Minutes played don’t tell you the full story of a roster, but with key players returning to the U.S. women’s national team from absence and injury in 2023, it’s worth reading the tea leaves on where players stand at the end of 2022.

Before diving into the end-of-year minute totals for individual players, let’s briefly look at overall numbers: Thirty-four different players made at least one game appearance in 2022. Some of those players had their years cut short due to injury, including Lynn Williams, Emily Sonnett, Kelley O’Hara, Catarina Macario, Tierna Davidson and Abby Dahlkemper.

A few changes to the USWNT schedule from a tournament year to a pre-tournament year should be taken into account when evaluating players’ minutes. The U.S. played 18 games in 2022, down from 24 in 2021 and up from nine in 2020. Trends from the last World Cup cycle also aren’t going to be equivalent this time around, in part because of fewer games due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a different coaching regime under Vlatko Andonovski.

The numbers, however, do paint part of the picture as the team inches toward final roster decisions in 2023, and there might be some patterns to glean from what players showed this year.

Heavy leanings

Andonovski is known as a rotator of players, almost to a fault, especially in tournaments with short turnarounds in between games. That approach, combined with unexpected injuries and absences, meant that no player came close to hitting the maximum 1,620 minutes total for the year, despite more consistent roster selections in the second half of the year.

Let’s take a look at the six players who crossed the 1,000-minute mark: Alana Cook, Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan, Rose Lavelle, Sofia Huerta and Mallory Pugh.

An overarching theme in 2022 was transitioning new players into greatly expanded roles. Only Rose Lavelle’s numbers shrank year over year — from 1,411 to 1,107 — mostly due to the U.S. playing fewer games. The midfielder’s durability in the last two years is remarkable, as she carries a veteran load and commits on both sides of the ball.

The other five top contributors saw massive minutes increases in 2022 after not making the Tokyo Olympic roster. Alana Cook took the biggest leap, playing 1,286 minutes in 15 games — the most out of any USWNT player — after playing just 270 minutes in 2021. Partnered with four different center-backs throughout the year, Cook played in every U.S. match after July 1, other than the team’s finale against Germany.

Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan, Mallory Pugh and Sofia Huerta likewise played much heavier minutes this year. Smith jumped from 329 minutes to 1,192, Sullivan from 437 to 1,126, Pugh from 220 to 1,030, and Huerta from 131 to 1,074. It’s impossible to predict the future, but every players who crossed the 1,000-minute mark in 2018 made the 2019 World Cup roster. Lindsey Horan, Casey Murphy and Becky Sauerbrunn rounded out the top eleven in minutes played this year. Take that for what you will in this cycle.

Cycle to cycle

After winning bronze at the Olympics in 2021, the USWNT began its quest to get younger. Andonovski started integrating new faces into the roster during friendlies that December to quickly refresh the squad. But looking at 2022 compared to the previous cycle doesn’t necessarily support the idea that the U.S. has been throwing the kitchen sink at the player pool.

Andonovski gave minutes to 13 players with five or fewer caps in 2022, slightly down from the 15 new players Jill Ellis awarded caps to in 2018. More players getting looks doesn’t always guarantee new names sticking around. Only two of those 15 players in 2018 made the 2019 World Cup roster: Jessica McDonald and Tierna Davidson. Eight of those players did not receive caps in 2022, and five of those players saw their activity with the team limited to just 2018.

In 2022, newer players didn’t just make it on the field, but their playing time was consistent, extensive and included key games like World Cup qualifiers and top-level friendlies. Alana Cook came into 2022 with only four caps and then played the most minutes of anyone on the team. Goalkeeper Casey Murphy started nine of her 11 career caps in 2022, including against top FIFA competition and in the Concacaf W semifinal. Rookie Naomi Girma played 741 minutes in her first 10 career caps in 2022, and nine of those appearances came after June 1, including two full-90 appearances against Germany to close out the year.

Those struggling to break in

If Girma’s growing minutes tell the story of a player being fast-tracked toward a starting role, other players’ playing time indicates the difficulty in becoming part of the team’s core.

Kristie Mewis, for example, played in 15 of the team’s 18 games but only registered two starts. The Gotham FC midfielder’s most consistent playing time came early in the calendar year, when she put in 90-minute performances in two of the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup games. But after June 1, Mewis didn’t play more than 45 minutes at once, coming in around the 60th minute during a number of Concacaf W games and serving as a very late-game substitute in the U.S.’s final match against Germany.

Andonovski relied heavily on Ashley Sanchez‘s creativity during the Concacaf W group stage, with the 23-year-old playing two 90-minute matches against Jamaica and Mexico. However, as the U.S. searched for its identity against top European sides to close out the year, Sanchez was relegated to coming off the bench, playing 10 and eight minutes as a spark off the bench against England and Germany, respectively. Her Washington Spirit teammate, Trinity Rodman, has been similarly relegated to short off-the-bench appearances, outside of one start against England (in which she scored a goal that was called back for offside by VAR review).

Other players who saw their minutes limited to bench appearances include Ashley Hatch, who looked prepared for a larger role after starting both matches against Australia at the end of 2021. Even with Alex Morgan not rejoining the squad until June, which coincided with Catarina Macario’s year-ending injury, Hatch started only two matches in 2022. Taylor Kornieck likewise looked like a favored option off the bench later in the year, but the forward has yet to start or accumulate a significant amount of minutes for the team despite being called in consistently since June.

Players will have opportunities during friendlies against New Zealand in January and at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup in February to make cases for themselves as others re-enter the fold, but a few players on the bubble might find themselves looking back at 2022 as a missed opportunity.

Check out the full rundown of every player’s caps and game minutes in 2022 below:

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

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Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

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While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.