The year 2025 has brought with it new blood on the United States women’s national team, with back-to-back camps featuring less well-established names and more players with the possibility for more.
It’s something that the USWNT hasn’t experienced in what feels like a long time — if maybe ever — as coach Emma Hayes has leaned into experimenting with the roster in the time since the Paris Olympics. With no major international tournament in the cards for the USWNT until 2027, when the Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil, there’s finally time to take a step back and take a deeper look at the team’s talent pool. It’s unprecedented, but necessary.
As the world catches up and development becomes more instrumental in senior national team success, the USWNT has lagged somewhat behind in incorporating new faces into the mix. As such, Hayes finds herself focused on fielding rosters in the aim of developing talent.
It’s a different tune from the previous World Cup cycle, which felt at times like the team was in “go-now” mode for four straight years. With COVID-19 pushing the Tokyo Olympics back to 2021, it meant three major tournaments in the span of four years — all while the team was attempting to transition from veteran greats to young up-and-comers. The Tokyo Olympics roster featured 17 players from the 2019 World Cup out of a possible 18 — later expanded to 21 — players. Two years later, aging stars and injuries meant the 2023 World Cup roster featured a number of seasoned veterans combined with young talents like Alyssa Thompson and Savannah DeMelo — and just nine players from the 2019 World Cup team.
