The USWNT returns to action Saturday against world No. 5 Japan, launching a three-friendly series against the Nadeshiko with several familiar faces rejoining the roster.
The No. 2 ranked United States last faced Japan at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, where the Nadeshiko stunned a young USWNT side 2-1 to claim the tournament title. Japan enters the series fresh off winning the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, defeating host Australia 1-0 in the final.
"For us, patience is the biggest part," said forward Trinity Rodman ahead of Saturday's rematch. "Finding the areas to exploit in the final third… just being smart in those moments that we can take advantage."
The match could reunite two-thirds of Triple Espresso as Sophia Wilson joins Rodman on the USWNT roster for the first time since the team's gold medal 2024 Paris Olympics campaign. The frontline duo previously combined for crucial goals during the Olympic run, including Rodman's extra-time winner against Japan in the quarterfinals.
Defender Tierna Davidson also makes her national team return after recovering from last year's ACL injury, providing additional depth to the backline as the team begins World Cup qualifying preparations.
"They're champions of Asia. They're easily one of the best teams in the world," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said of Japan. "I think this is one of the favorites to win the World Cup. So, what a great test for us."
Japan is competing under interim coach Michihisa Kano after parting ways with manager Nils Nielsen last week. The Nadeshiko compiled a 6-0 record at the Women's Asian Cup, outscoring opponents 29-1.
How to Watch the USWNT vs Japan Friendlies
The USWNT kicks off against Japan on Saturday at 5:30 PM ET in San Jose, live on TNT.
The series continues in Seattle on April 14th before culminating in Colorado's April 17th finale.
Another USWNT roster has arrived as coach Emma Hayes prepares her April squad for next week's three-friendly series against Japan. The lineup includes several significant returns to the national team.
Forward Sophia Wilson rejoins the squad for the first time since 2024 after returning from maternity leave. The 25-year-old gave birth to her daughter in September, and carries 58 caps and 24 international goals back to the team. Wilson was part of the "Triple Espresso" front line that helped lead the USA to the 2024 Olympic gold medal.
Defender Tierna Davidson earned her first call-up since tearing her ACL in April 2025. The 27-year-old has made a complete recovery from the injury and returns after a 13-month absence. Davidson holds 67 caps and three goals for the national team.
"What a long journey she's been on," Hayes said of Davidson. "She's shown once again not just her resilience, but her determination to bring her back to a great level."
As November's World Cup qualifiers inch closer, Hayes has begun favoring consistency over experimentation. The USWNT coach tapped zero uncapped players for just the second time since joining the team in May 2024.
"I think the team is completely different now than it was 12 months ago," Hayes said. "When I look at the starting XI then, and I look at the roster now, I think the roster is much more developed."
Forward Michelle Cooper also returns to the roster for the first time this year after recovering from injuries. The 26-player lineup features 19 NWSL players and seven currently competing in Europe.
Japan enters the FIFA window as 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup champions after defeating Australia in the final. The Nadeshiko outscored opponents 29-1 during their tournament run.
How to Watch April's USWNT vs. Japan Friendlies
The US kicks off its three-match series against Japan on April 11th at 5:30 PM ET, live on TNT.
The NWSL is kicking off the year with a double espresso, as Sophia Wilson and the Portland Thorns visit Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit in the league's 2026 season opener on Friday night.
The match is expected to feature Wilson's regular-season return, with the recently re-signed Thorns star taking the field for the first time since 2024 in a preseason friendly last week.
"Obviously I'm being very patient with myself," the new mom said ahead of Friday's clash. "I've just been so eager to get my first game minutes, so I feel like I checked that box. I feel good."
Washington superstar Rodman will aim to spoil her USWNT counterpart's big moment, however, as the world's newly minted highest-paid women's footballer hits the NWSL pitch after an offseason filled with contractual uncertainty.
"At the end of the day, we need to help her be as unpredictable as possible, and help her develop both personally and professionally," Washington manager Adrián González said of his franchise player.
