The USWNT ended 2024 with an unlikely win, overcoming a Dutch shooting barrage to earn a 2-1 comeback victory in Tuesday's Euro trip closer.
The world No. 1 squad looked overrun for much of the first half as the No. 11 Netherlands outshot the US 14-1. Oranje rookie Veerle Buurman ultimately broke through with a 15th-minute goal off of a corner kick to give the Netherlands a well-earned lead.
That said, the USWNT held tight, equalizing in the 44th minute when Buurman headed in Tierna Davidson's free kick for an own goal.
Subs made all the difference in the game's second half, taking back enough control to mount an impressive US comeback. In just her fourth cap, forward Yazmeen Ryan produced her first international assist, finding her Gotham FC teammate Lynn Williams streaking into the penalty area to put away the 71st-minute sliding goal that allowed the US to gut out the win.
"I thought today we demonstrated by not being at our best, both in and out of possession, that finding a way to win is a sign of a great team," commented US boss Emma Hayes after the match.
SWNT keeper Alyssa Naeher's epic final match against he Netherlands
Longtime starting goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned Player of the Match honors with six stunning saves in her final USWNT performance on Tuesday. The now-retired star finishes her international career with 89 wins, 69 clean sheets, and 112 starts in her 115 caps.
Reflecting on her final year in goal for the States, Naeher said after Tuesday's match, "I think part of why I've been able to play with so much extra joy and smiles and really enjoy it this year even more, is I really felt like it was the last the whole time."
A golden 2024 to fuel 2025 USWNT success
With Saturday's draw against No. 2 England and Tuesday's victory over the Netherlands, the USWNT ends 2024 on a 20-match unbeaten streak that included their 16th Concacaf title and fifth Olympic gold medal.
After taking the US reins in May, head coach Hayes caps the year with a 13-0-2 record, with eight of those wins coming against FIFA-ranked Top-15 teams.
The momentum Hayes has built sets the stage for continued success next year. The USWNT will kick off 2025 with a mid-January training camp to run concurrently with a "Futures Camp," designed to identify and develop young talent for the senior squad.
The first matches on the USWNT's 2025 schedule will come in February, when the team hosts No. 7 Japan, No. 15 Australia, and No. 21 Colombia in the 10th annual SheBelieves Cup.
On today's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins wraps up a banner year for the USWNT. She starts by diving into how Tuesday's dramatic 2-1 win over the Netherlands, discussing how it showcased just how far the team has come and what they’ll need to do to continue to grow in 2025.
Later, Watkins chats through the lessons learned from the USWNT midfield's recent performances, plus the differences in player form between their clubs and national team.
Finally, she dishes about Alyssa Naeher's epic final performance, underlining how much the starting goalkeeper will be missed as she officially retires from the USWNT.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.
Monday's 24-player USWNT roster drop sees new faces stepping up as head coach Emma Hayes gifts Triple Espresso — forwards Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mal Swanson — some well-earned time off after a grueling 2024 campaign.
While 15 of the team's 22 reigning Olympic gold medalists will feature in upcoming friendlies against world No. 2 England and the No. 11 Netherlands, the three forwards "are dealing with nagging injuries that need rest after a long year representing club and country," per US Soccer.
"Not one of these players want to ever miss a game for playing for their country. I want to be really clear about that," Hayes told reporters in Monday's press conference.
"But two, I want to make sure these players are prepared for a long time to come. And when you're in the backend of a season, and you're playing a lot, and your body's tired, your mind's tired, that's where sometimes it can become risky."
The US camp will begin on Sunday, one day after the 2024 NWSL Championship. Three league standouts — Orlando's Emily Sams and Washington's Casey Krueger and Hal Hershfelt — will join the USWNT after playing for the league title and before the world No. 1 team faces off against the runners-up of the last two World Cups.
Young USWNT talent to step up in Triple Espresso's absence
In their stead, NWSL rookies Emma Sears and Ally Sentnor, plus newly minted 20-year-olds Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Thompson will therefore take over frontline duties for the US squad when they face the last two European champions.
Hot off a significantly strong bronze medal-winning U-20 World Cup performance, 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year nominee Sentnor is one of two uncapped call-ups, alongside Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
The duo will join seven players who earned first caps during the USWNT's October camp. That list includes Orlando defender Emily Sams and Utah goalkeeper Mandy Haught, both currently up for NWSL individual awards.
