uswnt roster drop: group by group analysis, and who might be missing

The upcoming international break means the U.S.-based woso community braced for another USWNT roster drop. With crash outs and hot takes at the ready, head coach Emma Hayes named a rather uncontroversial squad. The group of players will take part in three friendly matches, two against Portugal and one versus New Zealand.

While there’s no need for crash outs with this roster, there’s still plenty to discuss from each position group. So let’s.

goalkeepers

This seems like the safest and maybe easiest group to select. Though I am curious how difficult Jordyn Bloomer could have made Hayes’ decision if her form hadn’t dipped over the past month. It will be interesting to see who Hayes views as her #1. By talent and form, it should be Tullis-Joyce, but that’s been the case in previous windows and hasn’t always led to Phallon being penciled into the XI.

What might help this time is that McGlynn’s form is a bit shaky. She still takes a lot of risks with the ball at her feet in buildup, and while that’s a cheat code for managers who want to possess the ball, you can’t be out here gifting .25 xG shots on the reg.

Dickey feels like a safe blend of the two. She’s not as talented with the ball at her feet as McGlynn, but doesn’t take the same risks and therefore isn’t burned in the same way. And while she’s a solid shot stopper, Tullis-Joyce is the best shot stopper in the group. This is why Bloomer would have been an interesting option. Bloomer has a vibe and energy that would annoy tf out of other teams, and I’m personally always here for a chaotic goalkeeper. Beyond that, Bloomer also has a pretty neat party trick that would be handy against a high press: she be BOOMIN the ball.

defenders

With Naomi Girma out injured (please Nay, return from war), Hayes got to be a little more experimental with her center back group. Emily Sonnett, Emily Sams and Tara McKeown have become regulars, with Sonnett and McKeown getting the bulk of match minutes. But 19-year-old Jordyn Bugg will be with the senior squad rather than the U23s, and rookie Kennedy Wesley was called up for the first time.

Though Kayla Sharples might not want to hear all that noise. She’s dropped performances that have her on the shortest of lists for defender of the year. While Sharples is only 28, and very much in her prime, this could be the result of Hayes attempting to simultaneously build for the now and for the future. Hayes noted it was a ‘tough decision,’ and since no one would argue that Wesley has had a better season than Sharples, the four year difference in age might have been a deciding factor. Cold world, no Snuggie, no weighted blanket.

As far as fullbacks go, it sounds like Hayes really wants to see Patterson and Reale cement their places on the team. Patterson is the kind of high-energy, versatile fullback option that Hayes loves, but Houston have been a bit weird this season, which has resulted in inconsistent performances. Reale has been solid for Gotham, but still shows a lack of awareness in some game situations that lets sneaky forwards find space behind her.

A player I’m still sad has only gotten a limited chance with the team is Alyssa Malonson. She’s a well-rounded left-footed fullback who is defensively strong and combines well with Racheal Kundananji in possession. Bay FC are having a dumpster fire of a season, but none of it has been Malonson’s fault — she’s still hoopin.

midfielders

This is probably the most midfieldy midfield Hayes could have called up and I thought I’d never see the day. This group has passing, positional intelligence, on-ball creativity, and 1v1 defending. I also have to note that as an adamant ‘Jaedyn Shaw is a midfielder’ believer, I am delighted to see her listed among this position group and not the forwards. Friends, we might be in our real midfielding era and I could not be more excited.

This is probably why one name everyone was bracing to see, Korbin Shrader (née Albert), wasn’t called up despite her goallapalooza performance in a 6-1 win over PSG. While I don’t yet believe that she is fully out of the picture (though it’s interesting that she’s not even with the U23s), it’s been true for a while that the current player pool has several more well-rounded and versatile midfield options.

This, plus her public (and continued) bigotry should be reason enough, but it hasn’t been. So we’ll see how things go this window and in the future. (In my opinion, whoever convinced Shrader to develop into a deeper midfield role did her no favors. At Notre Dame she was a dynamic attacking midfielder who damn near dropped a highlight reel per match, but oh well, that’s not my problem.)

Anyway, three midfielders who can’t be too far away from a senior callup are Taylor Flint, Jaelin Howell (aka Midfield Murder Machine), and Riley Jackson.

Taylor Flint has been vital for Louisville, particularly for their style of play. While Flint is tall and rangy, she can be more of a ball recycler than progressive passer, doesn’t do much on the dribble, and has a penchant for picking up yellow cards (leads the league). Howell probably needs more sustained performances at a high level with Gotham, plus improvement in her forward passing and not being a yellow card magnet too.

The player I’m most intrigued by is 19-year-old Riley Jackson, who is a straight up passing machine.

Jackson is with the U23s, so she’s definitely on the radar. At the moment that’s the best place for her, as she has some growth and development to do, particularly defensively and in 1v1 scraps. She’s often shoved down or off the ball a bit too easily, but if/when she develops the strength to withstand those challenges, plus balance and instincts to absorb contact and roll into space, her passing ability is going to make her absolutely lethal.

forwards

The major caveat here is that Trinity Rodman picked up a rather serious-looking knee injury midweek against Monterrey. Thankfully, scans revealed the damage to be more of the ‘3-4 week rehab variety’ than the ‘OH GOD NO WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME’ variety. But it will mean she misses this camp, and will likely have to be replaced.

The obvious options from the U23 squad are Jameese Joseph or Maddie Dahlien. While obviously far away from being Rodman, both have electric pace and can operate as true wide players. Since the USWNT will likely be able to push their fullbacks high up the pitch in each game, Hayes could also call on Reilyn Turner, who isn’t at her best as a true winger, but is very good as an inside forward closer to the box.

But in my most humble of opinions, now would be a terrific time to reintroduce the world to the sauce that lives within Ashley Sanchez. I have no idea why Sanchez’s national team career was cut so short, and I still don’t understand then-coach Vlatko Andonovski taking her to the World Cup but telling here that she wasn’t going to play a single minute — which had a lingering impact. If she’s done with national team stuff, I’d understand. But if Hayes wants to use her arm-around-the-shoulder approach for good, this is a player who’s worth it.