GOALKEEPERS (3): Angelina Anderson (Angel City FC; 0), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 0), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 3) DEFENDERS (10):Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride; 1/0), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC; 0/0), Naomi Girma (Chelsea FC, ENG; 46/2), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC; 0/0), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 6/0), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash; 4/0), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current; 0/0), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 4/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 108/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 3/0) MIDFIELDERS (6): Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit; 3/0), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 35/2), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; 3/0), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC; 110/24), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign FC; 0/0), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 7/2) FORWARDS (6): Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC; 80/24), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 6/1), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash; 9/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville; 5/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 9/4), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 19/1) As a long time Fox Stan, even when people were down on her, imo, the Fox/Patterson/Giselle battle at RB will be something. Glad to see Reale and Bugg called in. Overall a very good group of defenders. Interesting that Bethune is just popped right back in. I'd be cautious about that. She's absolutely got the talent, but 1) she's so injury prone 2) we're so far from the WC 3) Ireland is a butchering team, Canada can be. I'd be tempted to not call her in. There's time. Glad to see Meza called in. She looks super talented to me. Interesting to see if she can make those passes to a LAW other than Dahlien. Meza and Dahlien played at UNC together and have telepathic chemistry. But, if there's anyone who can get to the balls that Meza plays in behind the D, it's Alyssa. Who will back up Alyssa at LAW? Aren't Cooper (who should start), Sears, Ryan, and Biyendolo all right footed? I guess this means Rose is being brought in as a LAW? f For me, it is a glaring error not to bring in Hanks and Tiernan. Ryan is talented. But, she's not really doing anything at club. Tiernan is killlllllling it. She has 7 goals, rookie record in NWSL is 11. And, Tiernan can play on the left. And, as always, I'm a Turner fan. She's got 4 goals this season in irregular minutes. She's going to be a good one. As always, where's Flint? My starting 10 (I don't follow the keepers very closely) --------------------------------Sentnor Alyssa-------------------------------------------------------Cooper --------------------------------Moultrie -------------------Hutton ------------------------------------------Coffey Abello--------Girma--------------Sams or Bugg-------------Giselle Battles: seems like Moultrie and Bethune are fighting for the same spot. And, there's no one to back up Coffey. You could play any of Hutton, Sonnett, or Meza there, but none of them are really 6's. Hutton and Meza - and maybe Moultrie are battling for a spot? Abello, Reale, and Rodriguez at LB. Sams, Bugg, McKeown, Sonnett all battling to play next to Naomi. Patterson vs. Gisele. Lynn vs. Sentnor (I think Sentnor would also be a great fit as a 10). Cooper, Ryan, Sears, and maybe Rose as an inverted winger, at RAW. Inverting Rose could be really successful with Gisele or Patterson at RB. But, for me, Cooper is my RAW in the absence of the 3E, and I'd like to see her do battle with them. None of them pass as well as Cooper.
Hanks is a left wing, so could fill that role. But she got injured in the Thorns last game. It looked like it could be pretty serious ... hopefully not. There's been no news on it.
this might be the most stripped down US squad ever to take the field! lol……but probably good enough to beat Ireland. We only got to hope Canada strips down too, otherwise most likely will get beaten by them I would take it that Byendolo would start, otherwise we don’t even have a main, striker anymore, or Emma going full tilt on the false #9 narrative(which means various players will make runs through the middle instead of just one dominant central fwd) It’s not just Flint but quite few previous call ups like Shaw Demalo, Sanchez Howell Mace) been abandoned despite currently playing well in the NWSL and apparently Emma wasn’t impressed with the u23 squad vs Germany—or at least the front line as neither Tiernan Hanks or Dahlien got called up
My number one question is: who plays defensive midfielder if Coffey gets hurt\? Nobody on this roster that I can see -- although I'm unfamiliar with Meza and whatever virtues she may have. Taylor Flint is the obvious answer to being Coffey's understudy. She's a different kind of player than Coffey, but footmob rates her as the best player in the NWSL this year and she's a leader in several defensive categories. Why not Riley Tiernan rather than Yasmeen Ryan? Ryan doesn't seem to have good goal-scoring ability. Tiernan so far in her career does.
