The U.S. girls’s nationwide staff at present personify a transition interval as head coach Emma Hayes introduces a younger group of gamers to the fold, hoping to offer every of them as many alternatives to impress – and accumulating as a lot info for the teaching employees – on the lengthy street to the 2027 Girls’s World Cup. Each spot on the roster and within the lineup is up for grabs at this stage of the USWNT’s World Cup preparations, however in no place is that extra true than in aim.
Hayes is working with an inexperienced group of gamers through the October worldwide break, which concludes with Wednesday’s pleasant towards New Zealand, lots of whom will ultimately should compete with the earlier starters of their positions earlier than the teaching employees makes their picks. The top coach is basically ranging from scratch within the goalkeeper place, although – longtime shot-stopper Alyssa Naeher retired from the worldwide recreation on the finish of 2024, the seek for her successor serving as one of many primary storylines as Hayes rebuilds the USWNT in her tactical imaginative and prescient. 5 gamers have began not less than one recreation because the Olympics however Hayes has whittled her record all the way down to the highest three contenders for the job, every of them on this month’s camp – Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Claudia Dickey and Mandy McGlynn.
“At this second in time, the three which can be listed here are the three which can be almost certainly to maintain entering into that route,” Hayes stated on Tuesday, “however there is no certainties or definites, simply that these are the three that we predict are within the locations they need to be.”
The trio are basically within the midst of stay auditions for the job to switch Naeher in time for subsequent yr’s World Cup qualification event, with Hayes providing no particular timeline on when she is going to lock in her choice. The goalkeeper auditions cycled via Connecticut on Sunday, Naeher watching on because the USWNT notched a 3-1 win over Portugal. The 2-time World Cup winner was in her residence state for a pre-match ceremony celebrating her worldwide profession, having fun with her newfound position as an onlooker.
“I am all the time going to overlook it, you realize?,” she stated earlier than Sunday’s win. “It is one thing that was an enormous a part of my life. It was such a enjoyable chapter. I am all the time going to overlook it however I used to be prepared. It is enjoyable to look at the women play, although.”
Naeher leaves large footwear to fill however she has taken effectively to her position as a supportive veteran, by no means putting undue stress on the goalkeepers in camp or the staff as a complete, true to kind for a participant who handed the following era two-plus years to make their case.
“it has been actually enjoyable to see completely different goalkeepers come via,” she stated, “and it may be enjoyable and thrilling for the following yr or so earlier than the World Cup.”
‘Consistency’ wanted to win beginning spot
Naeher left the USWNT as an undisputed member of its historical past, with Hayes incessantly crediting her spectacular shot-stopping means as the rationale the staff gained gold on the Paris Olympics final yr. She has distinctive perception on what it takes to win the job because the U.S.’ beginning goalkeeper – she was a longtime backup to Hope Solo and didn’t begin her first recreation at a significant event till the 2019 World Cup on the age of 31. Naeher was a late bloomer by definition however her profession is an instance in seizing alternative when it lastly comes.
“Consistency,” she stated because the standout function wanted for one of many USWNT’s present goalkeepers to earn the beginning position. “I believe to have the ability to discover the kind of goalkeeper you need to be, discover your strengths and form of play to them. Clearly, it form of relies on how the coach needs to play and magnificence and the way they’ll greatest match.”
Naeher solely labored with Hayes for just a few months earlier than her worldwide retirement, however she described the pinnacle coach as a great match for not solely the duty of recruiting new expertise however coaching them to embrace the USWNT’s profitable tradition.
“She’s only a winner,” Naeher stated about Hayes. “I believe that is the most important factor about her. She’s enjoyable to play for. She’s positively a gamers’ coach and he or she’s in it with you however she simply has this drive to win and you’ll see that from her in each dialog, on the sphere, off the sphere and he or she’s only a winner. She’s enjoyable to play for. … Each little factor issues, whether or not it is in coaching or in video games and the preparation that goes into that, whether or not on the sphere or within the classroom, watching video, watching movie or simply getting the group collectively and constructing that chemistry however she simply has that means to get the most effective out of you.”
