The new year and the new cycle for the U.S. Women’s National Team have begun, and coach Emma Hayes named her first roster of 2025 — a list of 26 players for the senior team’s January camp.
The week of training will run alongside what the program has called a “Futures” camp on Jan. 14-21 at Dignity Health Sports Park outside of Los Angeles. The roster for the Futures camp will be announced Wednesday and features 24 additional players.
There are no matches or international friendlies attached to the January camp. While it has been a traditional part of the USWNT calendar for years, it takes place outside a FIFA window — which also means no European-based players such as Lindsey Horan or Lily Yohannes have been named to the roster. Every player on this roster plays in the NWSL.
Other big names are missing from the January camp, and Hayes has once again used this to call up six uncapped players. The starting front line of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith remain in rest and recovery mode, and U.S. Soccer said in its release that midfielder Rose Lavelle is recovering from a recent ankle surgery.
Hayes, as promised, will continue to explore the depth of the goalkeeping pool following Alyssa Naeher’s retirement, calling up Angelina Anderson and Claudia Dickey for their first caps. In addition, defenders Nealy Martin, Tara McKeown and Ryan Williams, plus forward Ella Stevens, round out the six new players to the USWNT environment.
Crystal Dunn will also make her return to the USWNT program after missing the team’s fall camps.
“I’m really looking forward to getting on the field with these players and the players in the Futures Camp to get in a solid week of training with both groups without having to make adjustments for the impact that a match would have on our loading and training plan,” Hayes said a statement. She will speak to the media later Tuesday.
USWNT senior team roster for January camp
Goalkeepers (4): Angelina Anderson (Angel City), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Casey Murphy (NC Courage)
Defenders (9): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Crystal Dunn (Gotham FC), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Ryan Williams (NC Courage)
Midfielders (7): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), Nealy Martin (Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (NC Courage), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave)
Forwards (6): Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ella Stevens (Gotham FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City), Morgan Weaver (Portland Thorns), Lynn Williams (Seattle Reign)
The depth chart building continues
The start of 2025 offers Hayes a more relaxed opportunity to continue to bring in new players for evaluation in the national team environment. While the SheBelieves Cup will provide the team’s first competitive games in February, and back-to-back rematches of the Olympic final against Brazil are set for April, there’s no major tournament or qualifiers this year for the USWNT.
And because the traditional January camp falls outside of a FIFA international window, it presents Hayes with the opportunity to take a firsthand look at several domestic players who impressed during the 2024 season — and early enough to not truly disrupt the start of the league preseason (which clubs must begin between Jan. 15 and Feb. 5).
Hayes’ biggest task for the year remains: determining the team’s next No. 1 goalkeeper. Murphy, 28, is now the most experienced one in the pool with 20 caps. With no games attached to the camp, Hayes has elected to bring in more new names with Anderson and Dickey — though both have U.S. youth national team experience — and McGlynn, who only earned her first appearance last October with the senior team.
This is as close as it gets to a pressure-free environment for the USWNT, at least from the outside. And without game minutes, Hayes and the technical staff will get a chance to evaluate players largely out of the public eye as well. It may be hard to know this camp’s impact on the depth chart until months later.
Required reading
(Photo: Daniela Porcelli / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