Ya, this isn't my prediction of what Emma will do. It's what I would do. I wouldn't have Sentnor go the full 90 - might even put Lynn in at the half. I just feel like we're 2 years out. Let's get new players integrated into the squad. And, see if they are legit. It is "stripped down." But, I think it's the best available 11. And, these are all players that are playing well. I don't think Shaw has been playing well in the league, but I'd sure love to see her on the roster. I'd take her over Croix, because of my concerns I listed above, and b/c I think Shaw is a 10. Sanchez has been good, not great. Ya, Demelo. Until she stops diving, I'm not going to give her much thought. It's effective, I'll give her that. I haven't seen enough of Mace to comment. I feel like Flint is the huge snub, especially w/o another 6 on the roster. And, What does Tiernan have to do? I'd take her over Sentnor as a 9, easy. And, I love Sentnor's fiesty, able to snap off a shot at any time, plays beautiful through balls, game. Tiernan does it all. Great hold up game, surprisingly super effective on the attacking dribble, score w/ her head, creates her own shot, works like a dawg all game long. Disappointed to hear Hanks got hurt. Hope it's not serious. Dahlien - I think her game has fallen off some. That's ok, she's a rookie. There will be ups and downs.
Flint is too one dimensional as a midfielder. She is very good at shielding central area but her distribution, reception and build up contribution is very limited. Coffey, Hutton, Meza and Moultrie are all much more all-rounded central midfielders that have different dispositions and playing styles. Ryan is a midfielder that can play on the wing. She is not an attacker, it's wierd to compare her with Tiernan here.
Hayes usually don't play a natural 6. Coffey is an all-rounded 8 that can carry out more defense duty, but this does not make her a natural 6. Moreover, Moultrie, Hutton and Meza are all central midfielders (8, not 10 or 6) given their technical profile, although they have different playing styles and have different duties in their clubs. Tiernan has good rate, but I don't think her hold-up game and technicality are without doubt. Sentnor as a 9 will be pretty ineffective, her role in the more competitive setting is quite unclear.
Ryan was injuried for quite some time and she scored a very impressive goal in her first match back. Ryan is unique in being able to both play as a winger and a central midfielder, which provides very valuable flexibility to the selection.
I'd say Coffey is a kind of expansive 6 in Emma's system, but she's definitely a 6, and no one on the roster can come close to shielding the defense like Coffey does. Moultrie, Hutton, and Meza are all CM's. If you don't like numbers, Moultrie is a very attacking oriented MF who can progress the ball, Hutton is a MF with some bite in her game who is very adept at circulating the ball and shutting down space (but nowhere near the defense shielder that Coffey is), Meza is a ball winner that makes beautiful vertical passes. Flint is just about the defense shilder that Coffey is. Not as good of a ball circulator. Not going to be the late arriving shot taker that Coffey is. But, she will win everything in the midfield that is in the air, and is a major aerial presence in both boxes. Tiernan's hold up game is outstanding. And, though she looks awkward, her technicality is very good. She holds and dribbles in a way that opponents can't read, allowing her to use her physicality to get a positional advantage, or to just flat out fake them out of their jocks (so to speak). People are wanting to discount Tiernan. A year from now no one will want to say "ya, I was questioning her hold up and technicality." Tiernan is the real deal. You and Emma disagree on Sentnor.
No, Coffey is a very typical central midfielder technical profile wise. There are basically no real pure 6 in modern soccer. Coffey is more defense oriented but she is not a 6. The main difference between a holding midfielder/central defense midfielder (6) and CM is how much they drift to the wide area. Holding midfielder/CDM almost nevery drift to wide area but CM goes wide frequently. Tiernan works hard and runs a lot, but her reception is not top notched, the real talent who has marvelous reception is Pietra Tordin, the quality in their reception cannot be more evident. Tiernan often needs to shake off her defender to receive, but when under direct contact, her reception is inconsistent. Her touch and dribbling is not bad, but not remotely in the same league of Wilson etc. She can be a useful player but NT starter is not likely. Sentnor's strength is very strong, and Emma has good reason to play her. But I also don't think she can ever be the top 3 player NT. Her weakness is quite obvious as well. Her sprint speed and foot speed is medicore for her size.
You want to argue about labels. Let's agree on this: there is no one on the roster that is close to being able to shield the defense like Coffey does. There is no other real defense shielder. Tiernan often looks awkward, but it works for her. She is wayyyyy more than the workhorse you describe her as. Comparing her to Wilson is interesting. Tiernan has 7 goals. The rookie NWSL record is 11. It would be a huge upset if Tiernan isn't the highest scoring rookie in league history. And, I think that Tiernan is a very effective passer. Her ability to hold the ball in/around the ball. Take people on while going full speed - she creates a lot of havoc in/around opponents boxes. She may be a better feeder than Wilson. In no way am I saying Tiernan is better than Smith. I'm saying leaving Tiernan off this roster was an oversite. And, leaving Hanks off the roster would have been a big oversite if Hanks hadn't been injured. Talking about Tordin is a deflection. But, yes, Tordin is extremely skilled. I look forward to her getting more minutes league. We have so much upcoming attacking talent, it's probably going to be hard for her to break through unless she starts getting solid minutes this season, imo. But, ya, I'm a huge fan. In the last set of friendlies, I'd have brought up Hanks and Tiernan to the varsity, partly to make room for Tordin on that U-23 squad. I agree about Sentnor's speed issue. She's not going to stretch the D by any stretch of the imagination. Personally, I'd like to see her tried as a 10/SS. She is very adept at slipping passes through, and obviously she can make a shot out of nothing. And, those shots are on target. I also don't think she ends up making a WC roster (remember, I said Tiernan should have been called in ahead of her, and it shouldn't be a close decision). But, she has a super intriguing game, and being here, Emma ought to give her ample opportunity to explore how she can contribute. I think that if she were to make a WC roster, it would be as a 2nd half sub, in matches where the basic shape has been distorted to allow us to put in a fox-in-the-box kind of attacker.
