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.

The WNBA has a new single-season scoring champ in A'ja Wilson, who surpassed Jewell Loyd's 2023 record of 939 points by dropping 27 against Indiana on Wednesday, boosting her season total to 956.

With four games left​ in Las Vegas's season, Wilson could easily become the first WNBA player to ever record 1,000+ points in one season.

"She's not just the best player in the world, she might be the most loved and adored by her teammates. I mean, this woman is special," commented Aces head coach Becky Hammon after the game.

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2024 has been the year of the broken WNBA record

Thanks to achievements at both the individual and team level, the 2024 WNBA season has already left a lasting impression on the record books. In addition to Wilson's points tally, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese set a new single-season rebound record before a wrist injury cut her season short.

Just five assists away from setting a new single-season assists record, Indiana rookie Caitlin Clark is on the brink of joining the bar-raising party.

While adding games likely plays a role in these feats, 2024 — the league's second 40-game run — has seen all three major stats fall in record time. Reese broke Sylvia Fowles's rebound record in 32 games this season, Wilson surpassed Loyd's scoring record in 35, and Clark is looking to break Alyssa Thomas's assist record in 38.

Final WNBA playoff spot on the line in last regular-season weekend

Tonight, Wilson and Clark will face off in their last regular-season matchup, as Indiana tries to earn their first win against the reigning champs this year.

Meanwhile, the race for the final playoff spot has never been tighter. Wednesday's huge win over Chicago putting the 10th-place Mystics just one game outside of postseason contention. With two games against ninth-place Atlanta this weekend, Washington could officially rise into that last playoff spot by Sunday night.

As for current eight-spot Chicago, the Sky will try to maintain their position by bouncing back against second-place Minnesota tonight before the top four teams in the standings battle for survival on Sunday.

Earlier this week, the WNBA Players Union (WNBPA) spoke up against controversial comments made by league commissioner Cathy Engelbert on CNBC's Power Lunch on Monday.

When asked to address concerning social media exchanges regarding superstar rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese "where race... where sexuality is sometimes introduced into the conversation," Engelbert dodged the question, choosing instead to frame what she described as a "rivalry" in a positive light.

"The one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry," said the commissioner, comparing Reese and Clark to Magic Johnson​ and Larry Bird. "That's what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another."

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WNBPA calls out subjects WNBA comm'r Engelbert dodged

After players began calling Engelbert out online, the WNBPA issued a statement denouncing racism, homophobia, and misogyny.

"Here is the answer that the Commissioner should have provided to the very clear question regarding the racism, misogyny, and harassment experienced by the Players," the statement read.

There is absolutely no place in sport — or in life — for the vile hate, racist language, homophobic comments, and the misogynistic attacks our players are facing on social media.... Fandom should lift up the game, not tear down the very people who bring it to life."

WNBA stars address Engelbert's CNBC comments

Some of the league's top players took to the press to reinforce the WNBPA's words, including Aces forward Alysha Clark.

"It's taken a darker turn in terms of the types of comments and the vitriol that's coming through to the players, and it's not okay," Clark told ESPN. "I wish [Engelbert] would have just said that — 'It's not okay.'"

Liberty star Breanna Stewart echoed Clark's sentiments, saying "The way that the fans have surged, and especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league, but also bringing a race aspect to a different level — you know, there's no place for that in our sport."

Engelbert later responded to the Players Union's statement in a post on X, writing "there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else."

Earlier this week, ESPN released the results of an anonymous study surveying all 14 NWSL general managers, providing key insights into the growing league.

While nearly all respondents agreed that depth of competition sets the NWSL apart on a global level, they hold differing opinions about the league’s inner workings.

NWSL budgets and entry draft elimination are key concerns

Budgetary practices were a common concern of GMs across the board, while the loss of the entry draft — ushered in by the league's new CBA — presented similar issues.

Some GMs pointed out that many teams aren't yet profitable enough to justify current costs, while others pushed for more spending in order to draw top players away from leagues that don't impose a hard salary cap, like the UK's WSL.

Similarly, because the US lacks any true professional development infrastructure, GMs worry that dropping the college draft will divert young US talent overseas, ultimately softening the NWSL’s competitive edge.

Some GMs claim NWSL player protections have "gone too far"

When asked about recent cultural reforms in the wake of sexual misconduct and abuse allegations, multiple GMs claimed that efforts to protect players have "gone too far," spreading fear and confusion among staff.

Yesterday, retired NWSL star Ali Krieger took to ESPN's Futbol W to respond, saying she didn't "have a lot of sympathy for those few GMs that might be a little bit more disgruntled on this topic."

"You have to, in those positions of power, be respectful and do your job and do it well," she continued. "You shouldn’t have any worry about what you say, how you say it, what you do, how you do it, if you’re just doing the right thing and you’re being respectful and you’re doing your job appropriately."

This weekend's NWSL headliner is by far Friday's highly anticipated rematch between Orlando and Kansas City.​ Fresh off of clinching a playoff berth, the still-undefeated Pride will host a third-place KC squad hungry to hand Orlando their first loss of the season.

The Current have a particular axe to grind: When the pair first met on July 6th, Orlando snapped KC's own 17-match unbeaten run — one that dated back to 2023.

Current to lean on NWSL leading goal-scorer Chawinga

Seemingly on the rebound, Kansas City followed three straight losses with a 1-0 win over 13th-place Utah last weekend.

To contend with Pride sharpshooter Barbra Banda, however, the Current will rely on NWSL top-scorer Temwa Chawinga​, who's now just four goals shy of breaking the league's Golden Boot record. 

Bay FC on the rise in NWSL standings

While KC and Orlando strive to maintain their grip on the NWSL standings, newcomer Bay FC is climbing the table with impressive pace.

The 2024 expansion club started the season at 2-0-6, but a slate of wins against higher-table teams has rocketed them to seventh place — thanks in no small part to recent addition Abby Dahlkemper, who helped San Diego​ become the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their 2022 inaugural season.

However, the San Jose side's end-of-season schedule is a gauntlet, with five of seven remaining games against top-table clubs, including tomorrow's attempt to break the fifth-place Courage’s 18-match home unbeaten streak in North Carolina. 

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NWSL sets new single-season attendance record

Breakout talent and cutthroat clashes have led the NWSL to a new single-season attendance record, surpassing a total of 1.5 million fans last weekend. And with seven matchdays left, the league is on track to break the 2 million mark by the end of the regular season.