USWNT Roster Takeaways: Rose Lavelle, Croix Bethune Return Alongside Four First Call-Ups | OneFootball

USWNT manager Emma Hayes announced her 25-player roster Wednesday for the U.S. women's national team's upcoming friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Canada.

The USWNT will face off against Ireland twice, first at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, on June 26, and then again at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 29.

After that double-header, the USWNT will head to Washington, D.C., to take on Canada at Audi Field on July 2. Although Hayes has named 25 players in total, only 23 can be active in each match.

The latest USWNT roster features some high-profile returning stars, a quartet of new names, numerous defensive options, and several players being given a rest.

USWNT Roster: June/July Friendlies

Position (Club; Caps/Goals)

Goalkeepers: Angelina Anderson (Angel City FC; 0), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 0) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 3)

Defenders: Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride; 1/0), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC; 0/0), Naomi Girma (Chelsea FC, ENG; 46/2), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC; 0/0), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 6/0), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash; 4/0), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current; 0/0), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 4/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 108/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 3/0)

Midfielders: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit; 3/0), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 35/2), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; 3/0), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC; 110/24), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign FC; 0/0), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 7/2)

Forwards: Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC; 80/24), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 6/1), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash; 9/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville; 5/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 9/4), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 19/1)

Rose Lavelle Returns

For the first time since having ankle surgery in December, Rose Lavelle is back on the USWNT roster. Her last appearance for the USWNT came in a 2-1 win over the Netherlands on Dec. 3, 2024.

The veteran's presence on the roster will be a huge boost, albeit she may not feature all that much across the three friendlies.

The FIFA Women's World Cup winner has been slowly eased back into action with NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League. Lavelle has made just two appearances off the bench, a total of 28 minutes, since reaching full fitness.

Do keep in mind that the second Ireland friendly will take place in Lavelle's hometown of Cincinnati, so there's a good chance Hayes makes sure she gets on the pitch for a decent chunk of time at TQL Stadium.

Croix Bethune's Back Too

Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune is also rejoining the USWNT after a lengthy period on the sidelines. Bethune tore her meniscus in August 2024 and also only recently came back to full fitness. She has made seven NWSL appearances (356 minutes) this season.

While Bethune may only have three caps for the USWNT, compared to Lavelle's 110, she's a similarly effervescent dynamo to add to this squad's creative epicenter. Bethune topped the NWSL in assists in 2024 with 10.

Bethune's breakout rookie season, when she won 'NWSL Midfielder of the Year', led her to being called into Hayes' 2024 Olympic squad. In France, the USWNT went on to win the gold medal. A lack of international experience, yes, but Bethune is already an elite-level talent eager to get more playing time.

Four Players Earn First Call-ups

Hayes has already handed out 19 debuts and 27 first-time call-ups since taking over as head coach in June 2024. Four new players are earning their first-ever USWNT roster call-ups for this trio of friendlies.

Those first timers are: Lily Reale, Izzy Rodriguez, Jordyn Bugg, and Sam Meza. These first-time call-ups are a good sign for allowing younger players to create stronger bonds.

Bugg, 18, Meza, 23, and Reale, 21, have all been part of the recent U.S. youth national team development squads. The trio all traveled to Germany in the last international window with the U23 group. Rodriguez, 26, last played for the U20s in 2018.

Players receiving a second call-up, but who have yet to see the field, are goalkeepers Angelina Anderson and Claudia Dickey

Alongside growing the depth of the roster and providing plenty of competition for places, Hayes has insisted that creating more connections between the youth development and the senior squads is a key part of her strategy.

“We want to continue to improve our understanding of how we want to play and widen the player pool, and those are some of the key goals of this three-game window,” Hayes said.

“On this roster, we have players with a varied amount of experience, and my priority is to deepen the exposure required for international soccer. These are three challenging matches, and as always, we want to win, but also to make sure we are ready for the next steps.”

76% of the roster has fewer than 10 caps, while the average age of this roster is 24.5.

European Rest (Except for Girma)

As the European season has come to a close and the offseason is now underway, Hayes decided to give her European-based players the summer off.

The players who were omitted from the roster: Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), Catarina Macario (Chelsea), Crystal Dunn (Paris St. Germain), Lindsey Heaps (Lyon), Lily Yohannes (Ajax) and Emily Fox (Arsenal).

The exception to this rule is Naomi Girma, who plays for Chelsea, because of the time she missed this year due to injury. With USWNT captain Heaps on a break, Girma will also assume the duty of captain for this international window.

Defensive Options

Notably, Hayes has named 10 defenders to this roster. That's a significant increase on the more normal total of seven or eight. With three friendlies on the cards, Hayes can experiment even more when it comes to her backline.

Right-back Emily Fox and center-back Naomi Girma have been two of the few guaranteed starting spots in the defense. Veteran Crystal Dunn, who, like Fox, has been given the summer off, will also vacate a more experienced position at left-back for this window.

During these games, either side of the defense will have plenty of potential permutations. Kerry Abello, Izzy Rodriguez, Avery Patterson, and Reale could all get a trial at left-back. While Gisele Thompson and the versatile Patterson are also primed to get starts at right-back, too.

With this roster, there are a lot of avenues to explore and healthy competition to take place within the squad.