The world No. 1 USWNT will take on familiar foe No. 17 China PR in a pair of late spring friendlies, with US Soccer announcing matchups scheduled for May 31st in St. Paul, Minnesota, and June 3rd in St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday.
The games follow two California-hosted friendlies against No. 7 Brazil, set to be played during FIFA’s early-April international break.
The USWNT has a deep competition history against China, having faced the Steel Roses 60 times —more than any country other than No. 6 Canada. China also boasts the second-most US defeats with nine, though they haven't upended the USWNT since 2015.
In total, the US boasts a 38-9-13 all-time record against their longtime rival, including arguably the team's most famous victory: the history-making penalty-kick win in the 1999 World Cup final at the Rose Bowl.
"I love these games because they combine some rich women’s soccer history with the present, with both countries going through transitions in preparation for '27 World Cup qualifying," said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes about the upcoming friendlies in the federation's announcement.
Friendlies to test young USWNT players
The new calendar additions will provide Hayes yet another chance to try out less experienced players — a strategy that saw a particularly youthful USWNT take second place at February’s SheBelieves Cup.
"Our process continues and it’s a patient and comprehensive one," Hayes explained. "It’s up to our coaching staff to give players opportunities — opportunities they have earned — and it's up to the players to show us they can perform at the highest levels."
The US will also honor a recent history-maker at the June 3rd match, as the team officially celebrates St. Louis product and former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, who hung up her boots in December.
Across her 16-year professional career, the star center back helped the US win back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019, a 2012 Olympic gold, and eight straight Concacaf championships.
The two China friendlies will also continue the USWNT's 2025 trend of facing non-European teams, due in large part to Europe's long 2025 UEFA Nations League schedule, which spans multiple international breaks and takes priority over overseas friendlies.
While Europe ramps up for a continental battle at this summer's Euro, the USWNT will continue down the long road to 2027 — a road that provides plenty of time to develop budding superstars while paying homage to the success of prior generations.
How to buy tickets to see the USWNT vs. China PR friendlies this summer
Tickets for both upcoming friendlies against China are available now via presale, with general sales opening at 11 AM ET on Friday.
The May 31st St. Paul match will kick off at 5:30 PM ET, with live coverage on TBS. St. Louis's game is set for 8 PM ET on June 3rd, and will air on TNT.
Two-time World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and three-time NWSL champion Becky Sauerbrunn announced her retirement from professional soccer on Tuesday.
"This isn't the end. I'll be around. I love this game too much to leave it for good," the 39-year-old legendary USWNT center back wrote. "But for the first time in sixteen years I'm going to find a quiet moment and close my eyes for a bit."
Leading from the back
A titan on and off the field, Sauerbrunn's 16-year professional career is littered with trophies earned for club and country.
Sauerbrunn, who notably opened her senior national team account with a broken nose in her January 2008 first cap, leaves the international pitch with 219 appearances, making her the USWNT's 10th all-time most-capped player.
Across the three World Cups and three Olympic Games in which she competed, Sauerbrunn helped the USWNT to a runners-up finish in the 2011 World Cup before snagging back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019. In addition to 2012 Olympic gold and 2021 Olympic bronze, her US resume boasts eight straight Concacaf championships.
As part of a generation of players that founded the league, there has never been an NWSL season without Sauerbrunn logging minutes. The four-time NWSL Defender of the Year also earned annual Best XI selection seven times, more than any other player in league history.
Sauerbrunn began her 11 NWSL seasons with FC Kansas City, snagging a pair of championships in 2014 and 2015. She later spent two seasons with the Utah Royals before spending the last five on Portland's pitch, helping the Thorns to both the 2021 NWSL Shield and 2022 championship.
While executing her role as a fierce defender, the backline behemoth also served as captain of both the USWNT and Portland Thorns. A quiet leader, Sauerbrunn's calm, steady presence grounded her teams, anchoring them to trophy-lifting success.
