Laken Litman
College Football & Soccer Analyst
The U.S. women’s national team concluded another camp with a pair of victories to build on. The Americans defeated China 3-0 on May 31, and followed that up by cruising past Jamaica 4-0 on June 3.
USWNT coach Emma Hayes has been saying for months that she’d like to identify a “core group” of players who will be a major part of her plans for the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics by June. She reiterated that point at the beginning of training camp last week, with the caveat that the team is still missing key pieces like the ‘Triple Espresso’ forward line of Mallory Swanson (pregnant), Sophia Wilson (pregnant) and Trinity Rodman (back injury), as well as Rose Lavelle and Tierna Davidson (both of whom are coming back from injuries).
Even so, Hayes has been working diligently with her staff to develop talent and widen the player pool so that when players aren’t available for selection, the team won’t skip a beat. That was evident in the two wins, which Hayes discussed after Tuesday’s night’s match vs. Jamaica.
“When I watch the team, they very much molded into an Emma Hayes team,” the U.S. manager said. “That’s how I feel when I watch us. I feel like there’s a lot of composure to the performances.”
The Americans have the luxury of time to keep building, as the next major tournament is not for another two years when Brazil hosts the 2027 World Cup. There will be qualifying next year and plenty more friendlies and camps, including when the USWNT faces the Republic of Ireland twice at the end of June and Canada at the beginning of July.
With all of that in mind, here are three takeaways from the USWNT’s latest international window:
A front-runner in goal?
The biggest question facing the USWNT entering 2025 was, who would replace legendary goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher after she retired from international duty at the end of last year? It seems now, after a few camps to start the year, that Hayes has a leader in Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Tullis-Joyce, 28, started both matches for the USWNT and posted consecutive clean sheets. The Manchester United goalkeeper has had a successful past few months, becoming her club’s starter, earning her first three USWNT caps and claiming a share of the 2024-25 WSL Golden Glove with a league-high 13 clean sheets.
Does this mean Hayes is closer to officially naming a No. 1 goalkeeper?
“That matters more externally than it does internally,” Hayes said. “And the reason why is, I have to prepare a group of players to be ready to compete in a World Cup. If I only develop one [goalkeeper], then I’m going to have a group behind [that player] who are even more underdeveloped.
“I think it’s fair to say Phallon’s experience at this moment in time, with the current group that I’ve got, is ahead.”
Hayes went on to say that it’s not “as simple as just saying you’re my No. 1 and develop one [goalkeeper]. I think it would be foolish of me to do that in case someone falls out of form or they get injured or those things. But Phallon is doing a tremendous job with everything that I’m asking.”
Hayes also called up Seattle Reign’s Claudia Dickey and Utah Royals’ Mandy McGlynn for this camp, though they did not see the pitch. The USWNT manager decided to play Tullis-Joyce in both games so she could build connections with the center backs, especially Naomi Girma, as the two had not previously played together.
Alyssa Thompson took advantage of her opportunities during these last two matches with the USWNT. (Photo by Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Building depth in the attack
With the ‘Triple Espresso’ out for a while, Hayes has no choice but to find other options at those positions. While the task seems daunting – given Swanson, Wilson and Rodman combined for 10 of the team’s 12 goals at the Olympics last year – Hayes has made progress on the depth chart front.
Alyssa Thompson was especially impressive during this window. The 20-year-old, who has been in top form for both club and country this year, started at left winger in both matches and was a total terror against two opponents that held a high defensive line. She was faster than any defender who marked her, was able to get in behind, and wreaked havoc in the box. In the first match against China, Thompson assisted Catarina Macario’s opening goal before creating another scoring chance that led to Sam Coffey scoring the USWNT’s second goal. Against Jamaica, Thompson had a shot deflected that led to an Ally Sentnor goal.
Add in the performances by Macario (goal vs. China), Sentnor (brace vs. Jamaica), and Michelle Cooper (assist vs. China) and Hayes has plenty of attacking threats no matter which lineup she rolls out. Not to mention veteran Lynn Biyendolo, who scored two goals against Jamaica off the bench.
“She does it time and time again,” Hayes said of Biyendolo. “She knows how to do that role really well. It’s not to be underestimated. She always contributes to the team’s performance in a profound way, and it’s not easy. She could have had a hat-trick coming off the bench. That’s a testament to her quality.”
While the ‘Triple Espresso’ has time to come back – and likely will – for the 2027 World Cup, Hayes is still finding ways to be ruthless in front of goal.
Naomi Girma returned to the fold following an extended absence from the U.S. squad. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/USSF/Getty Images)
Girma the ‘Rolls-Royce’
Girma returned to the USWNT for the first time in 2025 after battling injuries to start the year. The Chelsea defender played the full 90 minutes in both matches, and wore the captain’s armband vs. Jamaica since Lindsey Heaps started on the bench.
Hayes cited Girma’s leadership and maturity in the back, and noted how those qualities helped Tullis-Joyce as well as some younger defenders remain calm and cool against both opponents.
“Naomi, it’s like getting the Rolls-Royce out of the garage,” Hayes said with a chuckle. “What an unbelievable football player – just like a Rolls-Royce is an unbelievable car. She just brings a level of composure and decision-making in the deepest spaces that’s just so underrated.
“I thought she communicated well as a leader [vs. Jamaica]. That was important to the team. We can put her back in the garage for a couple of weeks.”
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.
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