US Women’s National Team coach Twila Kilgore has named her 23-man roster for the upcoming CONCACAF W Gold Cup, with three additional coaches participating in the pre-tournament camp, including forward Mallory Swanson. This will be Swanson’s official return to the national team environment after recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon last April.
“Mal will come in and be Mal. We are excited to have her back in the camp environment,” Kilgore said. “We know that in everything that Mal does, she brings a really high level of professionalism, a high level of execution. We think she’s absolutely ready to step up and she’s just a very important leader on this team.”
The roster remains largely unchanged from the team’s last 2023 friendly against China in December, with the notable returns of goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (who could earn her 100th Gold Cup cap) 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 a number of players who are not in camp that we are still looking at and evaluating in terms of qualifying for the Olympics. No one is left out of the mix. That goes for some of our biggest names. This applies to smaller names we track. We want to do it right,” Kilgore said. “As far as Alex is concerned — I guess it really applies to everyone who’s not here — what happens in the Gold Cup will matter going forward and what happens outside of the Gold Cup will matter going forward.”
In a new development after a busy NWSL offseason, NJ/NY Gotham FC now leads NWSL representation with seven players: defenders Dunn, Tierna Davidson and Jenna Nighswonger. midfielders Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett; and forwards Midge Purce and Lynn Williams. From the latest USWNT roster, six players have signed with new clubs.
Midfielder Savannah DeMelo and defender Gisele Thompson are the two other non-roster players who will train with the USWNT. Gisele Thompson, the younger sister of striker Alyssa Thompson, recently signed with Angel City FC and earned her first senior call-up. Although limited to the training environment, the nod is another positive sign for Gisele Thompson based on her experience with 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’s got a lot of firsts, but I think that’s an important piece for her to understand what she’s working on.”
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)
Means (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!
Yours #USWNT 2024 @ConcacafW The Gold Cup roster 🇺🇸⤵️
— 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 host nations: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay. In the US, CBS owns the rights to the tournament, with every match 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 p.m. PT/10:15 p.m. ET:
- vs. Guyana/Dominican Republic (winner of the qualifier), Tuesday 20 February
- against Argentina, Friday, February 23
- vs. Mexico, Monday, February 26
The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. The top two finishers from each group, plus the two best third-placed teams (ie eight teams in total) advance to the quarter-finals at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The quarter-finals will be qualified based on results, with 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.
The four winners will head to San Diego and Snapdragon Stadium for the semifinals and final, with the tournament concluding on March 10.
“Not only is there a trophy on the line, but this is a great opportunity to take advantage of important race opportunities and experience the short turnarounds between races, which is a pace that closely mirrors the Olympic format,” Kilgore said in the press release.
The games make sense, but they’re also the first of the year. The team will likely treat this as an extended preseason, and that should be the biggest takeaway. if they make it to the final, it’s a lot of time together on the training pitches and earning playing minutes. It probably won’t be the prettiest of games, but it will still be a lot of data for everyone – including incoming coach Emma Hayes. The difficult balance Kilgore and the team will have to strike is recognizing the pressure of this upcoming Olympic roster while trying out new tactics and combinations.
Forward momentum
Fishel and Shaw scored their first USWNT senior team goals last year. (Photo by Brad Smith, Getty Images for USSF)
Everyone (myself included) was rightly excited about the rosters for December’s friendlies. Seeing continuity between the two camps isn’t surprising, but what’s more exciting is the opportunity to see players like Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel become expected names on the USWNT roster — and contenders to start, too.
If there’s one thing that will unite everyone in excitement, it’s seeing Swanson get closer to a full national team return. Before her injury last April, Swanson was in electric form. Despite her extended absence, Swanson led the team in goals (7) last year. There’s no need to push her back in the lead up to the Olympics, as anyone involved with the USWNT already knows exactly what she brings to the mix, so allowing her to get back into shape through the NWSL is the right thing to do.
GO DEEPER
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I wrote after the December friendlies that the team had won the victories not “in a perfect way, but in a way that told us something about the direction and the immediate future of the project in the run-up to the Olympics”. These games were also relatively quiet, with smaller attendances and limited press coverage.
We’re in an Olympic year now, though. It’s not quite the same as a World Cup year, and the players still have a few months to build up away from the spotlight. When Emma Hayes gets here, all bets are off. For now, the Gold Cup can be important to get the little things in order.
(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
