The Emma Hayes Depth Project: Status Report

TrueCrew · Jan 2, 2026

chirenzhiren said: ↑

Heaps is playing deeper because her very physical and used-to-be effective style of a physical CAM is no longer feasible due to aging. She can no longer absorb as much physicality she could 5 years earlier. It is very unlikely she will usually play this role ever again. Her overall effectiveness as a CM or DM is pretty poor, despite, her runs into the box and header are still valuable.

The selection of so-called proven player is the reason we had a disaterous 2023, Pinoe and Morgan had far more credit than Heaps or Lavelle before 2023, and they were not effective at all. Emma brought Bethune and Hal to the Olympics not because they are proven but because they were having a great rookie NWSL season. The league and NT play in the second half of 2026 and first half of 2027 will be decisive, and they can be very different from today.

We have the deepest depth in the CM/DM position. Beyond Coffey, Hutton and Schrader, Moultrie has a very typical technical profile of a CM although she is usually deployed to more advanced position. Shaw also has the ability to drop deeper to play as a CM. Hal, Howell and Meza are also high quality options.
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I disagree with virtually all of that post, especially the 2023 stuff. Though I do think Heaps is losing effectiveness at CM, we did just see her there vs Italy, IIRC.

If I had to break 2023 down, I'd say the major factors in the struggles were:

1) Injuries.

Swanson & Macario & Sauerbrunn missed the tournament entirely. Davidson had 1 cap back from ACL before the squad was announced and was not selected. Sam Mewis never made it back from her knee injuries and had to retire. Lavelle made the team but could only start one game.

Swanson & Macario from the attack. Sauerbrunn & Davidson from the defense. Mewis from MF. Lavelle and Ertz as well, as Rose could barely play & Ertz was moved to CB due to the other injuries.

2. Coaching.

As I said, Ertz was moved to CB to pair with Girma. Leaving a huge issue in MF. Sullivan was OK defensively, but did not add much going forward. We only allowed 1 goal in 4 games, the D was good. But all those losses/decisions meant the MF was Sullivan, Horan, and DeMelo.

Bringing DeMelo and having to start her was the biggest miss Vlatko made. Thompson was obviously not ready yet either. With Rose not quite able to play effectively either, & no Ertz or Mewis, we struggled. DeMelo lollygagging back after the TO was the cause of our lone goal allowed, and cost us the group. Eventually, Vlatlo pulled DeMelo, paired Sonnett with Sullivan in CM, and moved Horan up to CAM. Which was the right move if Rose could not go. A little late, though.

I'd have also gone with Williams centrally. Or Smith. Morgan wasn't terrible, but Sophia & Rodman weren't great either.

Sonnett pairing Girma with Ertz moving up was also an option I'd have tried. But the D was good. We went out because of the lack of scoring. And two missed PKs from Pinoe & Smith.

But the injuries forced decisions that Vlatko should not have had to make if we were nearer healthy.

His biggest mistake was not developing enough depth in the lead up, which forced him to rely too much on both unproven youngsters AND overripe vets.

3. Underperforming youngsters.

DeMelo had no business starting. Thompson was not ready. Rodman was not terribly effective. Smith got 2 vs Vietnam but was not great outside of that and likely should have been central, at least sometimes. And missed her PK.

Everyone was not bad, of course. Girma was great. Sullivan did her job defensively. Smith was OK, but we needed better than that with all the injuries up top.

4. Underperforming vets.

Yeah, Morgan struggled. As did the whole attack with CM so messed up.

I'd have played Williams more. Especially with few options. Pinoe was cooked. She missed doing the one thing you brought her for, converting a PK. But she was a bench player.

Naeher, Ertz, Dunn, and Horan were all good. Or better than good.
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Lots of blame to go around. And some from each bucket. But for me, the injuries were the #1 thing. Swanson was our best attacker by a mile. And we lost Macario and a big chunk of Lavelle as well. Sauerbrunn & Davidson out at CB and Vlatko moved Ertz back. Which worked defensively but CM was an issue with Mewis out, Lavelle hampered, and Ertz at CB.

Still, we played our best game vs Sweden and had a PK to advance. Pinoe makes that 95 times out of 100.

I don't think we could have won it, but I think another round or two was possible. Was Spain next if we beat Sweden?

