USWNT unveils youthful roster for final games of 2024
Emma Hayes has named 24 players to represent the U.S. women's national team on its final roster of the year. The squad will conclude an epic 2024 with overseas matches against England and the Netherlands.
Fifteen of 22 members from this summer's gold medal winning Olympic squad made the cut, but this does not include the famed Triple Espresso front line. That's because Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson are all dealing with nagging injuries after a long year. Rodman will also be coming off a NWSL final, as she and the Washington Spirit are set to face the Orlando Pride in the championship match on Nov. 23.
The USWNT will face England at the iconic Wembley Stadium on Nov. 30 and the Netherlands at ADO Den Haag Stadium on Dec. 3.
"In terms of our schedule, this is the end of a wonderful year, but we're still at the beginning of our process of building towards qualifying for the next World Cup," Hayes said in a statement. "So, this trip will be about testing ourselves against two world-class teams with opportunities to develop our roster. We will continue to build relationships on and off the field, and I'm really excited to work with this group as we continue to set the stage for 2025."
One of the highlights of this roster for Hayes is undoubtedly her ability to call up 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes, who just last week announced that she will represent the U.S. national team instead of the Netherlands. Yohannes was born in Virginia, but has lived in the Netherlands since she was 10 years old. She's been called into two previous camps and had an emotional dream debut on June 4 when she scored a goal minutes after being subbed into her first USWNT match.
Yohannes stars for Ajax and reportedly faced backlash on social media after making her decision public. But her club coach Hesterine de Reus said via ESPN that "she handled it very well." That comes as no surprise, as USWNT teammates have marveled at the teenager's maturity in the past.
Yohannes is the only teen on this roster, as Alyssa Thompson and Jaedyn Shaw both turned 20 this month.
This is still a youthful roster, though, with only five members in their 30s — Alyssa Naeher, Casey Krueger, Lynn Williams, Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett. The roster averages 37 caps per player, with only four having more than 100, and 14 players having 20 caps or fewer.
There are some new faces in this camp, including two uncapped players in 28-year-old Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and 20-year-old Utah Royals FC forward Ally Sentnor. Tullis-Joyce, who is 6-feet tall, signed with Manchester United in September 2023 and spent time backing up England goalkeeper Mary Earps. When Earps moved to Paris Saint-Germain, Tullis-Joyce became the starter and has six clean sheets this season.
Sentnor, meanwhile, was the captain of the U.S. youth national team that finished in third place at the 2024 U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia earlier this fall. She scored three goals and won the Bronze Ball as the third-best player in the tournament, and scored three goals and added four assists as a regular starter for Utah this past NWSL season.
With the addition of Tullis-Joyce and Sentnor, Hayes has now called up 11 new players since becoming the USWNT manager.
After these games, the USWNT will have some time off before getting back together in January in Los Angeles for a training camp that will be held concurrently with a "Futures Camp," which will help identify rising talent.
U.S. Women's National Team Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals) - 2024 European Friendlies
GOALKEEPERS (3): Mandy Haught (Utah Royals FC; 1), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 113)
DEFENDERS (9): Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 64/3), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 60/1), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 1/0), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 42/2), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit; 59/0), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC; 1/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 17/2), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 2/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 101/2)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 20/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 26/1), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 159/36), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 108/24), Lily Yohannes (Ajax, NED; 1/1)
FORWARDS (6): Yazmeen Ryan (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 2/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 2/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals FC; 0/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 19/8), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 11/1), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 73/20)
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.
