The latest U.S. women’s national team training camp roster marked the return of Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, Ashley Hatch and Sam Coffey after they were left off the 2023 World Cup squad. Interim coach Twila Kilgore announced the 27-player roster ahead of this month’s friendlies against South Africa. Here’s what you need to know:
- This will be the first camp for Kilgore after the resignation of Vlatko Andonovski.
- Midfielder Kristie Mewis and forward Sophia Smith were the only members of the World Cup roster not called in for the games against South Africa as they recover from injuries.
- This roster included two uncapped players, Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel, who recently transferred from Tigres to Chelsea
- The USWNT will play against South Africa twice — on Sept. 21 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati and on Sept. 24 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Full USWNT roster vs. South Africa
Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)
Midfielders (7): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC), Julie Ertz (Unattached), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
Forwards (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Are there any roster surprises?
While this isn’t a total “wave of the future” roster, one eyebrow-raiser is Fishel, a player who had a hard time getting a look under Andonovski. Fishel has also taken a slightly unconventional route, declining to play in NWSL after the Orlando Pride drafted her in 2022, plying her trade at Liga MX club Tigres for about a year and a half, and then leveraging a move to Chelsea, all the while making it clear that her ambitions are aimed at the U.S. national team.
Kilgore may feel more free to start tweaking the player pool in advance of the next four years now that the World Cup is past, a sentiment that could also encompass Shaw, who at 18 years old has been more than ready for primetime at the San Diego Wave. — Yang
What does this roster mean for the Olympics?
While a lot of focus in these two friendlies will, of course, be on saying goodbye to Ertz and Rapinoe, there are also some good indicators that Kilgore has begun the process of evaluating her options, or at least leaving more data in place for her eventual successor.
The returns of Davidson, Krueger, Coffey and Hatch, and even the continued appearance of DeMelo, say that we could see quite a different Olympic roster from the World Cup as the women’s national team tries to truly transition away from the last generation of stalwarts. — Yang
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(Photo: Ashley Feder / Getty Images)