A legacy of activism and equal pay
Though her on-field prowess is impressive, Sauerbrunn's true legacy can be found off the pitch, where the defender consistently tackles social justice issues. Along with combatting racial and gender inequities, Sauerbrunn's activism includes fighting legislation that bans transgender girls and women from competing in women's sports.
Most tangibly, however, is how she helped change the game for current and future USWNT players. In 2016, Sauerbrunn and four other USWNT athletes kicked off the fight for equal pay by filing a federal complaint against US Soccer.
One 2019 class-action gender discrimination lawsuit and years of litigation later, Sauerbrunn and her teammates secured a landmark settlement with the federation in 2022, cementing equal compensation for both the USWNT and USMNT as a contractual rule. As the president of the player's association, Sauerbrunn was one of the athletes to physically sign the historic agreement — a document that sparked similar battles for equality worldwide.
The end of an era
With her Tuesday announcement, Sauerbrunn adds to the wave of soccer stars officially exiting the professional game in 2024. She follows Portland teammate and Canadian legend Christine Sinclair in hanging up her boots, and joins USWNT standouts Alex Morgan, Kelley O'Hara, and Alyssa Naeher in retirement.
Still offering sage reflections, the captain told US Soccer, "I learned early on that we were all just renting our jerseys. That I got to wear the US Soccer crest once was an honor and privilege for which I’m forever grateful. The fact that I got to do it over 200 times is truly humbling."
Ultimately, Sauerbrunn leaves the game better than she found it, stepping off the field with no regrets.
"Of course I’d do it all again," she writes. "In a heartbeat.”
All 14 NWSL teams issued final end-of-year roster decisions on Tuesday, as the 2025 free agency period shifts into full gear.
Athletes who are currently out-of-contract are now technically on the chopping block, faced with either negotiating new terms to return to their teams or taking the leap and brokering a fresh deal elsewhere.
Standouts listed as out-of-contact include 2024 NWSL champion and Orlando Pride captain Marta as well as NC Courage striker and the league's 2023 MVP Kerolin. Several current and former USWNT stars also face offseason negotiations, like Gotham FC forward Midge Purce, Portland Thorns center back Becky Sauerbrunn, and Angel City forward Christen Press.
Multiple teams have already acknowledged an intent to retain top players by announcing ongoing negotiations in their final 2024 roster announcements, with Press, Marta, and Kerolin in talks to stay with their clubs.
New CBA means more NWSL movement
Under the league's new CBA, when a team declines a player's contract option, that player automatically becomes an unrestricted free agent, guaranteeing roster shakeups despite this year's lack of expansion and college drafts.
Both athletes whose contracts have expired and those whose options have been declined are considered out-of-contract. While those players will be weighing their options on the open market, teams will be doing the same, deciding who to try to retain and who to officially waive.
Clubs will make many of those decisions imminently, as the waiver wire will open and close this week, before the trade window opens again on December 13th.
The league will take a transaction moratorium from December 20th to 27th, after which teams can resume signings.
Between the CBA-induced influx of free agents and the lack of drafts forcing front offices into what could be lengthy recruiting and negotiating processes to attract young talent, the business of building an NWSL roster has become more complicated.
That said, some clubs seem to be capitalizing on the shake-up. After finishing the season in last place, the Houston Dash have already seen significant roster action — including nabbing defender Christen Westphal from San Diego and signing ex-Gotham free agent Delanie Sheehan — setting an aggressive rebuilding example as the NWSL embraces a new era.
More than 125 women's soccer pros signed an open letter to FIFA earlier this week urging the international governing body to end its recently announced four-year sponsorship deal with state-owned Saudi oil and gas company Aramco, calling it "a middle finger to women's football."
Prominent signees include Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema, Canada captain Jessie Fleming, and USWNT legend Becky Sauerbrunn. The players' letter cites Saudi Arabia's concerning human rights record, particularly when it comes to women and the LGBTQ+ community. It also called out the impact of oil and gas production on climate change as reasons to cut ties.