But I think the combo of the injuries + Vlarko not doing a good job developing depth is what doomed us. More so that any 1 player, young or old, underperforming.

soccernutter · Jan 2, 2026

I very much remember Lavelle as being "I hope she's healthy in time for the WC." And her lack of match fitness really showed. Her v. I think it was the Netherlands was very much not how she has played since she's been fully fit this year.

soccernutter · Jan 5, 2026

Anybody know when Swanson had her baby? And anybody know anything about her projected return?

NCChiFan · Jan 5, 2026

soccernutter said: ↑

Anybody know when Swanson had her baby? And anybody know anything about her projected return?
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I have seen a posted picture of her holding her baby with her Short Stop husband in the background. So yes, she is a mom. Projected return wise, dunno.

soccernutter · Jan 5, 2026

NCChiFan said: ↑

I have seen a posted picture of her holding her baby with her Short Stop husband in the background. So yes, she is a mom. Projected return wise, dunno.
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Yeah, I know she had her kiddo, just not sure when. Those are the things I don't really pay attention to (as, for me, it gets too close to the gossipy stuff).

lil_one · Jan 5, 2026

soccernutter said: ↑

Anybody know when Swanson had her baby? And anybody know anything about her projected return?
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I'm not sure of the exact date, but it was back in mid-November. No news on when she would be back.

chirenzhiren · Jan 6, 2026

TrueCrew said: ↑

I disagree with virtually all of that post, especially the 2023 stuff. Though I do think Heaps is losing effectiveness at CM, we did just see her there vs Italy, IIRC.

If I had to break 2023 down, I'd say the major factors in the struggles were:

1) Injuries.

Swanson & Macario & Sauerbrunn missed the tournament entirely. Davidson had 1 cap back from ACL before the squad was announced and was not selected. Sam Mewis never made it back from her knee injuries and had to retire. Lavelle made the team but could only start one game.

Swanson & Macario from the attack. Sauerbrunn & Davidson from the defense. Mewis from MF. Lavelle and Ertz as well, as Rose could barely play & Ertz was moved to CB due to the other injuries.

2. Coaching.

As I said, Ertz was moved to CB to pair with Girma. Leaving a huge issue in MF. Sullivan was OK defensively, but did not add much going forward. We only allowed 1 goal in 4 games, the D was good. But all those losses/decisions meant the MF was Sullivan, Horan, and DeMelo.

Bringing DeMelo and having to start her was the biggest miss Vlatko made. Thompson was obviously not ready yet either. With Rose not quite able to play effectively either, & no Ertz or Mewis, we struggled. DeMelo lollygagging back after the TO was the cause of our lone goal allowed, and cost us the group. Eventually, Vlatlo pulled DeMelo, paired Sonnett with Sullivan in CM, and moved Horan up to CAM. Which was the right move if Rose could not go. A little late, though.

I'd have also gone with Williams centrally. Or Smith. Morgan wasn't terrible, but Sophia & Rodman weren't great either.

Sonnett pairing Girma with Ertz moving up was also an option I'd have tried. But the D was good. We went out because of the lack of scoring. And two missed PKs from Pinoe & Smith.

But the injuries forced decisions that Vlatko should not have had to make if we were nearer healthy.

His biggest mistake was not developing enough depth in the lead up, which forced him to rely too much on both unproven youngsters AND overripe vets.

3. Underperforming youngsters.

DeMelo had no business starting. Thompson was not ready. Rodman was not terribly effective. Smith got 2 vs Vietnam but was not great outside of that and likely should have been central, at least sometimes. And missed her PK.

Everyone was not bad, of course. Girma was great. Sullivan did her job defensively. Smith was OK, but we needed better than that with all the injuries up top.

4. Underperforming vets.

Yeah, Morgan struggled. As did the whole attack with CM so messed up.

I'd have played Williams more. Especially with few options. Pinoe was cooked. She missed doing the one thing you brought her for, converting a PK. But she was a bench player.

Naeher, Ertz, Dunn, and Horan were all good. Or better than good.
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Lots of blame to go around. And some from each bucket. But for me, the injuries were the #1 thing. Swanson was our best attacker by a mile. And we lost Macario and a big chunk of Lavelle as well. Sauerbrunn & Davidson out at CB and Vlatko moved Ertz back. Which worked defensively but CM was an issue with Mewis out, Lavelle hampered, and Ertz at CB.