Both teams will also be navigating high-profile departures from their midfields, after 2025 Thorns captain Sam Coffey signed with WSL side Manchester City in January and Spirit centerpiece Croix Bethune transferred to the Kansas City Current last month.
How to watch the first match of the 2026 NWSL season
The 2026 NWSL season kicks off with the Washington Spirit hosting the Portland Thorns at 8 PM ET on Friday, airing live on Prime.
Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson returned to soccer for the first time since 2024 with relatively little fanfare. She entered Portland's March 8th preseason friendly against CF Monterrey as a 75th-minute substitute — after the Thorns scored five first-half goals.
With a 4-1 Portland scoreline, Wilson didn't have much to do, but her presence felt significant. The Olympic gold medalist is getting back into form after having her daughter Gigi last September, after which she immediately began plotting her return to the pitch. During the NWSL offseason, fans could see Wilson getting in touches on social media — a clear statement of intent for an imminent comeback.
"Obviously I'm being very patient with myself," Wilson said ahead of Friday's 2026 NWSL kickoff. "I've just been so eager to get my first game minutes, so I feel like I checked that box. I feel good."
Portland's season opener against Washington shoves Wilson into an even brighter spotlight. The Thorns are eager to have Wilson back, as the club evolves under new ownership and significant personnel changes. But to find success in 2026, Portland needs their superstar — and not a moment too soon.
Wilson Ushers in a New Era for Player-Parents
Speaking with media in January, Wilson recalled feeling both excited and nervous to tell USWNT manager Emma Hayes about her pregnancy.
"It's like telling your boss that you can't work for a year," 25-year-old laughed. "But she was so happy for me… I can't say enough good things about Emma and the support that she's given me."
She credits Hayes's relationship with her own son Harry — a beloved national team mainstay — in the USWNT player pool's growing confidence around family planning. Wilson's Triple Espresso teammate Mallory Swanson also got pregnant last year, having her daughter Josie in November. And the two young moms have been happily swapping notes.
"Going through that with someone you're so close with is so special, because it's such a unique experience," Wilson said. "There's few people in our world that know what we do and have gone through that at the same time."
Wilson and Swanson also benefit from the pregnancy protections written into both the NWSL and USWNT collective bargaining agreements, gains the generation before them fought to achieve.
In the NWSL, players receive 100% of their salary while on pregnancy leave, in addition to full health insurance coverage. The USWNT's 2022 CBA states that pregnant players qualify for up to $8,333 over as many as six months. And upon their return, they receive a minimum of two senior team camp invitations (though not necessarily for major tournaments). Rather than fearing retaliation from club or country, players can make informed decisions for themselves, forever changing player health dynamics.
"My appreciation for the past moms just grows," Swanson said of the player-parents that forged the path she walks today. "I'm just so thankful for all that they fought for."
"Them coming back from pregnancy is amazing in itself, and how good Soph is looking already on the field after having her baby. I'm in awe of all the moms," said third Triple Espresso member Trinity Rodman. "It's already insane without a kid."
Wilson also credits motherhood with a change in perspective. And while her mom teammates told her that would happen, she had to experience for herself.
"I'm the same person, but I am different now," she said. "I'm a mom, and I think that's my most important title. Practice can go either way, but when you go home to your child, it's like nothing else matters."
Without professional soccer consuming her entire world, Wilson has space to rekindle the athletic artistry she's always been known for. "I think that perspective helps me on the field, because it just allows me to be more free," she continued. "I play my best soccer when I'm having fun."
Stepping Back into the NWSL Spotlight
Wilson's world no longer revolves solely around the beautiful game. But the world can't forget just how good she is with the ball at her feet.
Throughout her absence, Wilson's impact on the USWNT has loomed over international play, as Hayes continues to craft her roster ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Not ready to rejoin the team at March's SheBelieves Cup, Wilson — and Hayes — might have to settle for an April return as the US readies for a three-friendly series against Japan.