For her part, Sauerbrunn specifically named individuals imprisoned by the government.
"We’re standing alongside women like Manahel al-Otaibi and Salma al-Shehab who the Saudi regime has imprisoned simply for peaceful expression of equal rights," she stated.
"The safety of those women, the rights of women, LGBTQ+ rights, and the health of the planet need to take a much bigger priority over FIFA making more money," she continued.
FIFA's deepening Saudi ties concern women's soccer athletes
The partnership with Aramco is simply the latest in Saudi Arabia's investment into FIFA and the sports world in general. The kingdom, which has often been criticized for its widespread sportswashing practices, is imminently expected to be named the men's 2034 World Cup host.
FIFA responded to the players' letter on Monday, calling itself "an inclusive organization." The governing body leaned into the fact that the revenue from its partnerships are reinvested in growing women's soccer.
That reinvestment isn't enough to justify the ethical concerns, according to Miedema. "This is what we don’t want to stand for and accept within women’s football," the Manchester City star added.
"It’s simple: This sponsorship is contradicting FIFA’s own commitments to human rights and the planet."
Becky Sauerbrunn is returning to Portland.
The free agent re-signed with the Thorns on a one-year deal. In a statement, Sauerbrunn said she is “thrilled” to be staying in Portland.
“I’m thrilled to be continuing my career with the Thorns as we enter a new era for the club,” Sauerbrunn said. “And as we welcome new ownership and investment, I’m thankful for the opportunity to play for the city and supporters that have always made being a Thorn such an unrivaled experience.”
𝗦𝗛𝗘'𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 😎#BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/oalm9e4TGt
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) January 23, 2024
Her return comes after Christine Sinclair signed a one-year deal to remain with the club also through 2024. And it also comes after the Thorns were sold to RAJ Sports for $63 million, a company that is led by the Bhathal family, which also holds ownership stake in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
Sauerbrunn is an 11-year NWSL veteran who has established herself as one of the top defenders in the league. Four times she’s won Defender of the Year – a league best – with her most recent award coming in 2019. She’s also been named to the NWSL Best XI and Second XI a league-best eight times.
A three-time NWSL champion, she’s helped Portland to the 2020 NWSL community shield, the 2021 NWSL challenge cup, 2022 NWSL shield and 2022 NWSL championship. She’s one of just a few players in league history to have won every possible title.
She’s also a key member of the USWNT, having captained the team and helped them to the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles, as well as one Olympic gold and one Olympic silver medal.
“We are delighted to be able to bring Becky back to Portland for this upcoming season, her leadership, on and off the field, her professionalism, and quality on the pitch will be paramount to what we are hoping to achieve this year as a team and in this new era as a club,” general manager Karina LeBlanc said in a statement.
Sam Coffey scored her first international goal in the U.S. women’s national team’s 2-1 win over China PR on Tuesday, doing so in Becky Sauerbrunn’s “borrowed” No. 4.
Coffey said after the game that she got permission from Sauerbrunn, who is her Portland Thorns teammate, to wear the jersey number.
“I did get permission. I would never just pick it without addressing Rebecca,” Coffey told reporters. “I reached out to her and I was like, ‘Would you mind? I’d just love to honor you and channel your energy.’”
Indeed, Coffey channeled Sauerbrunn’s energy, but with a different result. Sauerbrunn has yet to score a goal in 217 appearances for the USWNT, with the defender holding the scoreless streak record for the team.
As for her own milestone goal, Coffey celebrated aptly afterward.
“I don’t score a lot of goals, so when it happens, I’ve got to celebrate,” said the midfielder, who had eight assists but no goals for the Thorns this past NWSL season. “I don’t even remember what I did. It was just one of the best moments of my life.”