The roster's lone teenager is 17-year-old Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes, who announced her official decision to represent the US one week ago. Yohannes could see playing time against the Netherlands, her home country since 2017.
"[Yohannes] knows she has to work hard with the playing pool being as strong as it is, but I think she's an exceptional talent," noted Hayes. "I'm delighted that we can develop a very young Lily Yohannes over the next few years to prepare her for a future with the national team."
Four veterans lead November's USWNT roster
With over 100 caps each, US captain Lindsey Horan, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, midfielder Rose Lavelle, and defender Emily Sonnett will helm the USWNT's final 2024 matches.
Similarly, after missing the last US camp with injury, veteran Tierna Davison will return. The defender is likely to pair with October's goalscoring hero Naomi Girma at center back.
The combination of veteran leadership and fresh faces is a hallmark of Hayes's rosters. Accordingly, the USWNT boss hones in on developing what she hopes will be a championship team.
"This is the end of a wonderful year, but we’re still at the beginning of our process of building towards qualifying for the next World Cup," Hayes stated.
"This trip will be about testing ourselves against two world class teams with opportunities to develop our roster. We will continue to build relationships on and off the field and I’m really excited to work with this group as we continue to set the stage for 2025."
November's USWNT roster
- Goalkeepers: Mandy Haught (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
- Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)
- Midfielders: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)
- Forwards: Yazmeen Ryan (Gotham FC), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)
How to watch the final 2024 USWNT friendlies in Europe
First, the US will battle England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium at 12:20 PM ET on November 30th. Then, they'll travel to The Hague to contend with the Netherlands at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.
Both friendlies will air live on TNT.
Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands are submitting a bid to FIFA to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, the countries’ football associations said Friday.
Brazil submitted their bid to host last month, while the United States and Mexico have also expressed interest.
Friday is the deadline for member associations to submit their bids to FIFA. South Africa had also submitted a bid, but withdrew that last month in favor of presenting a “well-prepared bid” for the 2031 World Cup.
“Extensive and detailed consultations between the three federations along with key stakeholders including central governments dates back to 2021,” the Dutch football federation (KNVB) said in a statement. “This has led to alignment around the belief that our three countries are well placed to stage a FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 of unparalleled quality and impact.”
Bid cities for the countries’ bid include Brussels, the capital of Belgium; Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands; as well as Düsseldorf and Cologne Germany.
🇧🇪 Brussels, Charleroi, Genk, Ghent
— Rich Laverty (@RichJLaverty) December 8, 2023
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Heerenveen, Enschede, Rotterdam
🇩🇪 Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, Cologne
The confirmed bid cities for the @bng2027 World Cup as they submitted their official bid book to FIFA this morning.
FIFA will conduct on-site inspection visits to bidding countries in February. FIFA Congress will then appoint the 2027 World Cup hosts in May.
Germany has hosted the Women’s World Cup once before, back in 2011, after having won the 2003 and 2007 editions of the World Cup.
This year, Australia and New Zealand hosted the World Cup, which was won by Spain.
England needed a win and plenty of goals in order to stave off elimination from the 2024 Paris Olympics. They got both in their 6-0 win over Scotland in the UEFA Nations League group stage finale on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the semifinals and a shot at the Olympics.
England needed to both win their game against Scotland and make up their three-goal differential with the Netherlands to finish atop their Nations League group. For 95 minutes on Tuesday, they were on the verge of pulling it off, until the Netherlands’ Damaris Egurrola scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time against Belgium to lift the Dutch to a 4-0 win and maintain a one-goal lead in the tiebreaker scenario.
As a result, the Netherlands advance out of Group A1 and have a shot at Olympic qualification (the top two teams in the Nations League qualify for the Olympics). Meanwhile, England, the 2023 World Cup runners-up, will not compete in Paris next summer as part of Team Great Britain.
A dramatic, stoppage-time win over the Netherlands on Friday kept the team’s Olympic hopes alive, but they needed another win — and some help — to overcome a disappointing start to the qualification tournament.
England’s stars shined early against Scotland, with Alex Greenwood, Lauren James (two goals) and Beth Mead (one) scoring before the half to give the Lionesses a 4-0 lead. Fran Kirby tacked on one more in the second half and Lucy Bronze added insurance in stoppage time, appearing to solidify England’s group victory. The Netherlands’ Egurrola then broke through for two stoppage-time goals to dash England’s hopes of advancing in stunning fashion.
