uswnt roster drop: the fun & the curious

The USWNT' as a three-match Olympic Victory Tour coming up so that means it was roster drop time. And roster drop time means opinions, thoughts, and reactions. The one caveat is the CBA stipulation that all players on the Olympic roster had to be invited to this camp, which explains most of it. But unlike the silly Olympic rule of just 18 players and 4 alternates, this squad is 26 players deep.

The new roster spots, combined with the pain caves that led to a gold medal but came with a cost, meant that there were quite a few more spots for Hayes to play around with. Trinity Rodman, Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson and Croix Bethune are out due to injury or excused absence. Hayes stated in her presser that she wants to play nice with NWSL teams to minimize the impact of national team duty, so we should see a decent amount of rotation.

Given a bit more wiggle room than expected, Hayes’ decisions on who to call up turned out to be quite fun, but with a dash of curious behavior as well. Let’s review.

The Fun

Ashley Sanchez

She was done so dirty by Vlatko, getting her back involved is the biggest no-brainer of all time. I once wrote that it’s so hard for defenses to cope with Ashley Sanchez because I’m not entirely sure she always knows what she’s going to do next. In North Carolina they’ve done a good job of allowing her to keep that unpredictability while developing passing patterns to take advantage of her movement and dribbling ability.

Of all players who have played 1,500 minutes, Sanchez is fifth in total expected goals assisted xGA. The only players above her are Trinity Rodman, Debinha, Croix Bethune and Racheal Kundananji. Sanchez had a rough period, but she is an outrageous talent and it will be extremely good to see her snatching ankles in a USWNT shirt again.

Yazmeen Ryan

This one is just a long time coming. Ryan has been integral to Gotham’s style of play for multiple seasons now and has absolutely been cookin this year as well. She’s also having her best season in terms of outright production, with 4 goals and 4 assists so far this season. Ryan is one of those players who can kinda do whatever you need done in the final third in a particular moment.

She can make off shoulder runs if need be, drop into pockets behind the backline to shoot or pass, pull out wide and deliver crosses or cut inside for shots, or take set pieces. All of this is why she’s been perfect for Gotham’s ‘organized chaos.’

Emma Sears

I have no idea why Bev Yanez has decided to have Emma Sears come off the bench, she’s so much more than a super sub. Also, Sears’ speed looks like as difficult to cope with whether she’s already played 70 minutes or is just stepping onto the pitch. I don’t get it, and I don’t like it. Anyway, I’m glad Hayes ignored all that.

Of players with 1500 minutes played, Sears is seventh in key passes from open play. The players above her are named Debinha, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Marta, Croix Bethune and fellow first timer Yazmeen Ryan. Sears has one assist on the season but her expected assist number is much higher, 3.23 xGA.

Speed is always a difficult thing for defenses to cope with but how that speed is used can take it to another level. Sears uses it to carry the ball into dangerous areas and doesn’t allow herself to be kept wide. She likes getting into or close to the edges of the box. I love this callup, 10/10.

Alyssa Malonson

This is another Emma Hayes deep cut and I love it. I’m not sure what kinda data analysis the backroom staff is up to but they’re kinda cookin. I feel the same way about Malonson’s callup as I did with Hal Hershfelt finding her way on Hayes’ first ever roster. It’s one of those that lets NWSL-watchers twirl a proverbial hipster mustache and tell everyone everything about a player they’ve just heard of for the first time.

Of all players in across all position groups to have played at least 1,200 minutes, Malonson is fourth in possession adjusted (PAdj) tackles & interceptions with 6.45/90. The above visual shows the number of times she’s taken possession with a tackle, interception, or through pressure. I’m not great at math but my iPhone calculator tells me that’s a total of 188 instances in just under 16 90s played. Heavens.

Alyssa Thompson

Was only a matter of time. I felt bad that the elder Thompson’s early season slump kept her out of contention, but those days are well and truly over. She’s back to being the ridiculous little dynamo we all got so hype about when she made her USWNT debut in 2022, at just 17 years old.

This to me has been the most fun development of her game. She’s always been pure lightning, but now she’s carrying the ball narrower and mixing up passes and shots. Her accuracy in both instances has been greatly improved, helping boost her goal output to outrageous levels. Part of me wants to give credit to the Christen Press Fine Arts School of Technique, to which I am sure she is enrolled.

