The US Women’s National Team is set to be back in no time. With this month’s friendly matches on the horizon, Emma Hayes has revealed her 24-player roster. However, the announcement of this post-Olympics squad has ruffled a few feathers, as many ardent USWNT fans are rather unimpressed with her selection of players.

But the most interesting part is that the English tactician has little part to play in selecting the majority share of players. Courtsey of the Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA), all of the players that went to France for the Summer Games action have to be recalled for victory tour matches. However, circumstances have also forced Hayes to make her own changes.

For starters, only 18 stars are available from the 22-player roster that returned to the States with a gold on their neck. Trinity Rodman is one of the notable absentees for the upcoming friendlies, even though she made a return from her back injury during the Washington Spirit’s 4-1 win over Racing Louisville. The 22-year-old played for a limited time but is understood to be in rehab ahead of the NWSL playoffs.

The second absentee is Rodman’s fellow domestic teammate Croix Bethune, who was placed on the season-ending injury list after tearing her meniscus while throwing the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game in late August. Similarly, defender Tierna Davidson sustained an injury over the weekend during a match for NJ/NY Gotham FC. As for Crystal Dunn, who played all six Olympic games for the USWNT, U.S. Soccer justified her absence as “not available for selection due to personal commitments.”

However, on the brighter side, two well-established names, midfielder Ashley Sanchez and forward Alyssa Thompson, are back in the mix since last called up for the 2023 World Cup. Aside from the return of these forgotten stars, Hayes has included six players yet to earn their first cap. Two of them, midfielder Hal Hershfelt and defender Emily Sams, were part of the USA’s squad at the Olympics.

Also featured are Paris Saint-Germain center-back Eva Gaetino, who makes her second USWNT roster appearance, along with defender Alyssa Malonson and forwards Yazmeen Ryan and Emma Sears, who earned their first-time senior call-ups.

“Our focus is forward, our focus is on our process, and we want to keep chasing new heights,” said Hayes in a statement. “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.”

Then again, why do the majority of the fans rather seem displeased with the roster announcement?

USWNT fans express their disbelief over Emma Hayes’ 24-player roster

Judging by all the circumstances, it’s understandable why Emma Hayes and Co. are going forward with this roster. Then again, fans on X, formerly Twitter can’t seem to hold back their criticism regarding the selection of players who will be playing twice against 13th-FIFA-ranked side Iceland on October 24 in Austin, Texas, and October 27 in Nashville, Tennessee, before they curtain their window on October 30, playing 33rd ranked Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky.

To begin with, much of the frustration comes from the CBA rule that requires Emma Hayes to call up her entire Olympic squad for the so-called ‘victory tour.’ One fan argues that the stakes are already high for making the roster, and this rule further delays opportunities for other eager players to break into the team.

USMNT legend Tim Howard once said that any player given the chance to wear their national team colors must “hold on to it for dear life.” However, due to the CBA, the USWNT is using this window for a victory tour, a decision that doesn’t sit well with this fan.

It seems this obligatory CBA rule, which requires coaches to call up the same roster for the victory tour, needs to go. Fans are clearly growing tired of it and would prefer to see players earn their spots rather than being selected simply because of their involvement in previous tournaments.

Shots fired! The Collective Bargain Agreement was understood to meet the rights of players. However, this fan believes that it has little to do with that as it has merely given unjust power. We wonder what must be going on inside Hayes’ mind when she had a final look at her team. Was she happy?

https://twitter.com/UnbiasedArsenal/status/1846956425316028546

Another subtle dig at veteran players. We aren’t the ones to comment but this fan is clearly unhappy with this CBA rule of victory tours while denying the opportunity to young stars.

https://twitter.com/CoreyClayton/status/1846961676047843826

This is just a glimpse of what makes the ardent USWNT fans unhappy over these latest call-ups. Regardless, we would like to know your thoughts in the comments.