The United States women’s national team roster is set for the inaugural CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will be the first tournament the squad has played in since a disappointing performance at the World Cup last summer.
Interim head coach Twila Kilgore was only able to call up 23 players, including familiar faces like captain Lindsey Horan, midfielder Rose Lavelle, NWSL Defender of the Year and U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year Naomi Girma, and star forwards Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith. Veterans like goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and left back Crystal Dunn return after not being part of the last training camp in December. And then there’s one glaring omission: Alex Morgan, who didn’t make the December roster, isn’t on this one either.
However, there’s a lot of budding talent to keep an eye on. After impressive performances in the last camp, youngsters Mia Fishel, Jaedyn Shaw, Olivia Moultrie, Jenna Nighswonger and Korbin Albert — who all earned their first caps to close out 2023 — were called up and figure to play important roles in the Gold Cup.
“Not only is there a trophy on the line, but this is a great opportunity to capitalize on meaningful match opportunities and experience the short turnarounds between games, which is a rhythm that closely mirrors the Olympic format,” Kilgore said in a statement. “We are going to take our next steps together as we continue to evolve our style of play and provide opportunities for players to grow into possible future roles and partnerships.
“There is something special about tournament play and what it can bring out of players. We are hopefully going to be together for a month, and we are looking forward to both finding and enjoying that working rhythm required to be in a tournament for long stretches while upholding and driving our standards forward. We can’t wait for the opportunity.”
One of the most interesting tidbits about this training camp actually won’t take place during the tournament. Three players who won’t officially be part of the roster during the Gold Cup were invited to practice with the team before the games begin, including Mallory Swanson.
This will be Swanson’s first time back with the squad since tearing her patellar tendon last April, which forced her to miss the World Cup. Swanson, who led the USWNT in scoring in 2023 with seven goals despite playing in just six matches, recently said on “The Women’s Game” podcast that her knee is “feeling good.”
Aside from Swanson, Kilgore invited Savannah DeMelo, who started two games at the World Cup, and 18-year-old defender Gisele Thompson (Alyssa Thompson’s younger sister), to train with the team.
The Gold Cup begins Feb. 17 and the final is set for March 10. The USWNT begins with three group stage matches in Los Angeles: Feb. 20 vs. either Guyana or Dominican Republic, Feb. 23 vs. Argentina and Feb. 26 vs. Mexico.
This is an important year for the USWNT with the Paris Olympics later this summer. The team, of course, is still in a state of limbo with new head coach Emma Hayes not joining full time until her season with Chelsea is over in May and Kilgore running day-to-day until then. Regardless, the USWNT wants to start 2024 off strong by taking home some hardware.
USWNT Gold Cup roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS (8): Alana Cook (Seattle Reign FC), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC), Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (NY/NJ Gotham FC)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
FORWARDS (6): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG), Midge Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