Still, we played our best game vs Sweden and had a PK to advance. Pinoe makes that 95 times out of 100.

I don't think we could have won it, but I think another round or two was possible. Was Spain next if we beat Sweden?

But I think the combo of the injuries + Vlarko not doing a good job developing depth is what doomed us. More so that any 1 player, young or old, underperforming.
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Despite injury we still had sufficient talent that we failed to tap into in 2023. The Sullivan being effective defensively is very detached from the fact, instead, she is the bane of everything went awry. Her biggest issue is her coverage is really limited after her injury and she lacks a awarness to be the midfield anchor, being not very mobile at the same time of very position-aware is a very bad combination. We would have had a much different tournament if Vlatko deployed a two-pivot of Coffey and Sonnet/Demelo.

The Demelo being responsible for Roord's goal is not true. Sullivan stepped up when she should have tracked back and got beaten by Marten is the biggest mistake. The second biggest mistake was Dunn failed to intercept a slow horizontal switch. This should be an easy defense that can be solved by Sullivan and two center backs alone, if Demelo needs to track back to resolve the crisis, Sullivan herself should not play at the first place.

We went out because of lack of scoring does not mean our backline set up was effective. One biggest issue was we cannot sustain our offense spell. Netherlands and Portugal could always find a way to release the pressure, which had a lot of to do with Sullivan's poor coverage and positioning. This is very similar to what had happened in the first friendly vs Portugal, Heaps being extremely ineffective and lost duels everywhere to whichever player. Portugal can always get the ball out of their defense third, and we cannot sustain the pressure to score a second.

Dunn was very poor, bears the second most responsibility to the Roord's goal, and constantly made bad passes in matches against Portugal, Ertz was mediocre, Horan was good but not good enough to be the biggest star of a team that would have any success at the world cup, and her being good offense-wise had great defense cost.

soccernutter · Jan 6, 2026

lil_one said: ↑

I'm not sure of the exact date, but it was back in mid-November. No news on when she would be back.
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So she should be fully fit by qualifiers in November, yes?

TrueCrew · Jan 12, 2026

chirenzhiren said: ↑

Despite injury we still had sufficient talent that we failed to tap into in 2023. The Sullivan being effective defensively is very detached from the fact, instead, she is the bane of everything went awry. Her biggest issue is her coverage is really limited after her injury and she lacks a awarness to be the midfield anchor, being not very mobile at the same time of very position-aware is a very bad combination. We would have had a much different tournament if Vlatko deployed a two-pivot of Coffey and Sonnet/Demelo.

The Demelo being responsible for Roord's goal is not true. Sullivan stepped up when she should have tracked back and got beaten by Marten is the biggest mistake. The second biggest mistake was Dunn failed to intercept a slow horizontal switch. This should be an easy defense that can be solved by Sullivan and two center backs alone, if Demelo needs to track back to resolve the crisis, Sullivan herself should not play at the first place.

We went out because of lack of scoring does not mean our backline set up was effective. One biggest issue was we cannot sustain our offense spell. Netherlands and Portugal could always find a way to release the pressure, which had a lot of to do with Sullivan's poor coverage and positioning. This is very similar to what had happened in the first friendly vs Portugal, Heaps being extremely ineffective and lost duels everywhere to whichever player. Portugal can always get the ball out of their defense third, and we cannot sustain the pressure to score a second.

Dunn was very poor, bears the second most responsibility to the Roord's goal, and constantly made bad passes in matches against Portugal, Ertz was mediocre, Horan was good but not good enough to be the biggest star of a team that would have any success at the world cup, and her being good offense-wise had great defense cost.
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Again, to keep it civil, I disagree. Watch the tape, Demelo does not hustle back. That the greater sin by a ton. The mistake that Sullivan made happens all the time in games. It should not result in a goal, though. It is 50-60 yards from goal. If everyone covers. Demelo didn't.

And Vlatko obviously agreed. Demelo got yanked at halftime and didn't play another minute for the entire tournament after starting the first 2 games.

So, to review. 2 mistakes. 2nd game of tourney.

