Reflecting on this summer’s Olympic Games, and the most recent international window, I thought it may be fun to speculate on what starting spots are open come the World Cup in 2027. I understand nothing is solidified, injuries exist, and all spots are essentially open and must be earned. However, if we are to assume everyone progresses well and is healthy, what spots in the starting 11 are open? Due to age? Or younger player taking a spot?

My thoughts are that if all stay healthy, Rodman, Swanson, and Smith remain starters but Sentnor pushes for playing time. I also think that if she’s healthy, Hayes has to find a way to get her on the field. Maybe she pulls a Dunn and has her work toward taking Horan’s place who may be a super sub then? What do you all think?

Completely missed the game, anywhere to watch the full match replay?

I'm the sports director for the local FOX affiliate in Louisville who frequently covers Racing Louisville FC. The atmosphere at Lynn Family Stadium last night, one that warmly received the whole team and its representatives from our region, was special.

https://wdrb.news/3UurUX3

Hi everyone - it's Sam – huge NEWS KANSAS CITY. We are coming to you for a massive LIVE SHOW ahead of the NWSL Final in your incredible city!

This show is the First Annual WOMEN’S GAME NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS PRESENTED BY ALLY - I am coming into town with Rog plus a ton of our closest friends who will join us live on stage Thursday November 21st… 

We want to create a night that will be a celebration of the NWSL season and will be joined by the star players in town for the championship game as well as a host of massive personalities from the worlds of football and entertainment. We hope this night will be one in which we can come together with you and celebrate the incredible growth of the game we love and just raise a glass to being together after an incredible year, highlighted by American Olympic Gold

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW and I would love it if you would come and join us. i have to say, getting out and meeting The Women’s Game fans makes me so happy and to do it right before the NWSL Championship is even more special. I cannot wait to see you all soon!

https://www.threads.net/@womensgamemib/post/DBzUE4KpqRn?xmt=AQGzkDenAzHsqT61aKpIPY7QDFWcaWO3zQEt_mdvtZKcLw

Tickets here: https://mibcourage.co/40ptahP

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/42104075/emma-hayes-uswnt-rebuild-just-getting-started

Kassouf gets right to his point. Hayes was hired to change things.

Hayes was never afraid to challenge conventional wisdom and experiment as head coach of Chelsea over the past 12 years, and her innovative thinking is why U.S. Soccer sought her to become the USWNT's new head coach. Change was needed after the USWNT's historic collapse at the 2023 World Cup in the round of 16.

The federation was immediately rewarded with a fifth Olympic gold medal in August, and Hayes with the first Ballon d'Or Coach of the Year award earlier this week.

I liked him identifying some key philosophical differences as well as her approach moving forward.

Broadening the player pool with a greater diversity of players will lead to more tactical versatility, Hayes said last week. Her goal is to provide a shorter-term roadmap to winning the 2027 World Cup -- which would mark a historic fifth title for the Americans -- and a longer-term plan to revolutionize and futureproof the program's tactical style and player development methodology.

"My whole purpose is joining things up," Hayes said as she discussed her desire to bridge the gap between the U20 and senior levels -- one that she says is too large of a jump. She plans to hold more U23 programming to mitigate that concern.

I do think there is a nugget in there about where she sees the U20s, which may have implications for some of our favorites - Hutton, G.Thompson and Sentnor in particular.

Obviously, always tough to take a general comment and apply it to specific cases - so this could be reading too much into it, and she certainly hasn't been afraid to use younger players. I just think the comments are helpful to understanding a roster decision and avoiding the assumption that she doesn't value a given player.

It is good read overall, and I think it gives reason to continue to be excited by Emma's hire.

Besides Naomi scoring a brace (or controversial hat trick) I am still haven't recovered from also seeing the players in the wild.

Having coffee at the same spot as Lindsey, Alyssa, Mal was too good to be true. And then Sonnett, Lynn, Rose and Sam Mewis walk in. Completely starstruck, but did manage to get a photo. Then later, Savannah Demelo walks in.

I may be biased, but we have the best players! Did any one else have run-ins during these friendlies?