.@sscofff tucks it into the corner to equalize! pic.twitter.com/9Kk9BGqZJF
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) December 6, 2023
It wasn’t the first time this year that Sauerbrunn has loaned her jersey number. During the World Cup, Naomi Girma donned the No. 4 while Sauerbrunn was sidelined with a foot injury. Upon Sauerbrunn’s comeback in October, Girma returned the jersey number without an argument.
“Becky just takes it back,” she said. “It was no fight. I asked to wear it during the World Cup.”
The second year of NWSL free agency opened on Nov. 20.
One of the top free agents on the market is Crystal Dunn, who already has announced her intention to depart the Portland Thorns. Other top targets include OL Reign midfielder Rose Lavelle and Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson.
With the expansion draft set for Dec. 15, teams and players alike seem to be in no rush to formalize contracts for the 2024 season. Teams can protect up to nine players from selection by Bay FC or the Utah Royals, but free agents are exempt, so expect most signings to become official after the draft.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the lone signing on the opening day of free agency went to the Royals. Michele Vasconcelos signed a two-year deal with Utah, setting up her return to her home state.
Unrestricted free agents can negotiate a new contract with any NWSL club, including expansion clubs Bay FC and Utah.
Restricted free agents also can negotiate with any NWSL club, but a player’s current team will have seven days to match any offer received — in salary, bonus structure and years. If the team does not match the offer, the player can sign with the new team, as spelled out in the NWSL’s collective bargaining agreement.
Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn and several more veteran players found themselves left off the U.S. women’s national team roster for the last camp of 2023. But don’t count them out for the 2024 Olympics.
USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore talked with each veteran player about the decision to leave them off the roster, she said Monday.
“None of the players that were left off the roster are out of the mix,” Kilgore said. “We want to win and we want to make sure that we bring the best players with us to the Olympics, and this is just one step in making sure that we are making the right decisions moving forward.”
Players who were called into the October camp but not the December camp include Morgan, Dunn, Alyssa Naeher, Sofia Huerta, Becky Sauerbrunn, Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan.
“I did call all the players that were in the previous camp that aren’t on the roster and explain to them why,” Kilgore said. “Those conversations are between coach and player. But I will say that each and every one of them are professionals. They responded as professionals would. They understand that we’re watching everything they do, everything matters.”
The coaching staff knows what all these players “are capable of doing and what their value is,” Kilgore said. The USWNT sees in the upcoming friendlies against China the opportunity to evaluate a wider pool of players.
As the team continues to build toward next year’s Olympics, Kilgore and incoming head coach Emma Hayes wanted to get younger players some looks with the senior national team. But the veterans are still very much in the mix for the Olympics, she said.
“There’s equal opportunity moving forward to make this roster,” she added.
And as for why they called in the players that they did, including newcomers Jenna Nighswonger and Korbin Albert, their strong play at the club level contributed to the decision-making process.
“The leading factor was that these players have been performing really well in their home environments,” she said. “We’ve been consistently watching them and giving an opportunity to both challenge and support in our environment and be able to evaluate them.”
The final U.S. women’s national team roster of 2023 is here, with Rose Lavelle back in the fold for the first time since the World Cup after missing the last couple of camps with a lingering knee injury.
The 28-year-old midfielder missed all but four NWSL regular-season games but returned for the playoffs, helping lead OL Reign to the NWSL championship match. She also scored in the final for the Reign in their 2-1 loss to Gotham FC.
Despite the defeat, Lavelle looked as sharp as ever in the postseason, showcasing precisely what makes her such a huge asset both for the Reign and the USWNT. As the team looks to win its final two friendlies of the year against China, look for Lavelle to make an impact.
The USWNT will host China for two matches, the first on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. ET, and the second on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. ET.
Several veteran players are sidelined for the friendlies, including forward Alex Morgan, defender Becky Sauerbrunn and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Their absences, though, should not raise too many red flags, as resting veteran players for the final camp of the year is a standard practice for the USWNT.
