Naomi Girma and Sam Coffey are returning to the United States women’s national team, with their pair of WSL standouts named in Emma Hayes’ squad for October’s friendlies against defending World Cup champion Spain.
NWSL top scorer Ashley Sanchez has also earned a recall on the back of her MVP-caliber performance with the North Carolina Courage. Sanchez has already set an league record for goals in a season by an American player, already up to 20 in 26 matches. With another goal, Sanchez will break Temwa Chawinga’s overall scoring record. An attacking midfielder, Sanchez’s most recent cap came in October 2024, in a friendly against Argentina early in Hayes’ tenure.
Hayes largely leaned on established members of her core for the 26-player squad, adding four uncapped players on the back of strong seasons in the NWSL.
“While we are very much looking forward to playing the World Cup champions, I keep coming back to the journey that we are all on together,” said Hayes. “This camp will be about reestablishing connections after a long break, looking at a few players who haven’t been with us this cycle, and putting on the best performances we can in front of packed stadiums.”
Ashley Sanchez gets the call
Sanchez’s recall has been a hot topic in NWSL circles as the playmaker continues a career year. A member of the 2023 Women’s World Cup squad, Sanchez failed to get on the field that summer and has since been a peripheral figure as positional alternatives like Lavelle, Jaedyn Shaw, and Croix Bethune have been preferred by Hayes.
Sanchez’ recall may help explain the absence of Shaw, whose brace over the weekend brought her to nine goals for Gotham this season. Shaw has been a regular part of the national team setup following the last World Cup, with 17 caps earned in the explorational 2024 and 16 more caps since the start of 2025.
The question this window, and in subsequent ones, is how much of Sanchez’s stellar performance with North Carolina will carry over with the national team. The Courage’s team is built to cater to her strengths, allowing her to serve as chief facilitator as well as the team’s primary scoring threat. Hayes’ team already has plenty of players who are comfortable with those responsibilities, and while no team can ever have too many decisive game-breaking options in the final third, it’ll be up to the coaching staff and Sanchez to find the right way to maximize her considerable threat.
Swanson returns
Also among those selected is Mallory Swanson, who was involved in the team’s June camp but who didn’t see the field in two contentious friendlies against Brazil. Her last cap for the national team was her goal-scoring, gold medal-winning showing in the 2024 Olympic final. Swanson has appeared in just one of the struggling Chicago Stars’ five most recent games as she works back from injury and the birth of her daughter late last year, but earned Hayes’ faith while co-headlining the Olympic team with fellow “Triple Espresso” front-liners Trinity Rodman and Sophia Wilson – both also selected for the October friendlies.
Girma called up despite injury absences
All eight defenders selected have made at least seven appearances for the USWNT, including young options like Kennedy Wesley, Gisele Thompson, and Lilly Reale. Girma’s return should help refine the team’s play in the defensive third and give a vital primary focal point in possession sequences, as Girma often leads the team in touches whenever available. However, she will be lacking in match fitness, having not appeared for Chelsea due to injury since early September.
Emily Fox, Tierna Davidson, Tara Rudd, and Avery Patterson round out the options along the backline.
The usual suspects in midfield
Coffey will offer similar stability at the base of midfield, giving Hayes all of her most leaned-upon options for this window. Lindsey Heaps arrives with 178 caps to her name, having been in and out of availability since joining expansion Denver Summit this summer. Claire Hutton and Lily Yohannes have emerged as regular contributors since the Olympics, while Rose Lavelle remains in fine form for Gotham. Notably, the team listed Swanson among the midfielders and Sanchez among the forwards.
Rodman, Swanson, and Wilson are again the attackers in focus, but Alyssa Thompson will look to fortify her case to be Hayes’ starting left winger. The Los Angeles native played matchwinner over the weekend against Arsenal and complements Wilson and Rodman well, moving upfield with decisiveness and showing equal willingness to bait defenders into opening space for her teammates as she is to set up her own shot. Emma Sears and Michelle Cooper offer strong alternatives on the right wing.
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The newcomers
Jordan Silkowitz could earn her first cap in goal on the back of a strong season. The Bay FC goalkeeper ranks second in the NWSL with 10.4 goals prevented, a metric which compares her conceded goals to post-shot expected goals faced, and leads all NWSL goalkeepers in minutes played without misplaying a cross. She’ll vie for minutes against two of Hayes’ most trusted options in goal, Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United and Claudia Dickey of the Seattle Reign.
The sole newcomer among the midfield septet is Evelyn Shores, who primarily features for Angel City as a left back. The 21-year-old is a threat to create chances with both chipped crosses and her corner kicks, and gives Hayes a needed extra option down the left flank.
Two forwards could earn their debuts this window, too. Pietra Tordin has been electric in her second season with the Portland Thorns, with seven goals and nine assists in 2,086 minutes. Her partnership with Wilson has come together quickly, with Tordin benefitting from the additional focus Wilson commands from opponents. Trinity Byars also arrives without a senior cap to date, with the 23-year-old having scored 10 goals in just over 1,000 minutes for San Diego.
The United States will play their first game against Spain in Washington DC on 10 October, before playing a second friendly on 13 October in Philadelphia.
Full USWNT roster
Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Jordan Silkowitz (Bay FC), Phallon Tullis- Joyce (Manchester United)
Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Lilly Reale (Boston Legacy), Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit), Gisele Thompson (Angel City), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)
Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Manchester City), Lindsey Heaps (Denver Summit), Claire Hutton (Bay FC), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Evelyn Shores (Angel City), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Stars), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)
Forwards: Trinity Byars (San Diego Wave), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage), Pietra Tordin (Portland Thorns), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns)
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