But those following Wilson's career from the start know that her US success has always been rooted in the NWSL. It's there that she's stockpiled individual and team accolades since getting drafted by the Thorns in 2020. In just five seasons, Wilson is already an NWSL MVP, final MVP, league champion, Shield winner, and Golden Boot winner.
Of course, her teammates haven't forgotten. "When you think of the Thorns, you think of Sophia," said Portland forward Reilyn Turner. "Obviously she's a big part of the heart and soul of the Thorns, and we have definitely missed her this past year."
"I just want people to be scared to play us," midfielder Olivia Moultrie added. "I want me and Sophia to be a duo that teams just do not want to have to deal with."
Wilson's timing couldn't be better. The Thorns were in constant flux this offseason, from USWNT midfielder Sam Coffey's high-profile overseas transfer to former Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn's last-minute addition as head coach this month.
So it came as no surprise when Portland exercised its star's one-year option for a reported $1 million. But even then, the team only secured her services for one more season. And for a club struggling to figure out its new identity, that kind of uncertainty could pose existential problems.
But with Wilson on their bench, the Thorns don't appear too rattled.
"We've had maybe 30 new faces in and out of the team in the last few months," Wilson said this week. "And that's really hard to keep a high level, to keep a high standard when you have so many new faces. I just give credit to every single person who's come into this environment and put their head down and got to work."
Adapting in Her Absence: How the Thorns Evolved
Despite the chaos, there are reasons to think Portland might have actually benefitted from Wilson's leave, honing its attack to better match her upon her return.
The Thorns offense saw additional losses in 2025, after winger Morgan Weaver and young forward Caiya Hanks suffered season-ending injuries. Then Portland traded attacker Hina Sugita to Angel City, further thinning the team's attacking ranks.
Suddenly without some of their biggest offensive weapons, Turner and Moultrie had to adapt — and they pulled it off in style. The Thorns went on to finish third in the NWSL standings with the fourth-most goals scored over the course of the 2025 season.
"At first, I could only play one position, but as you know, people drop out, injuries happen, and people leave," Turner said. "To be as successful as we were, we had to move players around. I've become very versatile."
"We definitely had to face adversity in a lot of different ways," she continued. "I'm excited to get [Wilson] back, and hopefully we can get in the groove of things."
After experiencing similar growing pains, Moultrie can't wait to send backlines running, finding the space to set both herself and Wilson free on goal.
"I felt like I really came into myself in a way that I was comfortable with at the end of last year," she reflected. "And now I have someone who's really going to take the line back. The defense is going to be worried."
No matter how many goals Portland concedes this season, the team will lean on its offense to keep the results flowing and the crowd fired up. And while she'll continue being patient, Wilson can't wait to remind the world exactly who she's always been.
"I spent a year off and learned a lot about myself, who I am when I'm not playing. I think that was good for me," she said.
"But I'm excited to be back, because I am a soccer player and it's what I love to do."
USWNT coach Emma Hayes announced her 26-player roster 2026 SheBelieves Cup roster on Tuesday, blending European and NWSL talent as the US prepares for World Cup qualifiers this fall.
Seven Europe-based players join 19 NWSL stars on the USWNT roster. Reigning NWSL champion Gotham FC leads all teams with four selections, with Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, Jaedyn Shaw, and Lilly Reale all receiving call-ups.
"Three quality games in quick succession allow us to replicate conditions that will prepare us for the World Cup qualifying campaign this fall," Hayes said in Tuesday's US Soccer statement. "As always, we want to keep developing our player pool to be more and more prepared."
The USWNT roster notably excludes several big names due to injuries and fitness concerns ahead of next month's NWSL kickoff.
Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson remains in post-pregnancy return-to-play protocol. Chelsea's Catarina Macario sits out with a heel injury. Additionally, midfielder Croix Bethune, defenders Avery Patterson and Emily Sams, and forward Michelle Cooper remain unavailable due to preseason knocks.
