All Scores

The USWNT’s Olympic Roster: Where It Stands Today

ROY K. MILLER/ISI PHOTOS

The USWNT clinched their fourth SheBelieves Cup title after a decisive 6-0 victory against Argentina last week.

Though the US walked away from the three game series with a clean sheet, the tournament provided key tests for the defensive line and further opportunities to evaluate the team’s execution in the attacking third.

Last Friday, during the semiannual U.S. Soccer Federation board meeting, it was confirmed that the FIFA Olympic roster deadline is June 30. Additionally, general manager Kate Markgraf announced five more opportunities to assess this team before Vlatko has to make a final call. The women will play two friendlies on the road in April during the FIFA window (possibly in Europe) and three matches in June when the U.S. hosts the Tournament of Nations.

TRACKING VLATKO

With an 18 player Olympic roster (plus four alternates), the operative word for Andonovski is “versatility.” So far this year, we’ve been able to see more of what individual players can do in his system when slotted into positions they don’t typically occupy for the national team.

The most prominent episode came in the 63’ minute against Colombia in January, when Crystal Dunn subbed in for Megan Rapinoe in the attack and notched an assist to Lindsey Horan just 10 minutes later. Dunn played at outside back throughout the 2019 World Cup but has made it clear that she’d like to spend more time up top for the national team, which could very well happen in Tokyo.

On the defensive end, we’ve had the chance to see what Midge Purce can do in the right back position as well as Emily Sonnett’s play as both a two and a three. And though she’s seen as heir apparent to Becky Sauerbrunn, Tierna Davidson got the opportunity in the match against Argentina to show that she can play up the left side and get involved with the offense.

In the midfield and up top, Andonovski has experimented with different player combinations now that Alex Morgan and Christen Press are back to join Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Lynn Williams. He’s also played Catarina Macario both in the eleven and nine positions as well as in her typical midfield spot.

During the SheBelieves Cup, the USWNT played with a different forward line each game. Andonovski also worked to change the pace of the games via his substitutions (“game changers,” as he calls them), most notably when he subbed in Morgan, Press, and Rose Lavelle to replace Lloyd, Rapinoe, and Macario against Canada, all in the 64’ minute.

When it comes down to decision time, Andonovski knows he’s going to need a roster of athletes that can deliver consistent play while also giving him tactical flexibility. Olympic rosters are small, the schedule is packed, and the USWNT is in a position to make history as the only team to ever win a World Cup and Olympics in back-to-back tournaments. Andonovski will have to balance leveraging his team’s proven core while also developing the unproven players who are the future of the program.

Assuming he takes two goalkeepers, six defenders, five midfielders, and five forwards, here’s our best guess as to where the roster stands today.

GOALKEEPERS:

Assuming Alyssa Naeher is locked in as the team’s starting keeper for the Olympics, the question now is who backs her up. Ashlynn Harris has held the position as of late, but Jane Campbell took a turn in goal in Florida, playing a full 90 against Argentina.

Regarding her performance in the game, Andonovski stated “We’re very happy with Jane and her form. She’s been incredible in camp, actually in several camps in a row now and I just hope she continues the form in her [home] market.”

The Houston Dash keeper might have a better shot at being chosen as an alternate, but given that Ashlyn Harris (35) and Alyssa Naeher (32) are both north of 30, Andonovski could want to give the 26-year-old Campbell some crucial experience at a major tournament.

DEFENDERS:

The USWNT defense is more or less rock solid with Crystal Dunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Kelley O’Hara looking like locks to start on the backline.

A knee bump kept O’Hara from playing in the majority of the SheBelieves Cup, but her 30 minutes against Argentina were a reminder that it’s still her spot to lose, and Andonovski has spoken glowingly of the leadership she brings to the team.

Given her aforementioned versatility and level of play, Emily Sonnett probably has the inside lane on claiming the fifth spot. She was a part of the 2019 World Cup team, and when O’Hara came off against Argentina, it was Sonnett who Andonovski sent in.

Sauerbrunn is 35, and while age doesn’t seem to be slowing her down, this summer’s Olympics may be her last major tournament with the team. If that’s the case, Tierna Davidson could be an attractive selection for the sixth spot. The youngest player on the 2019 World Cup roster, Davidson’s selection would thread the needle between utilizing the team’s foundation while also giving younger places opportunities to grow.

Sonnet and Davidson may be the favorites, but Midge Purce, Ali Krieger, Alana Cook (who missed the tournament due to PSG’s quarantine protocols), and Casey Krueger are all in serious contention. Krueger may be lower down on that list (with Krieger possibly on top given her international tournament experience), but as always, club performance could change that assumption entirely.

Purce’s ability to play multiple positions could be enticing given the compressed Olympic schedule. And while Cook may be off American fans’ radar, having spent most of her professional career in France, she has the skill and potential to be a perennial USWNT regular in the not-so-distant future.

MIDFIELDERS:

Whittling down the midfield on this team is enough to make the most stoic break out in hives. One thing we can be pretty confident about is that one does not leave the house without keys, wallet, cell phone, and Julie Ertz.