England, as the highest-ranked home nation, would have represented Team Great Britain at the Paris Olympics on behalf of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Scotland didn’t want to make it easy on England — even if their own Olympics qualification as part of Team GB hung in the balance — due to a decades-old rivalry between the teams.
“Truthfully, I think it’s extremely disrespectful,” Rachel Corsie said ahead of the matchup when questions arose about the possibility of allowing England to win in order to qualify for the Olympics. “It’s a huge insult to us.
“To have played for my country as many years as I have, to know the girls sitting in there [the dressing room], the ones who want to be here but are injured and cannot be here, it’s absolutely outrageous to question anyone’s integrity.”
At the last Olympics in 2021 in Tokyo, both England (as Great Britain) and the Netherlands advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Australia and the United States, respectively.
Team GB still has a chance compete in women’s soccer at the 2024 Olympics after England’s come-from-behind 3-2 win against the Netherlands in the Nations League group stage.
The England women’s national team is seeking Olympic qualification on behalf of Team GB. The Olympic team could include players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well, though England likely would provide most of the roster.
Those Olympic dreams almost were cut short Friday in front of a home crowd at London’s Wembley Stadium. The Netherlands took an early lead on two first-half goals from Lineth Beerensteyn.
But England tied the game in the second half with goals from Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp, then completed the comeback with a stoppage time strike from Ella Toone.
Now England needs to win its final group-stage match Tuesday against Scotland and either better the Netherlands in goal differential or root for a Netherlands loss or draw against Belgium to stay alive in the quest for UEFA Olympic qualification.
The Lionesses entered Friday’s match amid a run of poor form for the 2023 World Cup runners-up, as they had lost three of their last five games starting with a 1-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup final.
That stretch included a 2-1 loss to the Oranje in September. The Lionesses had allowed six goals in four Nations League matches entering Friday.
Sweden will not qualify for the Olympics after its loss Friday to Switzerland. The third-place finisher at this summer’s World Cup, Sweden has a 2-1-2 (W-D-L) record through five Nations League group-stage matches, which knocked the team out of Olympic contention.
Taylor Swift made headlines Sunday when she cheered on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. But this is far from her first foray into sports.
The 12-time Grammy-winning superstar is a well-established fan and friend of the U.S. women’s national team, in particular veteran forward Alex Morgan. She hosted the 2015 World Cup-winning team on stage at her 1989 World Tour, and she announced Morgan’s place on the 2023 World Cup roster.
So in honor of Swift’s continued world domination, Just Women’s Sports has paired her albums with women’s soccer kits from the 2023 World Cup, the Women’s Super League and the NWSL.
Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
Australian superstar Sam Kerr and the Matildas’ bright World Cup kits drag us headfirst into the rankings. Does it get better than this?
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
World Cup champion Spain enchanted the crowd at the 2023 tournament with these coral reef-inspired kits.
Red (Taylor’s Version)
Arsenal crashed out of the Women’s Champions League in the qualifying round. Yet despite their run ending so suddenly, they have the whole Women’s Super League season ahead in their classic red kits. So: Begin again?
1989 (Taylor’s Version)
England isn’t out of the woods yet. Despite winning the 2022 Euro title, the Lionesses are still seeking their first World Cup championship after falling to Spain in the 2023 final. But their light blue kits for the tournament will never go out of style.
Reputation
Are you ready for it? This is the only album on the list not owned by Swift, who is in the process of re-recording her first six albums so she has control of her music. But pairing the edgy “Reputation” with the Thorns’ tattoo-inspired 2023 jerseys proved too tempting to pass up.
Lover
USWNT midfielder Sam Mewis is in her Lover era, she shared on the “Snacks” podcast in April. Don’t roll your eyes, but Angel City FC are in their Lover era too with their 2022 pink-accented kits.
Folklore
The Football Ferns’ World Cup kits pull from nature, as does Swift’s woodsy “folklore.” While July and August slipped away like a bottle of wine, the memories of the tournament Down Under (and of New Zealand’s first-ever World Cup win) will stick with us.
Evermore
Swift has spoken about the autumnal vibes of “evermore,” and while there are no flannels to be found on the soccer field, the Netherlands’ signature orange kits bring to mind the colors of the season.
Midnights
The USWNT did not have the 2023 World Cup run they wanted, but they still looked bejeweled in these Nike kits. Ahead of the tournament, Morgan attended Swift’s record-setting Eras Tour, which features “Midnights” tracks as its grand finale, and she had high praise for her uber-famous friend.
