October Matches - Oct 23, Oct 26, and Oct 29 including pre/pbp/post match

Ryan is useful, a player can play both on the wide and central area is pretty valuable. I will not select Sentnor if I am fielding the world cup roster now, she has lost her identity this season. But given she played pretty well in the NT, it's not entirely unreasonble for Emma to give her some slack.

My opinion of Gisele is very low. Her ball control is not at the level of an effective attacker.

Bugg has a very high ceiling although she currently has a lot of issues. Wesley is a wilder choice, but Sharples and Staab are not in the correct age cohort for the world cup and beyond. They need to be exception not simply good to earn another call up.

Howell, Flint and to a less extent Hal share one similar issue. Their distribution ability is not desirable. The center midfield is built around Coffey, and a double pivot is the default set up. This set up does not require any single central midfielder to have the best sweeping and ball tackling ability, they need to be able to contest the ball of course, but their distribution and forward carrying ability are equally important. Howell, Flint and Hal are all more suitable for a single pivot system.

Shrader is the odd one, she can do a lot of things, but what is her absolute advantage over her competitors? How can she develop? We have two very mobile and well-rounded center midfielders, two very techinical center fielders who can defend reasonably, where does she fit in?

 

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ently-uswnt-philadelphia-upcoming-fifa-window

24 Players Named for U.S. U-23 WNT Training Camp to Run Concurrently with USWNT Upcoming FIFA Window

U.S. Roster by Position – U.S. U-23 WNT Training Camp – Philadelphia, Pa.
Goalkeepers (3): Liz Beardsley (Houston Dash; Lakeland, Fla.), Leah Freeman (Bay FC; Berkeley, Calif.), Neeku Purcell (Seattle Reign; Seattle, Wash.)

Defenders (9): Natalie Bain (Xavier University; Alexandria, Ky.), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain FC, FRA; Dexter, Mich.), Ella Hase (Racing Louisville FC; Orland Park, Ill.), Emily Mason (Seattle Reign; Flemington, N.J.), Quincy McMahon (San Diego Wave; Highland Ranch, Colo.), Ayo Oke (CF Pachuca, MEX; Lawrenceville, Ga.), Jayden Perry (Portland Thorns FC; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Evelyn Shores (Angel City FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; Studio City, Calif.)

Midfielders (6): Abi Brighton (Juventus FC; Beaufort, S.C.), Gia Corley (San Diego Wave; Tacoma, Wash.), Taylor Huff (Bay FC; Mansfield, Ohio), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.), Katie O'Kane (Racing Louisville FC; Seattle, Wash.), Sarah Schupansky (Gotham FC; Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Forwards (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign; Red Oak, Texas), Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign; Edina, Minn.), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars FC; Beltsville, Md.), Karlie Lema (Bay FC; Morgan Hill, Calif.), Riley Tiernan (Angel City FC; Voorhees, N.J.), Pietra Tordin (Portland Thorns FC; Miami, Fla.)

 

There are even exclusions from this team, such is our new-found depth!

 

Quite a swim!

 

Sharples and Staab will each be 30. Easily within peak for a CB.

Production rarely lies. Giselle is second in the league for assists. Imo, there is more value in putting her at LW late, and seeing what she can do than putting Sentnor out there again.

I don't think Emma plays a couble pivot. A typical line-up will have Coffey and Hutton in the midfield. Hutton plays wayyyyy more as an 8 than a 6. And, I think Howell and Hal are better at the offense stuff than you do, as a partner to Coffey (a Hutton replacement).

Gotta that I'm stoked that Shaw is in, baffled that Croix is out. Maybe Shaw took Croix's spot for this roster. I'm fine with load management decisions wrt to Croix. She's had so many injuries, I'd like to see her play fewer matches/year than your average NT, or fringe NT player.

 

who are the U-23 exclusions? I'm not being argumentative, just trying to be educated re the pool

 

A little exaggeration on my part, I wasn't thinking of players in the typical age-range of U23s like 21 or 22 yos, just younger ones who aren't in the U17 tournament, ie U20s: who seem to be a little in limbo: Fuller, Armstrong, Ascanio who are having good years and wouldn't be out-of-place on the U23s--just an observation.

 

Also R Turner and M Morris and S Weber.

 

Lastly Korbin Shrader who apparently isn't injured, just not selected for either the senior nor U23s. I asked a French poster on these boards why she wasn't in the squad for Lyon yesterday and was told it was just rotation.

PS I think the U23s is a good selection, and Emma Hayes has been exhaustively thorough in calling up any in that age group one could think of.

 

Thank you. Yes, very surprising that Fuller isn't on the U-23 list. I wonder what is the real difference between Fuller and Hutton other than the teams they play on. (IOW, I'm a big fan of both players).

Yep, Armstrong and Ascanio. Imo, Armstrong is a better current player than Bugg - but that's on limited observation. I'm always big on Turner, and would call her in ahead of Ryan. Turner is four years younger and more productive. And, Ascanio ... she's not better than Corley or O'Kane?

Anyway, those are good shouts. Brighton looked pretty good to me in that U-23 friendly vs. Germany, fwiw.

 

Perhaps Hayes was confused by the name-change? Seems unlikely.

These were the U-23's v Germany in late May/early June 2025 ...