Player A makes mistake on a play that results in a goal. Player A started & went 90 the first game. Started the 2nd game. Plays 90 in the 2nd game despite the mistake. And the 3rd. And the 4th.

Player B starts the first game. Starts the 2nd game. Gets yanked at halftime and does not olay another minute the rest of the tournament.

And your take is Player A is more culpable?

Sullivan make a mistake that started the sequence. Demelo lollygagged back after a turnover not 20 minutes in ti a WC match and IF she'd have hustled back, the goal likely never happens. Her mistake was far more egregious AND could have prevented the goal.

Again. Demelo gets yanked at half and does not play again the entire tourney. Despite the fact that her replacement (Lavelle) later gets hurt and dosn't play vs Sweden, and we need a goal. Demelo is replaced by a healthy Lavelle, then Horan is moved up to CAM and Sonnett to CM. And K. Mewis gets time vs Sweden after not playing previously.

Just curious, but what is your explanation for Demelo's sudden benching?

chirenzhiren · Jan 12, 2026

TrueCrew said: ↑

Again, to keep it civil, I disagree. Watch the tape, Demelo does not hustle back. That the greater sin by a ton. The mistake that Sullivan made happens all the time in games. It should not result in a goal, though. It is 50-60 yards from goal. If everyone covers. Demelo didn't.

And Vlatko obviously agreed. Demelo got yanked at halftime and didn't play another minute for the entire tournament after starting the first 2 games.

So, to review. 2 mistakes. 2nd game of tourney.

Player A makes mistake on a play that results in a goal. Player A started & went 90 the first game. Started the 2nd game. Plays 90 in the 2nd game despite the mistake. And the 3rd. And the 4th.

Player B starts the first game. Starts the 2nd game. Gets yanked at halftime and does not olay another minute the rest of the tournament.

And your take is Player A is more culpable?

Sullivan make a mistake that started the sequence. Demelo lollygagged back after a turnover not 20 minutes in ti a WC match and IF she'd have hustled back, the goal likely never happens. Her mistake was far more egregious AND could have prevented the goal.

Again. Demelo gets yanked at half and does not play again the entire tourney. Despite the fact that her replacement (Lavelle) later gets hurt and dosn't play vs Sweden, and we need a goal. Demelo is replaced by a healthy Lavelle, then Horan is moved up to CAM and Sonnett to CM. And K. Mewis gets time vs Sweden after not playing previously.

Just curious, but what is your explanation for Demelo's sudden benching?
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You are assuming Vlatko knew what he was doing, a very dubious premise that you probably should reevaluate.

Allende72 · Jan 19, 2026

Here is the fruit of Emma Hayes depth project: 18 minutes of beautiful goals, scored by and with the help of a big roster of USWNT-quality players. Gives you some perspective.

soccernutter · Jan 28, 2026

Since the next camp is SheBelieves, I'm gonna put out my team, assuming no injuries. Going on last year, 23 player team.

GK (3) - Dickey, Tullis-Joyce, McGlynn
Defenders* (7) - Girma, Rudd, Bugg, Fox, Patterson, Sonnett, Reale
Midfield (6) - Hutton, Coffey, Yohannes, Moultrie**, Lavelle, Heaps
Forwards (7) - A Thompson, Wilson, Rodman, Macario, Shaw**, Sentnor, Cooper

* - I'm picking Bugg, but could go to Sams. It also depends on when Davidson returns.
** - Moultrie and Shaw could go either as a midfielder or forward. To me, I don't think which group really matters.

Hershfelt looked really good, but it was against two very low quality opponents.
Sears also looked good, and is probably the first alternate attacker if somebody is injured.
I'm thinking Bugg, but she is also a longer term project and might be left off in place of Sams or Davidson.
And I don't think Bethune did enough to break into the 23 player team, though is probably the first alternate in offensive midfield if somebody gets injured.

soccernutter · Jan 28, 2026

I think in this discussion, it is worth noting that Bugg, Hutton, and Yohannes are all eligible for the U20 WC this year.

soccernutter · Jan 29, 2026

And in case y'all haven't seen the news this morning, Crystal Dunn announced her retirement, effective immediately. On to the next part of her career/life. Wishing all the best for her.

lil_one · Jan 29, 2026

soccernutter said: ↑

And in case y'all haven't seen the news this morning, Crystal Dunn announced her retirement, effective immediately. On to the next part of her career/life. Wishing all the best for her.
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I'm not surprised; I don't even think she'd been at PSG for the last couple of months. It's kind of sad though how her career has ended. With 20/20 hindsight, she probably should have retired after the 2024 Olympics, but I get that it's hard to say goodbye.

