Emma Hayes has named her first team for a major tournament. With just 18 players allowed into the Olympic squad, the margins for getting a Paris call-up were slim, and with his selections, Hayes sent a clear signal.
This is a USWNT roster that fully encompasses an emerging generation of talent. No veteran star was too revered to be cut. Leveraging a months-long transition coordinated in conjunction with assistant coach Twila Kilgore, Hayes named a team that balances leadership with youth. Gaining experience for this young man has been a priority for Hayes since she was named the new coach. Collaborating with Kilgore, who served as interim coach before Hayes took over, in selecting the London team, she emphasized bringing new faces to the Concacaf W Gold Cup and SheBelieves Cup squad.
“One of the biggest things for me since I got the job was wanting to provide opportunities for less experienced players,” Hayes said Wednesday. “The volume of players who didn’t play more than 30 caps was very, very noticeable to me. So the last eight months have been about providing experiences to fill that gap, because there is a correlation between caps played and success in international tournaments.”
With an average age of 26.8 years old, 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 about half the squad chosen for Tokyo (111). The team’s youngest player is 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw, who becomes the fifth youngest player ever named to the USWNT’s Olympic roster.
Still, there is plenty of experience in the ranks, including talented young players who have played their first World Cup in 2023: Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma and Emily Fox among them.
Some long-time veterans also kept their places. Four have 100 games or more: Lindsey Horan (148), Crystal Dunn (147), Alyssa Naeher (104) and Rose Lavelle (100). Horan and Dunn have already played in 10 Olympic matches. Horan, Dunn and Naeher will soon be three-time Olympians. But there is one notable exclusion.
For the first time since 2008, the USWNT will go to a major tournament without Alex Morgan. “First of all, I want to talk about what an incredible player and human Alex Morgan has been,” Hayes said. “I only had the opportunity to work with her in the last camp. I saw firsthand not only his qualities, but also his professionalism. His track record speaks for itself. It is not easy to make the decision that there are only 16 field players and two goalkeepers in a squad of 18.”
Since making his debut in 2010, Morgan has scored 123 goals and 53 assists in 224 appearances for the USA. But after a dismal World Cup in which she failed to score, it seemed likely that Morgan would be released six months ago. But after a late call-up to replace the injured Mia Fishel, Morgan reasserted himself as a leader and first-choice striker in the Concacaf W Gold Cup.
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 play as a striker. Additionally, Morgan’s club form with the San Diego Wave is on the decline. Given the small number of places, Morgan was always going to be a victim. But with the arrival of new talent, missing out this summer could mean the end of the 34-year-old’s international career.
Still, the most controversial decision in Hayes’ squad – with fans, at least – may be the inclusion of 20-year-old PSG midfielder Korbin Albert, who apologized this year for social media activity seen as critical of the LGBTQ community, and celebrating Megan Injury that ended Rapinoe’s career. When she was replaced before crowds in Georgia and Ohio shortly afterward, she did so to a mix of boos.
“Korbin joining the team is a credit to what she offers to us in the midfield positions. I think she demonstrated in the Gold Cup that she can play many matches in quick succession. There is no denying that there has been a lot of work underway to work with Korbin,” Hayes said. “And as I’ve expressed on a few occasions, I think it’s very important that everyone on this team understands the importance of not just being tolerant and respectful and understanding the things that will be important to all of us, that Korbin has had to learn. My experiences with her were [that] She is a young woman who fully understands the implications of her social media activity… I can tell you firsthand, having spent limited time with Korbin, she is truly a lovely person and someone who truly values the most important things.”
Albert’s inclusion is unlikely to cause friction in the squad: she has already been included in the team since her social media comments, and highly competitive players will put aside any personal differences – at least during a tournament – to win. The most likely dissent will come from sections of the USWNT fanbase, and there has been there has already been resistance on social media.
Elsewhere, positional flexibility was prioritized over specialists. In a short competition with tight response times, this matters. It also allows for changes in tactics between games, something Hayes has hinted he can rely on in France. One of the five forwards, Dunn, is a notable talent who can line up anywhere on the field. For years, Dunn was repurposed as a left-back for the national team, although she always preferred to be further up the field. In Hayes’ second game in charge, she started Dunn at forward. It took her 13 minutes to score.
“I think the biggest factor is there are 16 outfield players to play a lot of games,” Hayes said. “Therefore, having a cast that can adapt is essential. Having players in the squad that you know could play in more than one position was important for squad depth.”
Other notable exclusions include 17-year-old Lily Yohannes, who became the third-youngest scorer in USWNT history when she scored in the 10th minute of her debut in June this year. The Virginia-born midfielder has enjoyed success at Ajax this season and could also play for the Netherlands. According to Hayes, Yohannes has not yet made a decision about who he will represent at international level. “Lily was considered on this list,” Hayes said. “But yes, at this point, Lily has not yet made a decision about her future, and I support that.”
The hurdle of naming the lineup has been overcome, but other difficulties lie ahead. One of them is simply hoping that everyone stays healthy. In the scenario where someone gets hurt, four alternates were named: Lynn Williams, Jane Campbell, Hal Hershfelt, and Croix Bethune. As with the main cast, there is a wealth of experience and new 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 her team, but she has been named to win gold this summer, with an eye on the 2027 World Cup.