“She is so supportive,” Morgan said. “She’s all about women empowerment. We both share our favorite number, number 13, born the same year, in 1989. We’ve just been really supportive of each other’s careers.”
The 2023 World Cup is down to two teams, with England and Spain set to face off in the championship match. Both teams are competing in their first World Cup final, so a first-time champion will be crowned in Sydney on Aug. 20.
Check out the complete schedule and knockout stage results below, and catch up on the semifinals with our coverage of La Roja’s 2-1 win against Sweden and the Lionesses’ 3-1 victory over Australia.
2023 World Cup: Schedule and how to watch
All remaining World Cup matches are available to watch on Fox, Telemundo and Universo. They can be streamed on the Fox Sports app and on Peacock.
Third place
- Saturday, Aug. 19
- 4 a.m. — Sweden vs. Australia (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Championship match
- Sunday, Aug. 20
- 6 a.m. — Spain vs. England (Stadium Australia, Sydney)
Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn celebrated the U.S. women’s national team’s exit from the 2023 World Cup. After the Dutch squad’s elimination, former USWNT forward Sydney Leroux returned the favor.
Ahead of her team’s quarterfinal match against Spain, Beerensteyn chided the USWNT for its overconfidence entering the World Cup. When she heard about the two-time defending champions’ shootout loss to Sweden in the Round of 16, she had one thought: “Yes! Bye!”
“From the start of this tournament, they had really big mouths, they were talking already about the final,” Beerensteyn said. “I was just thinking, you first have to show it on the pitch before you’re talking.”
After the Netherlands’ 2-1 loss to Spain in the quarterfinal round, Leroux directed a similar message to the Dutch team.
“One thing we’ve learned is wait to talk shit until after you’re on the podium with a gold medal because now… you’re bye too,” said Leroux, who won the 2015 World Cup as a member of the USWNT.
One thing we’ve learned is wait to talk shit until after you’re on the podium with a gold medal because now… you’re bye too.
— Sydney Leroux (@sydneyleroux) August 11, 2023
The USWNT played the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw in the group stage at this World Cup, and Netherlands went on to win Group E. The teams also had faced off at the previous two major tournaments, with the U.S. beating the Dutch in the 2021 Olympic quarterfinals and in the 2019 World Cup final.
Beerensteyn insisted that she maintains “a lot of respect” for the USWNT players.
“But now they’re out of the tournament, and for me, it’s a relief,” she said. “For them, and it’s something they will have to take with them in the future: Don’t start to talk about something that is far away. I hope they will learn from that.”
Spain advances to the semifinals with its win over the Netherlands. La Roja will face Sweden at 4 a.m. ET Tuesday with a spot in the World Cup championship match on the line.
As the U.S. women’s national team mourned its defeat to Sweden in the Round of 16, its earliest ever World Cup exit, an old foe rejoiced.
“Yes! Bye!” Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn thought when she learned the news, as she shared Thursday.
The USWNT played the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw in the group stage after beating the Dutch in the 2021 Olympic quarterfinals and in the 2019 World Cup final. Beerensteyn was hardly displeased by the USWNT’s stunning World Cup exit.
De Verenigde Staten verloren in de achtste finale van het WK van Zweden en Lineth Beerensteyn kon daar niet rouwig om zijn: 'Ik dacht: ok, doei!' 👋
— NOS Sport (@NOSsport) August 10, 2023
Meer → https://t.co/mPm8dn3plc pic.twitter.com/8t01mugD7M
“From the start of this tournament, they had really big mouths, they were talking already about the final,” Beerensteyn said. “I was just thinking, you first have to show it on the pitch before you’re talking.”
The Netherlands won Group E over the USWNT, then won its Round of 16 game, defeating South Africa, 2-0. Beerensteyn scored in the 68th minute to seal the victory and push the Netherlands to a quarterfinal matchup against Spain at 9 p.m. ET Thursday.
Beerensteyn insisted that she maintains “a lot of respect” for the USWNT players, who have become global stars amid the program’s domination of the sport. The USWNT won the previous two World Cups.
“But now they’re out of the tournament, and for me, it’s a relief,” Beerensteyn said. “For them, and it’s something they will have to take with them in the future: Don’t start to talk about something that is far away. I hope they will learn from that.”
Beerensteyn’s perspective differs from Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani.
“They have so much quality in their team, and this defeat will not take them down,” Asllani said. “Don’t talk s— about the U.S. women.”