U.S. women’s national team coach Twila Kilgore has named her 23-player roster for the upcoming CONCACAF W Gold Cup, with three additional players set to participate in pre-tournament training camp, including forward Mallory Swanson. This will be Swanson’s official return to the national team following his recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon last April.
“Mal will come in and be Mal. We’re excited to have her back in the camp environment,” Kilgore said. “We know that in everything Mal does, he brings a very high level of professionalism, a high level of execution. “We think she’s absolutely ready to step up and she’s just a really important leader on this team.”
The roster is largely unchanged from the team’s final 2023 friendlies against China in December, with the notable returns of goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (who could earn her 100th cap during the Gold Cup) and defender Crystal Dunn. Veterans Becky Sauerbrunn and Alex Morgan, who were not on the roster in December, are notable absences here.
“We have several players who are not on the field that we are still examining and evaluating ahead of the Olympics. No one is out of the mix. This applies to some of our biggest names. This applies to the smaller names we are tracking. We want to get it right,” Kilgore said. “As far as Alex is concerned – I guess this really applies to everyone who’s not here – everything that happens in the Gold Cup is going to matter in terms of the future and everything that happens outside of the Gold Cup will matter in the future.”
In a new twist 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 USWNT’s latest roster, six players signed with new clubs.
Midfielder Savannah DeMelo and defender Gisele Thompson are the other two non-roster players who will train with the USWNT. Gisele Thompson, younger sister of forward Alyssa Thompson, recently signed with Angel City FC and earned her first call-up to the senior team. Although it is limited to the training environment, her endorsement is another positive sign for Gisele Thompson to take advantage of her experience in the national youth team.
“This is just a good opportunity for Gisele to get a firsthand look at 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 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 Nighswonger (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)
Attackers (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!
your #USWNT 2024 @ConcacafW The Gold Cup roster 🇺🇸⤵️
— United States 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 holds 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 begin at 7:15pm PT/10:15pm ET:
- vs. Guyana/Dominican Republic (winner of preliminary match), Tuesday 20 February
- against Argentina, Friday 23 February
- against Mexico, Monday 26 February
The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. The top two teams in each group, plus the two best third-place teams (for a total of eight teams) advance to the quarterfinals at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The quarter-finals will be classified based on results, with 1 vs. 8, 2 against 7, etc.
The four winners will travel to San Diego at 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 meaningful match opportunities and experience the short turnarounds between matches, which is a pace that closely mirrors the Olympic format,” Kilgore said in the release press.
The games have meaning, but they are 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, they will spend a lot of time together on the training pitches and earn playing minutes. They probably won’t be the greatest games, but there will still be plenty 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 the looming Olympic roster while trying new tactics and combinations.
Forward momentum
Fishel and Shaw scored their first USWNT senior goals last year. (Photo by Brad Smith, Getty Images for USSF)
Everyone (including me) was rightfully excited about December’s Friends rosters. Seeing continuity between the two camps isn’t that surprising, but what’s more exciting is the possibility of seeing players like Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel become expected names on a USWNT roster — and even candidates to start.
If there is one thing that will unite everyone with enthusiasm, it will be seeing Swanson one step closer to a full return to the national team. Before his injury last April, Swanson was in electric shape. Despite his extended absence, Swanson led the team in goals (7) last year. There’s no need to push her back before the Olympics as everyone involved with the USWNT already knows exactly what she brings to the mix, so allowing her to return to form via the NWSL is the right thing to do.
GO DEEPER
Christen Press navigates the unknown as she attempts to comeback from four surgeries
I wrote after Friends in December 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 ahead of the Olympics.” Those games were also relatively quiet, with lower attendance numbers and limited press coverage.
Now, however, we are in an Olympic year. It’s not quite like a World Cup year, and the players still have a few months to step away from the spotlight. When Emma Hayes gets here, all bets are off. For now, the Gold Cup could be important to put the little things in order.
(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)