Emma Hayes has named her first team for a major tournament. With only 18 players allowed on the Olympic roster, the margins for a call-up to Paris were slim, and with her selection, Hayes sent a clear signal.
This is a US women’s national team roster that fully embraces an emerging generation of talent. No veteran star was too revered to be eliminated. Taking advantage of a months-long transition coordinated with assistant coach Twila Kilgore, Hayes named a team that balances leadership with youth. Getting experience for that youth has been a priority for Hayes since she was named the new coach. Collaborating with Kilgore, who served as interim head coach before Hayes took over, in recruiting the team from London, she emphasized bringing new faces to the team for the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup and the SheBelieves Cup.
“One of the biggest things for me since I got the job was wanting to give opportunities to less experienced players,” Hayes said Wednesday. “The volume of players who haven’t played more than 30 caps was really notable to me. So the last eight months have been dedicated to providing experiences to close that gap, because there is a correlation between internationals played and success in international tournaments.”
With an average age of 26.8 years, this is the youngest team the USWNT has sent to the Olympics since 2008. It is the fourth-youngest Olympic team of all time. By comparison, Tokyo’s bronze medal-winning team had an average age of 30. The average number of caps per player on this team (58) is approximately half that of the squad chosen for Tokyo (111). The youngest player on the team is 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw, who becomes the fifth-youngest player ever named to a USWNT Olympic roster.
Still, there is plenty of experience in the ranks, including talented young players playing in their first World Cup in 2023: Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma and Emily Fox among them.
Some long-time veterans have also kept their place. Four have 100 or more appearances: Lindsey Horan (148), Crystal Dunn (147), Alyssa Naeher (104) and Rose Lavelle (100). Horan and Dunn have already played 10 Olympic games. Horan, Dunn and Naeher will soon be three-time Olympians. But there is a notable exclusion.
For the first time since 2008, the United States women’s team will go to a major tournament without Alex Morgan. “First of all, I want to talk about how incredible Alex Morgan has been as a player and as a person,” Hayes said. “I only had the opportunity to work with her once last camp. I saw firsthand not only her qualities, but also her professionalism. Her record speaks for itself. It is not easy to make a decision when there are only 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers in a squad of 18”.
Since his debut in 2010, Morgan has scored 123 goals and 53 assists in 224 appearances for the United States. But after a dismal World Cup in which she failed to score, Morgan looked likely to be eliminated six months ago. But after a late call-up to replace the injured Mia Fishel, Morgan reaffirmed herself as a leader and starting forward in the Concacaf W Gold Cup.
However, competition at the forward position is fierce. Rodman, Smith, Shaw, Mal Swanson and Crystal Dunn are a formidable cast of names. Other forwards, such as Smith or Cat Macario, can also line up as forwards. Additionally, Morgan’s club form with the San Diego Wave has been on the decline. Given the small number of places, Morgan was always likely to be a victim. But with new talent emerging, missing out this summer could mean the end of the 34-year-old’s international career.
Still, the most controversial decision in Hayes’ squad (at least among fans) may be the inclusion of 20-year-old PSG midfielder Korbin Albert, who this year apologized for social media activity deemed critical of the LGBTQ community and celebrating Megan. The injury that ended Rapinoe’s career. When she was soon replaced before crowds in Georgia and Ohio, she did so to a mix of boos.
“Korbin’s addition to the team is due to what he offers us in the midfield positions. I think he showed in the Gold Cup that he can play a lot of games in a row quickly. There’s no denying that a lot of work has gone into working with Korbin behind the scenes,” Hayes said. “And, as I’ve expressed on a couple of occasions, I think it’s really important for everyone on this team to understand the importance of not only being tolerant and respectful and understanding the things that are going to matter to all of us, that Korbin has to learn. . My experiences with her have been that she is a young person who has fully understood the implications of her social media activity… I can say, firsthand, that having spent a limited time with Korbin, she truly is a person charming and someone who really values the most important things.”
Albert’s inclusion is unlikely to cause friction on the team: she’s already been included on the team since her comments on social media, and fiercely competitive players will put aside any personal differences (at least during a tournament) to win. . The most likely dissent will come from sectors of the USWNT fan base, and there have been There has already been rejection on social networks.
Elsewhere, positional flexibility has been prioritized over specialists. In a short competition with tight response times, that matters. It also lends itself to changing tactics between games, something Hayes hinted he might rely on in France. One of the front five, Dunn, is a notable talent who can line up anywhere on the field. For years, Dunn was repurposed as the national team’s left back, although she has long preferred to be higher up the pitch. In Hayes’ second game in charge, she started Dunn at forward. It took him 13 minutes to score.
“I think the biggest factor is that you have 16 outfield players to play a lot of games,” Hayes said. “So it’s essential to have a squad that can adapt. Having players in the squad that you know could play more than one position has had an impact on the depth of the team.”
Other notable exclusions include 17-year-old Lily Yohannes, who became the third-youngest goal scorer in USWNT history when she scored 10 minutes into her debut in June. The Virginia-born midfielder has made waves for Ajax this season and is also eligible to play for the Netherlands. According to Hayes, Yohannes has not yet made a decision on who she will represent internationally. “Lily was a consideration for this roster,” Hayes said. “But yes, at this point Lily hasn’t made a decision about her future and I support that.”
The hurdle of naming the roster has been cleared, but other difficulties remain. One of them is simply hoping that everyone stays healthy. In the event that someone gets hurt, four backups have been named: Lynn Williams, Jane Campbell, Hal Hershfelt and Croix Bethune. As with the core squad, there is experience and fresh talent, emblematic of Hayes’ broader approach. All four will travel to France with the team.
Expectations in Paris, as always, will be high. Hayes has had little time to work with his team, but his team is prepared to win gold this summer with his sights set on the 2027 World Cup.