USA: 1-Angelina Anderson; 7-Makenna Morris (2-Emily Mason, 82), 4-Jordan Bugg, 5-Kennedy Wesley (19-Lauren Flynn, 75), 3-Lilly Reale; 20-Samantha Meza, 6-Riley Jackson (16-Sarah Schupansky, 63), 8-Korbin Albert (18-Evelyn Shores, 75); 10-Jaedyn Shaw (14-Riley Tiernan, 63), 9-Mia Fishel (Capt.) (17-Abi Brighton, 63), 11-Maddie Dahlien (13-Caiya Hanks, 63)

Substitutes not used: 12-Jordan Silkowitz,15-Jemeese Joseph

Head Coach: Heather Dyche

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2025/05/us-under-23-womens-national-team-germany-evelyn-shores-

USA: 12-Jordan Silkowitz; 2-Emily Mason (20-Samantha Meza, 74), 4-Jordyan Bugg (5-Kennedy Wesley, 56), 19-Lauren Flynn,18-Evelyn Shores (9-Mia Fishel, 46); 17-Abi Brighton, 8-Korbin Albert, 10-Jaedyn Shaw (Capt.) (6-Riley Jackson, 56); 14-Riley Tiernan (3-Lilly Reale, 46), 13-Caiya Hanks (11-Maddie Dahlien, 56),16-Sarah Schupansky (7-Makenna Morris, 56)

Subs not used: 1-Angelina Anderson

Head Coach: Heather Dyche

https://www.soccerwire.com/news/u-s...-team-falls-to-germany-2-1-in-second-matchup/

 

I missed Bethune's absence too. Lotta players to keep track of these days.

Ya, I'm sure I'm out to lunch calling for Gisele to be tried at forward. But, you've got a 19 y.o. who is blazing fast and skilled enough that she's 2nd in one of the three best (maybe the best) leagues in the world in assists ... like, how did she even become a defender? Was there a reason she wasn't played as forward as a youth? No one even wants to take a look at that person playing in an advanced position? In a camp where there are players that are very unlikely to make a full NT roster, even w/ an injury at their position, why call in those players, if you can see if you can flip a switch on someone that may have vast potential? And, it's a player that could really expand your depth if she could credibly play two positions.

But, ya, I'm probably the only person in the world that is thinking that.

Regarding Macario, imo she's not really doing anything these days that warrants a call up over some players not included. But, her potential is vast, she's still on the recovery slope from her injury. And, apparently, Emma has her name carved in stone on the 2027 WC roster. That's fine.

Again, I'm really excited to see Shaw called in. To me, her best position is as a 10. But, no one else seems to agree. And, at that position, particularly, there is a lot of competition.

 

Emma Hayes' Big Problem | My USWNT Roster Predictions
Busy Watching Women's Soccer

Just posting this because I like her video editing and analysis of player's qualities. She doesn't post that often usually after a set of USWNT games. She was prescient in calling for Reale and Ryan and missed in her calls for Bethune, Shrader and Rodriguez.

 

https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/...aws-uswnt-roster-with-hip-injury/83923086007/

The link is to the quote below, regarding Thompson's call-up last May as a Forward:

Thompson is normally an outside back, but was named to the current roster as a forward.

"Gisele is an attacking fullback," head coach Emma Hayes said after the roster was released. "There's no question she's been playing as a right back for her club, but I'd like to see her as a wide forward.

Thompson had to leave the camp so we never got to see her play forward for the USWNT.

 

Number of assist is the most useless metric. The rationale that a goal only can be attributed to the goal scorer and the player who made the last pass doesn't make any sense. This is even truer for the player who made the last pass. In a lot of scenarios, the last pass is not more important than the second last pass or other possession winning actions prior to the passing that leads to the goal. Gisele is not technical enough to be an usual attacker in any high level setting. There is a reason her coaches most use her as a fullback.

Don't think Howell and Hal are good at offense at all compared to other options. A double pivot does not mean two players' responsibility is the same. Hutton is the more foreward going one and slightly higher distribution role, and Coffey focus more on ball stopping and clearance. This is a very balanced set up that can be the default one for the years to come.

 

Imo, there's a chance Howell could make a very effective "the more foreward going one and slightly higher distribution role" (why we can't just call this an 8 is beyond me). Hal could be both. Besides Coffey, what candidate for the deepest lying mf (why can't we just call it a 6) is a better passer than Hal?

I can see your critique of the assist stat on an assist by assist basis. But, when someone is repeatedly making the last pass before a goal, that is very meaningful. And, Gisele rarely receives the ball in a position to make that last pass. She carries a long way and then puts herself in that position with the ball. And, I guess you disagree with Emma: "I'd like to see her as a wide forward."

 

Emma is very good at bullshiting, and a lot of her words are meaningless. If you have a single-digit assist for one season, this is a small sample and cannot be used as evidece of consistency. You can probably assert consistency when Gisele registers 10 assists per season for three consecutive years.

Howell and Hal are poor passers compared with Hutton, let alone Moultrie and Shaw. There's little reason one-dimensional players to be included in the roster right now, espeically Moultrie and Shaw are also decent in defense enough to be deployed as one of the two pivots.

 

Hal is a 6, neither Hutton nor Shaw (lol) are going to be a 6.

Howell wd be an 8. Shaw is not going to be an 8. Moultrie wd be misused there. Hutton may be a better passer, than Howell. But I’d like to see Howell. I’m not permanently demoting Claire.

You’re saying Emma was bullshitting? Gisele was called in, listed, as a forward

 

Trinity Rodman injury update: she'll miss these friendlies, but she's expected to return in about 3 weeks, so it's not as bad as it looked initially. That also means she could make it back in time for the NWSL playoffs and for the next NT camp. Hayes hasn't made a decision about replacing Rodman on this roster.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/67...an-uswnt-spirit-injury-update/?source=bsky_hq