U.S. Soccer names 27-player USWNT roster

The United States Women’s National Team will return to action next week when they take on South Africa in two friendlies. Today, U.S. Soccer released the 27-player roster for those two matches.

The USWNT is playing its first matches since the 2023 World Cup, where they were eliminated via penalties in the Round of 16. The majority of that World Cup roster return for these matches, however interim head coach Twila Kilgore has also called in a few other players to replace some that are injured and with an eye on the Olympics, which are less than a year away. The USWNT qualified for the Olympics by winning the 2022 Concacaf W Championship.

Julie Ertz will play her final USWNT match in the first match in Cincinnati on September 21st. She will not continue with the team to Chicago for the second match against South Africa. The September 24th match in Chicago will be the final match for Megan Rapinoe in a USWNT uniform. She will not play in the first match in Cincinnati, allowing both players to get their proper sendoff.

“As we continue the search for our new head coach, we felt it was best to call up all of World Cup players who are fit to play, while also bringing in some players that we believe can help us moving forward as we start our preparations for the Olympics next year,” said U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker in a statement. “We’re looking forward to having the opportunity to honor the players who have decided to retire but also know these games are valuable as the first steps towards Paris. Once the new head coach comes in, that individual will assess the player pool and make roster decisions that will be focused on building a team for the future.”

The 27-player roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC), Julie Ertz (Unattached), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

FORWARDS (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)

Sophia Smith and Kristie Mewis are the two World Cup players who are not on this roster as they both recover from injuries. Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, Sam Coffey, Mia Fishel, Ashley Hatch, and Jaedyn Shaw are the players on this roster that did not travel to the Women’s World Cup. Twila Kilgore mentioned in a statement that they wanted to bring in players that could help as they start preparations for the Olympics.

“The Olympics may seem like they are far away, but the amount of time that the players get with the National Team between now and Paris is not a lot, so we need to start that journey now,” said Kilgore. “No matter who the coach is, or which players get to wear the crest, the standards remain the same and everyone wants to excel, so we’ll be looking forward to putting together two good performances against a South Africa team that showed well at the World Cup.”

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