TrueCrew · Jan 29, 2026

soccernutter said: ↑

And in case y'all haven't seen the news this morning, Crystal Dunn announced her retirement, effective immediately. On to the next part of her career/life. Wishing all the best for her.
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Yep. I thought a transfer & resurgence was still possible, but this certainly puts that to bed.

Thank you, Crystal, for everything!

TrueCrew · Jan 29, 2026

Heaps, Sonnett, Lavelle, and Swanson are the only players over 100 caps in the pool, now.

The days of 200 caps are finished, I think.

GoodHands · Jan 29, 2026

lil_one said: ↑

I'm not surprised; I don't even think she'd been at PSG for the last couple of months. It's kind of sad though how her career has ended. With 20/20 hindsight, she probably should have retired after the 2024 Olympics, but I get that it's hard to say goodbye.
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Not all body types are able to recover as well or heal as well as some. Dunn, when at her best, was the best right wingback the USWNT has ever had and she was no slouch at the other positions she played during her career. But she seemed to be in pain longer after an injury than many others. She also did not seem happy after returning from injury many times as I suspect she often played through some pain for an extended time and she did not seem pleased to play at the position she was best at. (Left back)

It does not surprise me that she has retired but I did think she would stick it out long enough to play at the next WWC.
Note: She may, also, have had some real concern about making the USA roster even though most of us think, if healthy, she was a certainty.

She was, and is, one of my favorite people to ever play the game but she had a definite lack of durability that made and makes it hard to play extended minutes.

She has made her choice and, given what little I know, she has made the right one for her well being. I hope she remains happy and gets deeply involved in some areas of soccer outside of playing.

She should not be forgotten particularly for her performance at the Olympics where, in my opinion, she was the USA's most valuable player as she nearly totally shut down some of the most skilled forwards in the world and, without that contribution, the USA was very unlikely to even progress to the final.

xtomx · Jan 29, 2026

By the way, when this thread Pops up in the "Recent Threads" list, I keep reading it as
"Emma Hayes Death Project"
and it makes me sad for a second each time.

I have not followed the USWNT as closely the last year or so as I used to, but Emma Hayes is fantastic and her "project" is fascinating.

I have liked Emma Hayes since she was coach for the Chicago (Red) Stars, back when I was a season ticket holder.

I am glad the project is not heading towards death.

lil_one · Jan 30, 2026

TrueCrew said: ↑

Heaps, Sonnett, Lavelle, and Swanson are the only players over 100 caps in the pool, now.

The days of 200 caps are finished, I think.
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As a general rule, yes, but Heaps is at 170 caps; I think she could still hit 200 before retiring.

TrueCrew · Jan 30, 2026

soccernutter said: ↑

Since the next camp is SheBelieves, I'm gonna put out my team, assuming no injuries. Going on last year, 23 player team.

GK (3) - Dickey, Tullis-Joyce, McGlynn
Defenders* (7) - Girma, Rudd, Bugg, Fox, Patterson, Sonnett, Reale
Midfield (6) - Hutton, Coffey, Yohannes, Moultrie**, Lavelle, Heaps
Forwards (7) - A Thompson, Wilson, Rodman, Macario, Shaw**, Sentnor, Cooper

* - I'm picking Bugg, but could go to Sams. It also depends on when Davidson returns.
** - Moultrie and Shaw could go either as a midfielder or forward. To me, I don't think which group really matters.

Hershfelt looked really good, but it was against two very low quality opponents.
Sears also looked good, and is probably the first alternate attacker if somebody is injured.
I'm thinking Bugg, but she is also a longer term project and might be left off in place of Sams or Davidson.
And I don't think Bethune did enough to break into the 23 player team, though is probably the first alternate in offensive midfield if somebody gets injured.
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What are the rules for roster size for SheBelieves? Does it have to be the same for all three matches?

I do believe 26 person rosters are in play for '27. Maybe even 30. It is three matches.