That leaves four spots open for five contenders. Three of those openings likely belong to Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, and Sam Mewis who announced her return from an ankle injury with a brace against Birmingham City on Sunday while playing for Manchester City.

The last spot is a tussle between Kristie Mewis and Catarina Macario.

Macario has a confidence on the field that belies her age and international experience. SheBelieves didn’t show us the full extent what she’s capable of, but whether she goes to Tokyo or not, she’s on track to be a fixture for this team going forward.

As for Mewis, Andonovski noted after the Argentina game that, while it took her a moment to figure out how to impact the game, once she did, her performance was great, netting a goal, an assist, and a variety of impressive runs. From the outside looking in, her decision making and precision on the ball (especially near the goal) make a very good case for taking her.

Will Macario’s presumptive future with the national team give her the nod? She may be the more obvious choice given her potential, but Mewis has now proven both domestically and internationally that she’s ready to slide in and make a difference for this team.

FORWARDS:

When assessing the forward pool, it’s important to remember that we haven’t seen Tobin Heath since November, and based on her ankle prognosis, she may not see minutes for her country until the Tournament of Nations. Andonovski, however, doesn’t seem concerned about her ability to bounce back and get fit.

“She’s been in a situation like this before where she’s coming back from injury and needs to recover quick,” he noted ahead of the team’s match against Canada. “I’m confident that Tobin will do whatever it takes to get ready for the Olympics.”

Andonovski’s assessment seemingly locks Heath into the roster spot. Christen Press also seems like a sure bet, having gone from a super sub under Jill Ellis to potentially the team’s most dynamic goalscorer under Andonovski.

Alex Morgan is also looking more and more like herself on the pitch after giving birth to daughter Charlie and beating COVID-19. After the Argentina match, she acknowledged that she still has some work to do to get back into form, and she is someone who will benefit from consistent NWSL training and gametime in Orlando. If she keeps heading in the direction she’s going, she should soar straight on to Japan.

When it comes to Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, there’s no question that they have the fitness required to make the Olympic roster. Either they both will go and that’s that, or (not to sound like a broken record), it will come down to the player who most impacts the game in the ways Andonovski needs them to.

If the roster was decided today, Megan Rapinoe appears to be the more likely contender. Coming back from a year of rest, Rapinoe still owns the eleven position both in setting up plays, scoring goals herself (she finished as the tournament’s highest scorer with three goals), and adding energy to the game when she comes in off the bench. Both her and Lloyd have a history of making the biggest plays on the biggest stage. That could be hard to turn down.

Lynn Williams and Sophia Smith remain the two question marks. Smith seems less likely to make the roster, simply given the depth on this team. Her time will come.

Williams is more difficult to assess. After making a name for herself with her game-braking speed, she’s now proven to be a consistent goal scorer in the NWSL, with one MVP and three league champions to her name. At the international level, she’s someone who has proven she can make a difference both offensively and defensively from the seven spot. During the SheBelieves Cup, however, she missed on a few key opportunities in front of the goal against Canada and Brazil.

Will those blunders impact her Olympic chances? Maybe. But what if she carries a North Carolina Courage squad that recently lost Crystal Dunn, Sam Mewis, and Abby Dahlkemper to the top of the NWSL table early in the season? It’s just too early to know which variables Andonovski will weigh the most.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR NEXT

As players now return to their home markets, both domestic and international, Andonovski and his coaching staff will be paying close attention to how players perform for their club teams.

In the U.S., NWSL pre-season is underway with the second Challenge Cup set to start on April 9, followed by the regular season on May 15. Overseas, the UEFA Champions League games begin in March, a series that will give Dahlkemper, Lavelle, Mewis, and Macario high-stakes, high-octane opportunities on the field. Press (and Health once she’s healthy), will continue their WSL season with Manchester United, banking solid minutes in a competitive environment.

As Vlatko said during his post-game presser last Wednesday, selecting the roster will remain an ongoing process.

“Everything that we do in camp, in training, in games, everything that they’re going to do in games with clubs is going to be important as well, because ultimately it may come down to the certain form a player is in if both players are equal.”

And despite how safe some selections may feel, Andonovski reminded the public that he’s still closely evaluating each player every time they step on the pitch.

“We’re still evaluating everyone. The list is still pretty big compared to 18.”

WTA to Protect Player Rankings During Fertility Treatments

US tennis player Sloane Stephens celebrates a point during a 2025 Australian Open match.
2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens has long advocated to protect the rankings of players undergoing fertility treatments. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

Women's tennis got a boost on Wednesday, as the WTA announced it would institute rankings pauses for players who step away from competition to undergo fertility protection treatments like egg or embryo freezing.

Players returning from a procedure can opt to receive a Special Entry Ranking, calculated using their 12-week average ranking starting from eight weeks before taking leave.

Players can use that unique ranking to enter up to three tournaments at the WTA 500, 250, or 125 levels before the governing body will again institute traditional calculations.

The protection extends to any player ranked among the world's top 750 who spends more than 10 weeks out of competition.