Suddenly, the player with the second-most assists this season is Alyssa Thompson, with 7 from 31 key passes. The xGA is only 3.20, so seven goals is an overperformance that suggests it’s more about clinical finishing and/or taking advantage of poor goalkeepers. But I still think Thompson’s ability to find dangerous spaces inside the box is helping as well, and that she can reach top speeds few can, but also decision-make and execute at those speeds as well.

Eva Gaetino

Gaetino really might be the future of the USWNT backline alongside Naomi Girma. They seem to have complementary skills too. The one area in which Girma is average and not exceptional is aerial duels. Gaetino, on the other hand, is a giant of a human. FBref has her listed at just under 6’, but she’s not a statue. She’s mobile, and had good enough passing vision and range to have stepped into defensive midfield for PSG this season.

The Curious

All of that is delightful and ultimately I am extremely intrigued to see what these players can do surrounded by a team of top-caliber players and athletes. But comma however, there were still some curious decisions made.

Defense

Ryan Williams

No real shade to Hailie Mace, but her being called up feels a bit random. Kansas City has been good, and she has had a good year as well, but Ryan Williams has been absolutely hoopin and deserved a callup on form. Mace very much gives a more physical presence at right back, and is good at that half fullback/half third center back role, so I kinda get it.

But Ryan Williams is no slouch defensively (her Tack/DP%, PAdj pressures and tackles & interceptions are noticeably higher), and contributes a lot in possession. She has very good spatial awareness and links well with attacking players ahead of her. She often plays quick combinations with Ashley Sanchez that allows the creative playmaker to get behind defenses on the right side.

Sarah Gorden

I don’t have any real beef with Gaetino, Girma, Sams and Sonnett being the center backs called up, but I do think a profile as a ball carrier is missing from that group. Gaetino and Girma move the ball well with their passing, Sams is decent at it and it’s not Sonnett’s strong suit. The best center back in the NWSL (maybe even the world) at carrying the ball forward is Sarah Gorden.

She can do this because she doesn’t lose the ball often, and when there is a turnover, she can erase it in very few steps. I still laugh at the time Diani and Katoto were over here playing a friendly and they thought they’d worked the ball into space only for a center back to catch up to them. They looked so confused, and it was hilarious. That’s the kind of stuff Gorden can offer that no one else can.

Goalkeeper

There wasn’t much Hayes could have done here given that Alyssa Naeher, Jane Campbell and Casey Murphy all went to the Olympics and had no reason to ignore a callup. But also, I just need you all to look at the season Mandy Haught is having.

Mandy Haught (25)

This is outrageous lol. I view goals saved above average (GSAA) similar to ‘wins above replacement’ in baseball, which basically averages out stats and how they contribute to team success then measure players against that ‘average’ player. Applied to Haught, this means that an average goalkeeper—not a bad one, just serviceably average—would have let in close to eight more goals than she has.

This quite literally means that she is the sole reason the Royals have not allowed the most goals in the league, she just straight up says no thank you. Also, her distribution is excellent and key to the way the Royals are playing now. On top of all that, whereas each aforementioned keeper is in their 30s, Haught is only 25. When she’s finally called up, expect her to become a mainstay.

Midfield

Claire Hutton

With the same Olympic crew needing to be called up there was no avoiding a Korbin Albert callup, but also given prior actions and words from Hayes there’s unfortunately no reason to believe she wouldn’t have been called up anyway. However, there are a few midfielders that Hayes should get a look at soon, many of which are performing better than Albert on a more consistent basis, and Hutton is near the top of the list.

Claire Hutton just got back from the U20 World Cup so maybe this is not the time to bounce her into yet another environment but her performances have been deserving of national team recognition. It’s absolutely wild that the absence of an 18-year-old defensive midfielder can severely weaken the midfield of one of the best teams in the league, but it’s true, I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

Plus, now she’s doing stuff like this.

Taylor Flint

I’m just as surprised as you are that this is here and that this is a thing I am advocating for. When it was uncovered that Flint (then Kornieck) wanted to play in midfield and that’s why she went from Orlando to San Diego, then San Diego to Louisville because she wanted to play deeper in midfield and not just be an aerial target in front of the backline, I was uncertain about the idea.

But shit, she’s shown me. She’s been one of the best defensive midfielders in the league this season. Obviously, getting around someone in central midfield who is 6’1 and has octopus limbs is difficult, but Flint has been more than that. I still worry about her top end speed and ability to make recovery runs, which may put her ceiling at a player to come on and lock a game down rather than one you rely on to adjust with the game state, but still, it’s deserved.

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