Also absent from the December roster are defenders Crystal Dunn and Sofia Huerta and midfielders Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan.
Interim head coach Twila Kilgore will continue to lead the team in the stead of newly announced head coach Emma Hayes. This is the first roster to be dropped since the USWNT named Emma Hayes as its next head coach. But with Hayes continuing with Chelsea through the conclusion of the Women’s Super League season, Kilgore will remain at the helm until Hayes joins the USWNT in May 2024.
Catarina Macario remains sidelined, and the Chelsea midfielder is not expected to return for club or country before the end of the year, according to Hayes. But another Chelsea player in Mia Fishel is back on the roster, as is San Diego Wave forward Jaedyn Shaw. Both scored their first international goals in the USWNT’s most recent match in San Diego, a 3-0 win against Colombia at the end of October.
New faces on the roster include Korbin Albert, a 20-year-old midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, and Jenna Nighswonger, the NWSL Rookie of the Year from Gotham FC.
Fort Lauderdale and Frisco, here we come! 🇺🇸
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) November 20, 2023
Our December 2023 roster » https://t.co/lziEdoCGwR
USWNT schedule: December 2023
- Saturday, Dec. 2 — 3 p.m. ET (TNT, Universo, Peacock)
- United States vs. China (DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
- Tuesday, Dec. 5 — 8 p.m. ET (TruTV, Universo, Peacock)
- United States vs. China (Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas)
USWNT roster: December 2023
Goalkeepers (3)
- Jane Campbell (Houston Dash)
- Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit)
- Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)
Defenders (7)
- Alana Cook (OL Reign)
- Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave)
- Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars)
- Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage)
- Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave)
- Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars
- M.A. Vignola (Angel City FC)
Midfielders (8)
- Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns)
- Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC)
- Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais)
- Rose Lavelle (OL Reign)
- Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns)
- Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC)
- Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)
Forwards (8)
- Mia Fishel (Chelsea)
- Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit)
- Midge Purce (Gotham FC)
- Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
- Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave)
- Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)
- Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)
- Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)
Becky Sauerbrunn is going to test the waters of free agency.
The 38-year-old defender has played for three different teams in her NWSL career, including the Utah Royals, who are set to make their return to the league, and FC Kansas City. But she’s been with Portland since 2020, and she won an a NWSL championship with the team in 2022.
Heading into the offseason, though, she will experience free agency for the first time since it began in 2022 under the league’s first-ever collective bargaining agreement with the NWSL Players Association.
“You know, our PA fought very hard for free agency,” Sauerbrunn said. “And so I absolutely am going to experience what it’s like to be a free agent and then kind of see where it all pans out.”
Of course, Sauerbrunn still could end up sticking with the Thorns. And if she does want to stay in Portland, it could behoove her to wait on signing a new contract until after the expansion draft on Dec. 15, as free agents are not available for selection and therefore do not need to be protected.
Still, Sauerbrunn also recognizes that tides can change, and that’s all just a part of the game, she said after Portland’s NWSL semifinal loss.
“I think we as just being professionals, like we know that the team that you’re with, can always change,” Sauerbrunn said. “And we have been very well aware of that through this year. It’s actually something like that motivated us. The women in this locker room will never be the same after this year.”
The Thorns really took time to appreciate “every single moment that we’ve had together,” Sauerbrunn said. But, the locker room changing in the offseason, is a “sad fact of being professional athletes.”
“Right now it hurts. Yeah, it’s tough,” head coach Mike Norris said. “I think whether you’ve got contracts or not, I think the nature of this business, when you end a season, there’s a very good chance it’s not going to be the same group.
“I think there’s hurt right now. But there’s a lot of pride. I think this group has been through a lot in my time with the club. And particularly in my role here through the offseason, through the season. It’s been bumpy, but the group stuck together. They’re a really resilient group to take pride in the excellence in terms of how they show up every day for the fans every day for each other.”