US women’s national team coach Twila Kilgore has named her 23-player roster for the upcoming CONCACAF W Gold Cup, with three additional training players set to participate in pre-tournament camp, including forward Mallory Swanson. This will be Swanson’s official return to the national team environment following his recovery from a torn patellar tendon last April.
“Mal will come in and be Mal. We’re thrilled to have her back in the camp environment,” Kilgore said. “We know that whatever Mal does, she brings a really high level of professionalism, a high level of execution. We think she is absolutely ready to step up and that she is a really important leader on this team.”
The roster remains largely unchanged from the 2023 team’s last friends against China in December, with notable returns for goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (who could win her 100th game during the Gold Cup) and defender Crystal Dunn. Veterans Becky Sauerbrunn and Alex Morgan, who were not on the December roster, are notable absences from this camp.
“We have quite a few players who are not in camp that we are still analyzing and evaluating in terms of preparation for the Olympics. No one is out of the mix. This applies to some of our biggest names. This applies to smaller names we have been tracking. We want to do it right,” Kilgore said. “In Alex’s terms, I guess this applies to everyone who isn’t here, everything that happens in the Gold Cup will matter in terms of the future and everything that happens outside of the Gold Cup will matter in the future.”
In a new twist following a busy NWSL offseason, NJ/NY Gotham FC now leads the way representing the NWSL with seven players: defenders Dunn, Tierna Davidson and Jenna Nighswonger; midfielders Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett; and forwards Midge Purce and Lynn Williams. Since the last USWNT roster, six players have signed with new clubs.
Midfielder Savannah DeMelo and defender Gisele Thompson are the other two players not included on the list who will train with the USWNT. Gisele Thompson, younger sister of forward Alyssa Thompson, recently signed with Angel City FC, earning her first call-up to the senior team. While she is limited to the training environment, the nod is another positive sign for Gisele Thompson to take advantage of her experience on the youth national team.
“This is just a good opportunity for Gisele to see firsthand what the environment is really like,” Kilgore said. “Obviously, she’s starting her career in the NWSL, so she has a lot of firsts, but I think this is an important piece for her to understand what she’s working toward.”
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 ((NY/NJ Gotham FC) Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC ) ) ), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nightswonger (NY/NJ Gotham FC)
Midfielders (6): Korbin Albert (PSG), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
Forwards (6): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC), 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)
CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME!
His #USWNT 2024 @ConcacafW Gold Cup list 🇺🇸⤵️
— US Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 7, 2024
How to watch the Gold Cup
The inaugural W Gold Cup features 12 teams, eight from CONCACAF and four guest nations: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay. In the US, CBS owns the rights to the tournament and all matches are available on Paramount+.
The USWNT will play all three group stage games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. All games start at 7:15 pm PT/10:15 pm ET:
- vs. Guyana/Dominican Republic (winner of the preliminary match), Tuesday, February 2. twenty
- vs. Argentina, Friday, February 2. 23
- vs. Mexico, Monday February. 26
The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. The top two finishers in each group, plus the two best third-place teams (eight teams total) advance to the quarterfinals at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The quarterfinals will be classified based on the results, with 1 vs. 8.2 vs. 7, etc.
The four winners will head to San Diego and Snapdragon Stadium for the semi-finals and final, with the tournament concluding on March 10.
“Not only is there a trophy at stake, but this is a great opportunity to capitalize on meaningful match opportunities and experience the short swings between games, which is a pace that closely reflects the Olympic format,” Kilgore said in the news release.
The games are significant, but they are also the first of the year. The team will likely treat this as an extended preseason and that should be the most important thing; If they advance to the final, they will spend a lot of time together on the training pitches and earning game minutes. It probably won’t be the prettiest games, but there will still be plenty of information for everyone, including incoming head coach Emma Hayes. The tricky balance Kilgore and the team will have to strike is recognizing the pressure of that looming Olympics squad while trying out new tactics and combinations.
Forward momentum
Fishel and Shaw scored their first goals on the USWNT senior team last year. (Photo by Brad Smith, Getty Images for USSF)
Everyone (including me) was legitimately excited about December’s friends lists. Seeing continuity between the two camps isn’t all that surprising, but what’s more exciting is the opportunity to see players like Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel become expected names on a USWNT roster, and candidates to start as well.
If there is one thing that will unite everyone with enthusiasm, it is seeing Swanson getting closer to returning with the full national team. Before his injury last April, Swanson was in electric form. Despite his extended absence, Swanson led the team in goals (7) last year. There is no need to delay her before the Olympics, as anyone involved with the USWNT already knows exactly what she brings to the table, so allowing her to get back into shape through the NWSL is the right thing to do.
GO DEEPER
Christen Press navigates the unknown as she struggles to recover from four surgeries
After Friends in December, I wrote that the team had achieved victories not “in a perfect way, but in a way that told us something about the direction and immediate future of the project before the Olympics.” Those games were also relatively quiet, with lower attendance and limited press coverage.
But now we are in an Olympic year. It’s not exactly the same as a World Cup year, and the players still have a few months to get out of the spotlight. When Emma Hayes gets here, all bets are off. For now, the Gold Cup could be important to put the small details in order.
(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