Tactically talking, Hayes is on the lookout for a goalkeeper who is clearly a robust shot-stopper however can also be snug on the ball in deeper positions, a pure match for a staff that’s more likely to have possession than not. The top coach has but to tip her hand on who might be the eventual No. 1, with Tullis-Joyce and Dickey every enjoying one recreation and McGlynn but to see the sphere throughout this worldwide window. The jury remains to be out on who Hayes will ultimately choose as the primary alternative goalkeeper since their experiences with the USWNT are different up to now. Tullis-Joyce regarded shaky within the 2-1 loss to Portugal on Thursday however was one among a number of USWNT gamers who had been removed from their greatest, together with a batch of veterans, whereas Dickey maybe benefitted from some tactical changes Hayes made for Sunday’s win.
“They’ve had one recreation every – generally it is actually robust when you will have simply that,” Hayes stated. “I believe recreation one, we struggled in our buildup, that was clear, however as a staff we struggled. It isn’t about one participant and within the second recreation, we did significantly better within the buildup however now we have hindsight, reflections, evaluation to have the ability to do this and we tweak issues that maybe put the goalkeeper in a greater place for the second recreation in order that’s the educational in that.”
In Tullis-Joyce, Dickey and McGlynn, Hayes has a gaggle of goalkeepers with standout qualities. McGlynn performs for the possession-oriented Utah Royals and ranks second within the NWSL for passes tried by a goalkeeper, whereas Dickey has loved a standout season with the Seattle Reign. Dickey leads the NWSL for post-shot anticipated objectives minus objectives allowed with +12, a measurement of a goalkeeper’s chance to concede after making a save. Manchester United‘s Tullis-Joyce, in the meantime, is possibly Europe’s most spectacular USWNT participant – she is the one goalkeeper with two clear sheets in two UEFA Girls’s Champions League video games up to now and has 5 clear sheets in a row when together with qualifiers.
Hayes isn’t essentially anticipated to make a closing alternative between them anytime quickly, both, since she has a restricted pattern measurement to work with. Not one of the goalkeepers in camp at present have greater than 4 caps, making the following yr’s price of friendlies extremely necessary for the teaching employees as they get nearer to locking of their choice.
“We have to simply hold creating their experiences, and that is what we’re doing. The World Cup qualification isn’t till subsequent yr, and my job is to maintain creating the group to get nearer to that.”
Naeher undecided on retirement
Although Naeher retired from the worldwide recreation on the finish of 2024, she continued to play for the NWSL’s Chicago Stars.Her present cope with her longtime membership expires on the finish of the 2025 season, which is able to come to an finish on Sunday towards Angel Metropolis after the Stars missed out on a playoff spot, however is noncommittal on her future in the intervening time.
“I am simply going to play on Sunday after which, like I’ve achieved for the final eight years, decide on the finish of the yr,” Naeher stated.
Be it teaching, media or one other profession path frequented by retired athletes, Naeher stated she doesn’t have a follow-up act lined up. She did profit from her day off throughout worldwide breaks after years of touring and competing with the nationwide staff.
“Undoubtedly, I’ve had some additional off days nevertheless it’s been enjoyable [to] simply get to journey a bit of bit, truthfully simply take pleasure in a summer season in Chicago,” she stated. “Chicago is a lovely metropolis. I by no means actually get to benefit from the summer season in order that’s been enjoyable, to only keep put for a bit of bit.”
The USWNT retirement ceremony, although, compelled Naeher to mirror on her profession and the legacy she leaves behind. Hayes stated the youthful USWNT gamers “idolized” the goalkeeper, whereas round 150 family members had been in attendance at Pratt and Whitney Stadium to assist Naeher, together with 12 of her Stars teammates.
“I have been extremely blessed to have the profession that I’ve to have the ability to come again and rejoice it tonight, that individuals can bear in mind the profession as being a very good teammate, any person that left the sport higher than I began it,” she stated. “It has been actually enjoyable and I am very blessed to have the profession that I’ve.”
