienced players in a high-pressure environment. Not all of them are coming back, but every veteran should be on notice as the competition for roster and lineup spots ramps up. The team’s next camp is in January, and Andonovsi said he’s already told some of the new players they are invited to attend.

Of the players who were in Australia, here are a few whose stock is trending up, trending down and staying the same based on their performances.

Trending up

GK Casey Murphy

After two stellar debuts, goalkeeper Casey Murphy has skyrocketed into the conversation for the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup roster. She preserved a shutout in the first game, saving at least three tough shots in the final stretch of the first half when her midfielders and backline gave the Matildas too much space in dangerous areas. Her efforts in the second match were no different. She made her best save in the 21st minute, diving to the low right corner to knock the ball off the post and away from traffic. Through a barricade of defenders and forwards, the North Carolina Courage keeper could barely even see the bullet of a shot flying in from outside the 18-yard box. Her poise and ability to make game-saving stops should earn her even more opportunities in 2022.

.@CaseyMurph... SHEESH. pic.twitter.com/iickU1jotS

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 30, 2021

D Emily Fox

Emily Fox played much better on Tuesday than she did Saturday. In an epic matchup with Australian winger Hayley Raso, the left fullback was more aggressive and confident when making tackles and dribbling up the field. Most impressive was her ability to carry the ball out of pressure, even through three opposing players at a time. Many players would look to pass out of their defensive third in those instances, but Fox has more options because of her speed. To make the World Cup roster, she’ll need to work on taking care of the ball in the attacking zone. The 23-year-old often makes incredible runs up the wing, just like she did with Racing Louisville FC during the NWSL season, only to give the ball away with a bad pass or touch past the end line.

F Midge Purce

NWSL Best XI member Midge Purce stayed consistent from the first match to the second. Not only did she get two assists in two games, but they were almost identical: hard, accurate passes from the end line to the player at the spot, first to Rose Lavelle and next to Hatch. Purce uses her 1v1 skills and off-ball intuition to get herself into those positions. She worked well defensively in the middle of the park with right fullback Sofia Huerta to help the U.S. maintain possession. Andonovski loves versatility, and Purce has it.

F Ashley Hatch

With two goals in her first two starts (a 50 percent caps-to-scoring ratio over three total caps), Ashley Hatch is technically the best finisher on the current squad. What’s tricky about Hatch, though, is she isn’t a consistent 90-minute, or even 70-minute, player. She gets quick bursts of energy that result in goals but isn’t known for her distribution or setups in the attack. Hatch played the majority of both games against Australia. That will change when Catarina Macario returns to training camp. The 22-year-old has the knack for goal and the well-roundedness Andonovski likes in his starters.

D Alana Cook

Alana Cook is as reliable as they come at center back. Even against Australia’s man-marking, she consistently threaded difficult balls to her teammates and read Australia’s forward runs, which is no small task for a player getting her third and fourth caps against a quality international team. It’s especially difficult to mark Sam Kerr, but Cook frustrated the world-class goal scorer in both games and even beat her in a key 1v1 situation.

Trending down

GK Jane Campbell

Jane Campbell came into this camp as the leader of the goalkeeping trio, carrying seven caps over Bella Bixby and Casey Murphy’s zero. Though she hasn’t appeared much for the USWNT, Campbell has been a consistent backup keeper for the team, traveling to the Tokyo Olympics this past summer as the third string. Given how well Murphy played in Australia, Campbell’s backup spot with the team could be in jeopardy once Alyssa Naeher returns from injury.

D Becky Sauerbrunn

It was surprising not to see the veteran get more playing time against Australia considering she’s the most-capped player on the roster with 199 appearances. Lindsey Horan wore the armband for the two friendlies even though Sauerbrunn has been captain for most of this year. She only came onto the pitch in the last few minutes of both games when the USWNT shifted to a five-player backline. It’s highly unlikely Sauerbrunn will be cut from the team before she retires, but she certainly has a position to protect since Andonovski seems to be in the process of rebuilding his defense.

F Ashley Sanchez

Andonovski called up Ashley Sanchez as the only inexperienced midfielder to travel with the team to Australia. The USWNT’s midfield is steady and is the toughest area for a newcomer to crack right now. Sanchez is a hungry player who received her first two caps in Australia, but she isn’t yet at a point in her career where she can force Andonovski’s hand over the midfield mainstays.

The same

M Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Andi Sullivan

The three who got the most playing time in the midfield over the past two games didn’t do anything to garner high praise, but the experience they brought to a young team, connecting the defensive lines with the attack, was critical to the USWNT’s success.

Rose Lavelle is one of the best midfielders in the world because of her creativity and technical abilities, and she rarely makes a poor decision on the ball, even under heavy pressure at the top of an opponent’s box. Horan, though not as strong of a dribbler as Lavelle is, sets the balance with good ball distribution and defensive work and isn’t afraid to plough through opponents. Reading the field, she was able to change her positioning and strategy as soon as she felt the Matildas were getting too comfortable. Andi Sullivan’s impact in Australia was quieter, but the USWNT also didn’t use her six position enough to their advantage when they had possession.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

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Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.