The U.S. women’s national soccer team will travel to Europe in October to face off against their stiffest competition so far this year.

The squad will take on England on Oct. 7, followed by Spain on Oct. 11. While the USWNT sits atop the FIFA world rankings, England holds the No. 4 spot and Spain sits at No. 8.

Which 23 players will coach Vlatko Andonovski bring on the trip? Just Women’s Sports predicts the roster as the USWNT takes shape ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

Predicting the USWNT’s European roster

Goalkeepers

• Alyssa Naeher
• Casey Murphy
• Aubrey Kingsbury

Andonovski’s goalie lineup has remained relatively consistent despite a deep NWSL pool. Kansas City’s Adrianna Franch, and OL Reign’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce, among others, have impressed in the domestic league but have yet to break into the USWNT roster this year.

The England and Spain friendlies will likely feature the familiar lineup of Naeher, Murphy and Kingsbury, with Andonovski still yet to name a starting goalkeeper.

Naeher and Murphy each got a start in the USWNT’s September friendlies against Nigeria. Expect each to get a shout between the England and Spain fixtures as the two make their case for the starting position.

Defenders

• Naomi Girma
• Alana Cook
• Becky Sauerbrunn
• Crystal Dunn
• Emily Fox
• Sofia Huerta

The USWNT’s backline has started to coalesce, with Cook and Sauerbrunn seeming to have locked up the starting center-back roles. Girma also has impressed down the spine of the pitch, cycling in for Sauerbrunn throughout the 2022 campaign.

While Andonovski acknowledged that Cook is “slightly ahead” of Girma during the USWNT’s September camp, he also said: “I think that Naomi is making big strides. One thing that I like about them, they’re brave, not just off the ball, but on the ball.”

Huerta and Fox have earned regular starts on the flanks, but Dunn’s return from parental leave could change that. Andonovski sounded eager to get Dunn back in the mix during the team’s September training, telling reporters, “I would not be surprised if we see her on the field soon.”

Dunn’s return comes as mainstay Kelley O’Hara continues to battle a hip injury that sidelined the star right back for the USNWT’s Nigeria friendlies.

Midfielders

• Rose Lavelle
• Lindsay Horan
• Andi Sullivan
• Ashley Sanchez
• Kristie Mewis
• Sam Coffey
• Taylor Kornieck

The midfield has been the biggest question mark on Andonovski’s roster, with stars Sam Mewis and Julie Ertz absent from the team due to injury and parental leave, respectively.

Lavelle, Horan and Sullivan have consistently appeared in the starting XI but have yet to fully gel on the pitch.

Andonovski has brought in a range of players to try out in the midfield, including Racing Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo, who earned her first senior team call-up replacing Trinity Rodman in the team’s September camp.

Coffey earned her first cap against Nigeria as Andonovski looks to build out depth in the defensive midfield position.

Forwards

• Alex Morgan
• Sophia Smith
• Mallory Pugh
• Megan Rapinoe
• Ashley Hatch
• Trinity Rodman
• Margaret Purce

The starting forward lineup is all but locked up heading into the 2023 World Cup cycle, with Smith, Morgan and Pugh dominating the front line.

Rapinoe has earned her place as a game-changer, proving she knows how to make an impact off the bench. Andonovski also has been vocal about the critical presence and experience Rapinoe brings as a veteran.

Rodman has shown flashes of brilliance and is seen as the future of the USWNT, while Hatch and Purce will look for precious minutes to prove their cases.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.