Hayes Leans on Experience in Latest USWNT Roster Drop
The selection marks a significant strategic shift for the USWNT. Hayes features zero uncapped players for the first time since the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, instead leaning into experience ahead of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
The SheBelieves Cup roster averages 30.4 caps per player, contrasting sharply with the 6.6 average during January's friendlies. Veterans Lindsey Heaps (170 caps), Rose Lavelle (116 caps), and Emily Sonnett (113 caps) anchor the group.
Trinity Rodman headlines the roster, as the recently re-signed Washington Spirit star gears up to earn her 50th USWNT cap.
The USWNT opens SheBelieves Cup play March 1st against Argentina in Nashville. Hayes's side then faces Canada on March 4th in Columbus, before the tournament concludes March 7th against Colombia in Harrison, New Jersey.
USWNT star Sophia Wilson is returning to Portland, with Sportico reporting on Tuesday that the 25-year-old is exercising her one-year player option with the Thorns — keeping her in the NWSL through the 2026 season.
Written into the striker's 2024 contract with Portland, the option is worth $1 million, officially making Wilson the US domestic league's highest-paid player.
The 2022 NWSL MVP missed the 2025 NWSL campaign due to pregnancy, but plans to return next season after giving birth to her daughter in September.
Notably, Wilson's re-signing comes as the NWSL reckons with salary cap limitations, and follows the league recently rejecting the Washington Spirit's multi-million dollar offer to retain fellow USWNT "Triple Espresso" star Trinity Rodman.
While ESPN reported last week that the NWSL Board of Governors is considering adopting a "High Impact Player" rule to allow teams to exceed the salary cap, the league has yet to officially announce any such new mechanism — and it isn't clear if Wilson's one-year deal qualifies for the potential change.
Considering the current NWSL base salary cap is $3.5 million, but will jump to $4.4 million in 2027 — the same year Wilson will become a free agent — the Thorns star could see her next contract surpass this week's record-setting deal.
US Soccer is developing new pre- and post-pregnancy protocol plans, USWNT manager Emma Hayes told media on Saturday — hours after star forward Lynn Biyendolo announced on social media that she is expecting her first child.
"It is how to combine the right things in the right ways and the right specialisms around so that players feel supported," said Hayes. "That through their journey of having a baby, that feels like they're doing the right things, but also gets them back in the safest way possible, depending if it's a natural pregnancy or if it is a C-section."
Described as a 360 approach, the pregnancy protocol and how best to manage new parents has been a point of focus for the national team, with the players union and US Soccer most recently ratifying new protections and resources for parent-athletes into the 2022 CBA.
Multiple USWNT starters have started families in the years since that landmark agreement, with US and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson giving birth to her first daughter last month and Triple Espresso teammate Mallory Swanson expecting her first child later this year.
Hayes said that she expects to share those protocols "with our larger landscape," though she did not specify a timeline for the roll-out.
"I keep reminding the players, whenever things get challenging, lean into the team in every way, shape, or form, whether that's in our game model, whether that's outside of the field," she added. "Healthy culture, great people always is going to represent great progress."
The NWSL salary cap has become a hot topic in recent weeks, with big-name — and big-money — transfers like Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson's overseas move to Chelsea and North Carolina Courage striker Jaedyn Shaw's reportedly imminent trade to Gotham raising concerns about the league's financial edge.
While Shaw's reported league-record $1.25 million trade proves that US teams are willing to pay a premium for top talent, the disparity between flashy transfer fees and salary limitations could be holding the NWSL back.
"I know that in the NWSL there are ambitious clubs that want to be able to compete with the likes of a Chelsea, with the likes of a Barcelona," retired USWNT star Tobin Heath said on last week's episode of The RE—CAP Show. "These teams are capped out, they can't compete. They're going to lose their best players."
