Emma Hayes’ first big USWNT conundrum: Olympic roster cuts
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes will have some tough decisions to make with the 2024 Olympic roster, including whether or not to include veteran forward Alex Morgan. At times throughout her first two weeks as U.S. women’s national team coach, Hayes felt like “a heart surgeon in the middle of emergency surgery.” “Not because anything is drastically wrong” with the team, she clarified; but her first training camp overloaded her and players with, well, a lot. There were individual meetings and intense classroom sessions. There were “tired brains” and taxing practices. Hayes, within a week of landing in America, leapt into the USWNT cauldron, and tried, all at once, to build relationships and trust, teach “methodology” and “principles,” establish expectations and, oh by the way, win a couple soccer games.
Now, though, after a second straight win over South Korea on Tuesday night, she’ll have time to breathe — and ponder her first major decision. Hayes will take two goalkeepers and 16 outfield players to France. Contenders for the 16 appear to be: Naomi Girma, Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Jenna Nighswonger, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Jaedyn Shaw, Trinity Rodman. Likely (6): Emily Sonnett, Crystal Dunn, Korbin Albert, Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario, Alex Morgan. Bubble (3): Casey Krueger, Sam Staab, Abby Dahlkemper. Long shots (3): Lily Yohannes, Olivia Moultrie, Lynn Williams.
If Hayes were to simply pick her 16 best players, those top two categories would probably be her roster. And given their versatility, they very well might be. With the 16 players mentioned above, here’s what the USWNT depth chart would look like, roughly: Left back: Nighswonger, Dunn, Sonnett. Center backs (2): Girma, Davidson, Sonnett. Right back: Fox, Dunn, Sonnett. Defensive midfield: Coffey, Sonnett, Albert. Central midfield: Horan, Albert, Dunn. Attacking midfield: Shaw, Lavelle, Macario, Horan, Dunn. Wingers (2): Swanson, Rodman, Shaw, Smith, Dunn. Striker: Smith, Morgan, Macario.
The goalkeeper position, meanwhile, is pretty straightforward. Alyssa Naeher is currently recovering from a thigh injury. “If she wasn’t injured, she would for sure be in this camp,” Hayes said. If Naeher recovers from her injury in time for the Olympics, she’s the starter, and either Casey Murphy or Jane Campbell is the backup. If she doesn’t, both Murphy and Campbell will likely go and battle for the starting spot.