I'd hope for more than 23 in camp, at a minimum.

With Wilson a possibility and Davidson & Swanson on the horizon, Hayes' cupboard is getting full for a change. Especially up top.

Of the starters the 2024 OLY:
Retired: Naeher (GK), Dunn (LB)
Injured: Davidson (CB), Rodman (WF)
Maternity Leave: Wilson (CF), Swanson (WF).

Plus, Shrader started the final in CM and is not getting called recently.

Hayes has been missing 6-7 frontline players out of that Olympic Gold team for a year and a half. If you want to count Rose instead of Shrader, she was out for a while, too.

But with Rose and now Rodman back. And Wilson, Davidson, and Swanson on the horizon, things are gonna get a lot more crowded, especially in attack.

Just think: Swanson, Wilson, Rodman, Macario, A. Thompson, Lavelle, Heaps, Shaw, Sentnor, Cooper, Sears, Moultrie, and Biyendolo all have staked out valid claims for calls at CF/WF/CAM. That's 13 players, 12 if you move Heaps back. Plus Ryan & Bethune.

But 12 is too many for 4 spots. Even if it is a 26 person roster and we bring extra attackers. Biyendolo is still a ways away. And Swanson notcready yet. But Wilson could be. Getting awful crowded up top.

lil_one · Jan 30, 2026

TrueCrew said: ↑

What are the rules for roster size for SheBelieves? Does it have to be the same for all three matches?

I do believe 26 person rosters are in play for '27. Maybe even 30. It is three matches.

I'd hope for more than 23 in camp, at a minimum.

With Wilson a possibility and Davidson & Swanson on the horizon, Hayes' cupboard is getting full for a change. Especially up top.

Of the starters the 2024 OLY:
Retired: Naeher (GK), Dunn (LB)
Injured: Davidson (CB), Rodman (WF)
Maternity Leave: Wilson (CF), Swanson (WF).

Plus, Shrader started the final in CM and is not getting called recently.

Hayes has been missing 6-7 frontline players out of that Olympic Gold team for a year and a half. If you want to count Rose instead of Shrader, she was out for a while, too.

But with Rose and now Rodman back. And Wilson, Davidson, and Swanson on the horizon, things are gonna get a lot more crowded, especially in attack.

Just think: Swanson, Wilson, Rodman, Macario, A. Thompson, Lavelle, Heaps, Shaw, Sentnor, Cooper, Sears, Moultrie, and Biyendolo all have staked out valid claims for calls at CF/WF/CAM. That's 13 players, 12 if you move Heaps back. Plus Ryan & Bethune.

But 12 is too many for 4 spots. Even if it is a 26 person roster and we bring extra attackers. Biyendolo is still a ways away. And Swanson notcready yet. But Wilson could be. Getting awful crowded up top.
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It's a friendly tournament, so it's one roster for the tournament, not a roster for each match. It's limited to 23 players. The US can bring more into camp, which they have done before to check on a player coming back from injury, but the extra player wouldn't be rostered at all for any of the 3 matches. That's all with the caveat that that has been the rule historically, unless they changed the tournament rules this year.

soccernutter · Jan 30, 2026

TrueCrew said: ↑

But with Rose and now Rodman back. And Wilson, Davidson, and Swanson on the horizon, things are gonna get a lot more crowded, especially in attack.

Just think: Swanson, Wilson, Rodman, Macario, A. Thompson, Lavelle, Heaps, Shaw, Sentnor, Cooper, Sears, Moultrie, and Biyendolo all have staked out valid claims for calls at CF/WF/CAM. That's 13 players, 12 if you move Heaps back. Plus Ryan & Bethune.

But 12 is too many for 4 spots. Even if it is a 26 person roster and we bring extra attackers. Biyendolo is still a ways away. And Swanson notcready yet. But Wilson could be. Getting awful crowded up top.
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For this tournament, I'm expecting Wilson to be selected, though would not be surprised if she is left off.
Not sure about Swanson's timeline, but if she is back by the summer break, I would expect she would get picked for the qualifying tournament in November.
Not sure about Biyendolo's timeline, but considering the development of the youngsters, and the experience that will be returning (Wilson and Swanson), I'm not sure she will get picked for a major tournament.
In that list, I'm going to be interested to see how Fischel does this season to see if she can regain a challenging spot.