These latest rankings protection further secures the careers of tennis pro parents, who first earned special rankings in the 2019 WTA season after Serena Willams and Victoria Azarenka saw their seedings plummet simply from stepping away from competition to give birth.

The move also comes three months after the WTA agreed to grant players paid maternity leave for the very first time.

"I'm incredibly proud of our sport in recognizing the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes," said 2017 US Open champ and longtime reproductive health support advocate Sloane Stephens. "For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex."

"It's truly ground-breaking and will empower this generation, and future generations of players, to continue with the sport they love without having to compromise."

Title IX Appeal Challenges Back Payments in House v. NCAA Settlement

Two students walk by the exterior of the NCAA National Office in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The House v. NCAA settlement appeal challenges gender inequities in the NIL back-pay plan. (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

Last week's landmark $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement is back in the headlines, as eight women's college sports athletes filed an appeal on Wednesday claiming that the approved NIL back-payment plan violates Title IX, the federal law banning gender discrimination in schools.

On June 6th, a federal judge approved a settlement between the NCAA and former student-athletes, with the college sports governing body agreeing to have schools directly distribute billions of dollars in back pay to players barred from financially benefitting off their name, image, and likeness since 2016.

Wednesday's appeal to that back-pay plan calls out alleged payment inequities written into the settlement ruling, which could see up to 90% of the $2.8 billion distributed to former NCAA men's sports athletes.

"The calculation of past damages is based on an error that ignores Title IX and deprives female athletes of $1.1 billion," said Ashlyn Hare, one of the lawyers representing the appellants. "Paying out the money as proposed would be a massive error that would cause irreparable harm to women's sports."

"If Nike wants to [pay male athletes more], that is their choice. If the school, or a conference acting on the school's behalf tries to do that, they are violating the law," John Clune, another lawyer on the team, clarified.

"They can either pay the athletes proportionately, or they can return all of their federal funds," said Clune. "But they can't do both."

USWNT Coach Emma Hayes Will Rest European Club Players for Summer Friendlies

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes claps during a June 2025 friendly against Jamaica.
USWNT boss Emma Hayes provided injury updates on Rose Lavelle and Trinity Rodman this week. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

With the USWNT back in action for the next set of summer friendlies later this month, head coach Emma Hayes filled ESPN in on her roster strategy earlier this week.

Hayes will rest all Europe-based US players during the upcoming international window, instead relying on domestic talent following a jam-packed year for the team's European stars.

"We don't necessarily decide the international calendar, but this is one where we think it's in the best interest of the players," Hayes said, noting both past demands and the increasingly busy road to the 2027 World Cup.

With player welfare and recovery top-of-mind, the lone exception to Hayes's European omissions is Chelsea FC defender Naomi Girma, who made her 2025 USWNT debut on May 31st.

The US manager is seeking more minutes for the star center back after Girma spent much of the year recovering from a calf injury.

Hayes also revealed some key updates on other injured players, with fans eager to see midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Trinity Rodman return to the USWNT fold.

After a lengthy recovery from ankle surgery, Lavelle — who made her first NWSL appearance of 2025 in Gotham FC's 2-1 loss to Kansas City last Saturday — could return to international play this month.

Rodman remains slightly further out from returning to the USWNT roster, with Hayes saying she expects the Spirit forward to begin seeing club minutes sometime next month.

The USWNT core is coming together, with Stateside players looking to seize the chance to prove their worth as club soccer approaches its summer hiatus.

NWSL Clubs Schedule July Friendlies Ahead of Regular-Season Break

A giant Angel City FC flag is held over the pitch before a 2025 NWSL match.
NWSL side Angel City FC will play a July friendlies against Bay FC and the USL's Carolina Ascent. (Harry How/NWSL via Getty Images)

The NWSL is locking in its summer calendar, as teams across the league announce special July friendlies ahead of the regular-season break for major global tournaments.

Without a planned league-wide tournament like 2024's NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, its up to individual clubs to fill their schedules until NWSL play resumes in August.

While there might not be a trophy at the end, the gap does provide an opportunity for some fresh friendly competition beyond the confines of the league.

The North Carolina Courage will welcome Liga MX titans and Concacaf W Champions Cup contenders Tigres UANL back to the States for a one-off exhibition match on July 9th.

Then on July 12th, Kansas City will kick off its Teal Rising Cup, a four-team friendly tournament pitting the NWSL's Current and Chicago Stars against Brazil's Série A1 clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras.

Late July will see both the Seattle Reign and Bay FC square off against Japan's WE League champions the Urawa Red Diamonds, with Bay tacking on an additional July 19th friendly against Angel City.

The USL Super League is also getting in on the summer interleague action, with the NWSL's Angel City facing the Carolina Ascent on July 26th after Racing Louisville hosts crosstown USL squad Lexington SC on July 13th — giving fans a glimpse at how the two US systems stack up against one another.

As teams juggle lineups in the wake of summer international departures, these July friendlies may feature decidedly different rosters than regular-season play — though hungry NWSL fans likely won't mind.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.