Central defender Naomi Girma stole the show for Louisville as the United States women’s national team finished the international window with its third victory. But the real story of this October camp is the amount of evaluation head coach Emma Hayes handled on top of the celebratory nature of the team’s Olympic gold medal victory tour .
“I got out of it what I wanted to get out of it,” Hayes said Wednesday. “A ton of starters, managed minutes for everyone still playing in the NWSL, (and) a chance to develop some things that, for us, we set as goals on the practice field.”
Hayes has backed up everything she’s said since taking office in May, dating back to her first media appearances in New York this spring – in particular: club form matters. Although her hands were slightly tied during this window, as Olympic celebrations required her to call all healthy members of the team heading to the Games in France this summer, she made the most of her remaining spots . She also maximized rotation, not only in the starting lineups and her backup choices, but also in the 23-man match-day lineups.
All seven uncapped players on the roster, including a mid-camp addition, earned their first USWNT minutes.
Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams and Washington Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt were in France as substitutes but did not see the field. Racing Louisville forward Emma Sears immediately impressed in her debut as just the fourth player in program history to record a goal and assist on her first cap. Bay FC defender Alyssa Malonson picked up her first assist in her debut Wednesday against Argentina, serving as Girma’s passer. Paris Saint-Germain’s Eva Gaetino, Utah Royals’ Mandy Haught and Gotham FC’s Yazmeen Ryan round out the new kids.
3 – Three different #USWNT The players (Eva Gaetino, Mandy Haught and Alyssa Malonson) will start their national team debuts in the same match for the first time since four did so on March 7, 2001 against Italy. New arrivals. pic.twitter.com/mzv4oVFFUL
– OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) October 30, 2024
There have also been significant returns. Alyssa Thompson finally scored her first international goal on her return to the national team after missing the Olympic roster, and Ashley Sanchez and Hailie Mace earned minutes against Argentina.
It’s hard to disagree with Hayes’ approach to the club’s form after a successful window, as she achieved all her goals and secured three multi-goal victories. As a bonus, she finally saw the team down a goal, forced to comeback against Iceland in Nashville on Sunday. It was the first time the USWNT fell behind in a game led by Hayes.
The challenge now is to determine how much these matches actually matter in the long run. While the friendlies were fun to watch – no one will complain about a double from Girma either – with so much emphasis on rotation and evaluation, this feels more like one of the first plays in a larger puzzle. One that won’t be completed for a few years.
The second half of 2024 has generally been seen as a period of recovery and overall reflection at senior team level.
While the next and final window of the year, late November and early December, will involve two top European opponents on the road, the friendlies against England and the Netherlands are likely to be an exception compared to this period . Higher-profile opponents mean higher stakes, but it’s fair to expect Hayes to once again utilize the full depth of his squad with an eye on evaluation and development.
Our last home game of the year did not disappoint! ⚡
A sold-out stadium, three international debuts and two goals from the extraordinary central defender Naomi Girma! #USWNT x @JimBeam pic.twitter.com/ab7bcLUX8u
– United States Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 31, 2024
Hayes has already shown she’s not afraid of big moments and has prioritized using her roster depth to get Jaedyn Shaw, Croix Bethune and others to their first major tournament this summer. While the starting XI against England on November 30 will certainly be as strong as possible, Hayes has another chance to ensure that the players who will be crucial to the team’s success in two or three years’ time will also experience an environment like Wembley Stadium.
The real sign of things to come will be January’s Futures Camp, which Hayes has promised to hold at the same time as the senior team’s full camp in Los Angeles. The USWNT has not held a talent and identification camp since 2019, shortly after Vlatko Andonovski took over the team, but this was the only one to take place during his four-year tenure .
Hayes has promised to cast a wide net, particularly after the semi-finals of the under-20 and under-17 teams at their respective World Cups this year. But despite all the anxiety generated in recent years by generational change, the path is finally completely clear.
The Olympics were the most obvious symbolic gesture of the end of a USWNT era, with Alex Morgan not named to the roster. It was a surprise loss for a generational player, but it was also a testament to the team she helped build.
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There are more options than ever in every position. Getting on the US list seems more difficult than in the past, but it is also more clearly linked to form and therefore more transparent than ever. Hayes has finally truly buried the “emergency surgery” line she came in with and led the team to Olympic gold, and as promised, the larger work is now underway.
These three games were a good start, but it was still only a start.
The first 270 minutes of the cycle leading to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the home Olympics in Los Angeles a year later are in the bag. There is so much more to come.
(Top photo: Scott Wachter / Imagn Images)