Lavelle returns to USWNT as Hayes opts for mostly domestic roster

Due to the upcoming FIFA window, U.S. women’s national team coach Emma Hayes elected to build her roster with a majority of players from the National Women’s Soccer League. The one outlier is defender Naomi Girma, who recently won the UEFA Women’s Champions League final with Chelsea.

This 25-player group will face the Republic of Ireland on June 26 at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., and June 29 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The U.S. will also play Canada on July 2 at Washington D.C.’s Audi Field.

The other headline from this list is the return of midfielder Rose Lavelle, who has not suited up for the U.S. since December. She underwent ankle surgery soon after and made her return to NWSL play on June 7 for Gotham FC. The second game will be a homecoming of sorts for Lavelle, who attended Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati.

This will be another very young roster for the USWNT, with four players on the roster receiving their first call-up: Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale, Izzy Rodriguez, and Sam Meza. That leaves the US with only six players who have world championship experience. Outside of those six, the average number of caps is 3.3 for the rest of the roster.

“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 in a statement. “On this roster, we have players with a varied amount of experience, and my priority is to deepen the exposures 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.”

As for NWSL teams, the representation is well-balanced with Angel City FC, Gotham FC, Kansas City Current, and Seattle Reign FC each sending three players. Five more clubs have two on the roster and Racing Louisville has one.

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

DEFENDERS (10): Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC), Naomi Girma (Chelsea FC, ENG), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign FC), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC)

FORWARDS (6): Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)