Emma seems to be all in on Sentnor so far. She puts herself in dangerous positions a lot and then normally delivers something on frame. Yeah she isn't super fast and she doesn't strike me as being an overly technical or polished player on the ball, but if she is one of those players that can get it done in the final third when it counts, then that goes a long ways. We will have to see how she does against better competition leading up to the WC, but as the way things stand now I'd guess she is on the WC roster. We should get a heavy dose of her this window.
Steven Goff ( Washington Post) mentioned there would be a roster announcement today for U23 training camp in Colorado.
https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...l-team-training-camp-uswnt-denver-fifa-window 24 Players Named for U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team Training Camp to Run Concurrently with USWNT's Denver Leg of Upcoming FIFA Window Just training, no game(s). The camp runs from June 23 to July 2. While senior team is training in Colorado Hayes and her staff will have opportunity to observe.
https://www.squaddepth.com/sam-meza-seattle-reign-dallas-trinity-uswnt-interview/ 'You just can't replicate game minutes': How Sam Meza's move home to Dallas set a path to the USWNT Theo Lloyd-Hughes June 20, 2025 Worth reading . As to her defensive abilities, from the article: In the NWSL in 2025, Meza ranks third for tackles (42), fourth for tackles won (26), third for blocks (23), and eighth for interceptions (19). Per Fbref, Meza is in the top 1% of of midfielders when it comes to blocks, tackles and interceptions. She is also in the top 17% for expected assists.
I would be interested in hearing what Emma Hayes thinks about Taylor Flint because statistically she is a defensive monster: 1st in the entire League last two seasons in Total Tackles, Interceptions, Aerial Duels Won, and % Aerial Duels Won. Plus there's the Fotmob stats where she's the highest rated player in NWSL with 6 Player of the Game awards. And her team just had a statement win against Orlando last night. rising to 5th place. There's a lot of competition now in midfield, but if she stays in form and the team continues to win she might be too good to ignore.
Ya, Meza is an up and comer. Spend part of a game just focusing on her. She does it all, including being a great ballwinner, and a great passer. If she gets on the field with Alyssa, watch for that connection.
I wonder how helpful a U-23 camp w/o matches is. I mean, if you look back at youth teams, so many of those players don't do anything. Is the training that helpful? I guess the U-23 level, it's sort of the JV for the NT and this camp is for immersing the players in Emma's system. i wish Tordin was on the roster. I wish everyone would see the light and realize that Shaw is a 10/SS, not an AW. And, I wish Hanks didn't get hurt. Lot's of "knocking on the door" players here. I wonder why Brighton (I think that's her name, the mf playing in Europe) wasn't called in. She looked fine vs. Germany, and those were very competitive matches.
Few days late on this. It's still a good squad. I would also say that by way of comparison going back how long, there has not really been an effort to develop a lot of depth, so the teams have always looked relatively strong. I would argue that this is a strong roster, just without a lot of caps. Hayes has been really talking up Sentnor, so I'm expecting her to start. But, as Hayes has said, Sentnor is good at finding space for a GSO, but needs to work on other areas. I wonder if this is Hayes putting a challenge for Sentnor to up her game. European players weren't call up. Some discussion about Tiernan. First, let me say I really am encouraged by her not just with a goal scoring record, but that she had to win her position on the team, and then earn her starting role. I'm really excited about her possibilities. That said, I think she relies a bit too much on her strength and is not effective enough at dribbling out of trouble. And that is one area where she will need to develop her game because she is now getting two or three defenders on her because there is not a whole lot else Angel City has to offer (apart from A Thompson). And she will need to do this when she meets teams such as England or Germany. I also think she needs to improve her awareness of space, both on the ball (for passing) and off the ball (for receiving the pass). This, of course, is to get her on the NT. She still looks to be high quality so far.