The league's most recent collective bargaining agreement sets each NWSL club's current salary cap at $3.3 million, which will titrate up to $5.1 million by 2030 while also adding potential revenue sharing options.
In 2024, the average league salary was $117,000. However, with 22- to 26-player rosters, teams often low-ball some athletes in order to afford to pay out for superstars.
Soft salary cap overseas lures soccer's top players
In comparison, the UK's WSL and second-tier WSL2 operate with soft caps, recently shifting to a framework that allows teams to spend up to 80% of their revenue plus a capped contribution from club owners on player salaries.
"We have no intent to kind of 'cap' any players' earnings," WSL Football COO Holly Murdoch told The Guardian earlier this month. "We're at the investment stage of women's football, so we don't want to deter investment. We don't want to put in rules that don't make us an attractive investment."
With NWSL top earners Sophia Wilson and Trinity Rodman becoming free agents in 2026, the US league might need to rethink its model to stay competitive in an increasingly aggressive global market.
The No. 5 Portland Thorns snagged another result over the weekend, grabbing a point off a 1-1 Saturday draw with the No. 9 North Carolina Courage to further solidify their spot on the NWSL table.
Midfielder Olivia Moultrie opened scoring with a first-half bullet to put Portland up 1-0, before Courage forward Tyler Lussi equalized with a 70th-minute strike.
With her 13th career goal on Saturday, 19-year-old Moultrie became the NWSL's joint-leader in regular-season goals scored by a teenager — sharing the all-time record with North Carolina attacker Jaedyn Shaw.
The Portland Thorns are currently making a case for the league's "best of the rest," after Saturday NWSL action saw the San Diego Wave rocket up the table to No. 2 with a 2-1 win over No. 11 Bay FC while the No. 1 Kansas City Current and now-No. 3 Orlando Pride ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
Despite losing veteran anchors Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg to retirement and USWNT star Sophia Wilson to maternity leave, Portland has figured out how to generate new offensive opportunities via young talent like forwards Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin.
More experienced midfielders like Moultrie and Sam Coffey are also contributing, with Coffey scoring her second season goal on August 10th to match her entire 2024 total.
As for North Carolina, the questions continue for the Courage as they struggle to stack results amid the abrupt sacking of head coach Sean Nahas earlier this month.
According to a statement released after the Courage's August 8th loss to the then-No. 12 Houston Dash, Nahas was removed due to "confounding performance issues, culture issues, and a perceived lack of fit that created an environment that club leadership felt was untenable to the point that change was necessary at the head coaching position."
How to watch Monday's NWSL match
In a rare Monday matchup, the NWSL's 16th matchday will wrap with the No. 6 Seattle Reign hosting the No. 13 Chicago Stars — with a Reign win sending Seattle above Portland to No. 5 on the NWSL table.
Live coverage of the 10 PM ET match will air on CBS Sports Network.
Big-name NWSL stars could be on the move next season, with the league releasing its list of 2026 free agents on Tuesday.
Two of the USWNT's 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning Triple Espresso frontline — the Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman and the Portland Thorns' Sophia Wilson — headline the 2026 slate.
Other NWSL standouts like Gotham FC forward Midge Purce, Kansas City Current midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta, and North Carolina Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy are also eligible to negotiate new contracts — and potentially suit up for other clubs next year.
As per the players' most recent CBA with the league, all athletes whose contracts expire at the end of this season are now 2026 free agents, regardless of the number of years they've competed in the NWSL.
The 2026 free agency period officially began on Tuesday, opening the door for both teams and eligible players to initiate contract discussions and term negotiations for next season.
Even more, 2025 clubs face additional competition in the race to sign their most-wished for players, as new NWSL expansion teams Denver and Boston Legacy FC enter the free agency fray ahead of their 2026 season debuts.
Notably, landing on the free agent list doesn't prohibit a player from simply re-signing with their original club, but it does indicate that any previous deal negotiations have extended beyond the NWSL's July 1st contract extension deadline.