Since Emma Hayes and the USWNT won the Paris Olympics gold, we have not witnessed the team on their Olympic victory tour. Well, the wait has finally come to an end. The USWNT will play friendlies against Iceland and Argentina in the next international break. Hayes announced her 26-player roster for the friendly on October 24th, 27th and 30th. However, fans noted how she selected the players who appeared at the Olympics. Favoritism? Well, not exactly.

With the World Cup in just three years, picking young players could give her squad a different dynamic. She can mix it up a little, which can cause the opposition to keep guessing. Yet, with these international friendlies about the Olympic tour, Hayes’ hands are full regarding squad selection.

Claire Watkins of Just Women Sports expressed the exact thoughts we had on our minds. Why didn’t Hayes select some young guns? In her post on X, Claire stated, “Hayes does note that new callups were contractually limited due to this international window technically being the Olympic victory tour, with that group (barring injury) being called up automatically. Emphasizes that January’s futures camp will extend the pool significantly.”

Notably, it answers most of the doubts regarding the recent squad selection. Please note – Croix Bethune and Andi Sullivan from the Washington Spirit will be sidelined because of their injuries. Meanwhile, Trinity Rodman is also out of the squad after not recovering from her back injury. It means an opportunity for some new players to make their debuts for the USWNT.

Emma Hayes hands out debuts to a few USWNT players!

“I love that we get to see most of our Olympic Team again after a few months, but I also love getting to work with some newer players and evaluate how they perform in our environment,” she mentioned to SB Nation. With all her experimentation and player profiling, here’s the complete roster for the coming friendlies.

GOALKEEPERS: Jane Campbell Casey Murphy, Alyssa Naeher

DEFENDERS: Emily Fox, Eva Gaetino, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Hailie Mace, Alyssa Malonson, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sams, Emily Sonnett

MIDFIELDERS: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Hal Hershfelt, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Olivia Moultrie, Ashley Sanchez

FORWARDS: Yazmeen Ryan, Emma Sears, Jaedyn Shaw, Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams

Notably, 18 players who appeared at the Paris Olympics received a call-up to Emma Hayes’ latest squad. Alyssa Thompson and Ashley Sanchez, two crucial players, will rejoin the roster. In the meantime, Alyssa Malonson, Yazmeen Ryan, and Emma Sears received their first invitations to join the US Women’s National Team. We expect them to play for some minutes with three friendlies crammed against each other.

With these friendlies showcasing how good the team is, the next USWNT squad will have top-performing players, we guess. It’s against England, a formidable opposition, and sentiments can run high for Emma Hayes as she faces her country. Therefore, are you ready for the USWNT to weave their magic again?