TrueCrew · Jan 30, 2026

By my count, thete have been 63 players capped since the beginning of the Hayes era, which I am calling the start of 2024, even though Emma dud not formally come in until spring of 2024.

Of those, 4 have retired, either internationally or totally: Sauerbrunn, Morgan, Naeher, and now Dunn. Plus, Hayes had "the talk" with Krueger, who is now also expecting her 2nd child. So we are down to 58.

Of those 58, 14 have registered over 1,000 minutes: Coffey (2,471), Heaps (2,400), Fox (2,321), Girma (2,121), Sonnett (2,004); Lavelle (1,450), Rodman (1,448), Schrader (1,356), Davidson (1,264), Wilson (1,194), Shaw (1,189), Swanson (1,113), A. Thompson (1,071), and Biyendolo (1,031).

Further, another 3 have started 10 or more matches: Nighswonger (11 starts, 977 minutes, 18 matches), Hutton (10 starts, 869 mins, 13 matches), and Macario (11 starts, 773 minutes, 12 matches).

Now, everyone in that top 17 certainly is not a lock for the WC. Nighswonger hasn't been called in a while, but at least has gotten on the field for Aston Villa. Shrader continues to play for Lyon but is not getting called. Davidson is still hurt off a major injury. And Wilson & Swanson are still on maternity leave.

After the top 17, there is another group of 14 players with between 360 and 690 minutes. Well, 16 actually, but Krueger & Morgan are out of the picture: Sears (690), Sentnor (689), Yohannes (659), Rudd (658), Dickey (630), Ryan (613), Moultrie (565), Sams (544), Patterson (514), Cooper (496), McGlynn (450), Reale (448), Bugg (423), and Tullis-Joyce (360).

That's 31. With a lot of atrackers due to the Tripe Expresso being off for a year. Not to say some below 360 won't make they roster, a couple likely will. But the vast majority of your serious candidates are in that top 31. Cooper hurt at the end of the year, IDK how serious, but not called last camp, either.

Another 13 have more than 90 but less than 360: G. Thompson (303), Campbell (270), Murphy (270), Hershfelt (262), Dahlkemper (253), Bethune (210), Wesley (197), Meza (159), Rodgriguez (151), Purce (150), LaBonta (145), Wiesner (143), Staab (120).

All defenders, GKs, and CMs in this group save for Bethune & Purce. Except for Dahlkemper on maternity oeave, I think all are available for selection.

And finally, the last group of 14. All with 90 minutes or less: Abello (90), Sanchez (90), Jackson (90), Gaetino (80), Dahlien (76), Joseph (75), Malonson (69), Mace (60), Turner (45), Oke (45), Cook (45), Menti (38), Howell (13), Hatch (7).

It is far from perfect, but looking at the distribution, that is kinda how I see it. 4 tiers.

Tier 1: 1,000 Minutes/10 Starts (17)
Tier 2: 360-700 minutes (14)
Tier 3: 91-350 (13)
Tier 4: 90 & Under (14)

TrueCrew · Jan 30, 2026

Scoring:

Player: Pos, PTS, G/A, G/GS, Minutes
1. Wilson, CF, 22, 9/4, 20/12, 1,194
2. Macario, CF/F/CAM, 19, 8/3, 12/11, 773
3. Biyendolo, CF, 17, 8/1, 24/7, 1,031
4. Shaw, CF/F/CAM, 17, 7/3, 27/12, 1,189
5. Heaps, CAM/CM, 17, 7/3, 31/27, 2,400
6. Swanson, WF, 16, 6/4, 15/12, 1,113
7. Rodman, WF, 16, 6/4, 21/17, 1,448
8. Sentnor, WF/F/CAM, 15, 6/3, 15/7, 689
9. Sears, WF, 15, 6/3, 14/6, 690
10. Moultrie, CAM/WF, 12, 5/2, 11/6, 565
11. Lavelle, CAM/WF, 12, 3/6, 24/19, 1,450
12. Coffey, CM/DM, 11, 4/3, 35/28, 2,472
13. A. Thompson, WF, 9, 3/3, 17/13, 1,071
14. Ryan, WF/CF, 8, 2/4, 16/6, 613

No one else has more than 5 pts under Hayes.