Please use this post for general takeaways/ analysis/ discussion about the team and the three friendly games this October.

Who impressed you? Who do you need to see more of, or think did not perform up to expectations?

Predictions for next camp or anyone else you would still like to see?

Title says it all as I used to be able to watch the USWNT replays on MAX earlier this year but now I've yet to find any of their games Archived. I have the Max Premium which includes B/R for now and unless the games were moved elsewhere I can't find them. Anyone able to watch any USWNT replays on MAX (Web or Roku App) and if so how?

thanks, Rick

Is there anything she CANT DO!!! No. No there is not!

I have been happy to see Hayes is bringing in some new players to the USWNT pool via the most recent camps/windows. However, I suppose I am confused by a few of the additions simply by age. Hailie Mace is 27 as of today — 3 years from now at 30, the age where Rose is now, we will be looking at World Cup roster, yet people are saying Rose may not be a big role player then. I am confused why we’re not bringing in more younger talent like Sentnor, and instead focusing on the older players that may be around for what is likely at most one competition window? I know that it was announced during the game that not many U20 players were invited to camp to give them rest, but it just seems strange to me we aren’t looking to cultivate more younger talent and start building them in like Heath and Morgan did when they were younger. Is it because players like Sentnor are simply just at bad timing? Our starting strikers are all young and her being 20 makes it hard to replace any of them?

There have been several 100 cap celebrations this camp. Mal and Rose both received the Captain’s band for their games and Mal had the framed jersey and little ceremony. Sonnett celebrated her 100th as well and I know she got a 100 jersey but she wasn’t captain and there wasn’t a ceremony, unless I missed it. Is it player preference for these things?

First out of the U-17 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinals!

⚔️ USA 🇺🇸vs🇰🇵 North Korea

📅 30 October 23:00 GMT

ℹ️ The USA has not allowed a goal since vs Spain on the opening day. Korea DPR has secured victories in every game of the 2024 #FIFAU17WWC so far

📺 TV-Guide: https://www.womenssoccertv.info/fifa-u-17-womens-world-cup-2024

🌎 Women's International Friendly Game

⚔️ USA vs Argentina

🏟️ Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville - USA

🗓️ 30 October 23:00 GMT

ℹ️ Rose Lavelle will be honored for 100 #USWNT caps. Second meeting in 2024 between the teams (CONCACAF W Gold Cup group stage in February, 🇺🇸 won 4-0)

📺 TV-Guide: https://www.womenssoccertv.info/int-friendly-games

Hey! Does anyone know when & where the replay of the 10/30 game will be posted?

I can't watch live but would love to watch it asap, potentially before final score gets spoiled haha.

The whole thing is worth watching. I don't think I can quite do justice to the discussion of the upcoming trick or treat for her son Harry (and having to remind Rose that he is SIX - apparently he is going as a scary skeleton), the Ballon d'Or award voting, etc. So I encourage people to watch the whole 21 mins, it is entertaining.

Some notes:

• She says she agreed to the NWSL coaches that no player would play in more than two full games and no player who plays on Friday will play in the Wednesday game. The only exception is Rose, who chose this game for her 100th cap ceremony, but she will only play 45 minutes.
• Asked specifically about defining roles for her three central midfield players and whether they are fixed or changed based on personnel. She said that this has been an experimental camp, and there will be different players tomorrow in the midfield and nothing is fixed. Competition at the highest level is always evolving but that players who have been with her the longest have some credit because she got to see them day in and day out through a major tournament. Then goes on to talk about enjoying playing, etc. and that this camp and the January camp will be the bigger opportunities to see the bigger playing pool. (NOTE: Just my opinion, I think this again goes what Jona tells the Spirit media. Tactics think of spaces not positions, and there are different ways to handle them, and things like 10s, 8s, 6s, are really describing approaches to different spaces, which is why I think she ducks these questions all the time. I have seen her put this team in (off the top of my head): 442, 325, 244, 235, 433, 343, and 352 at various times and places on the field. So, what do you need in a 6 - depends on how you are playing the 6.)
• Says she was not surprised at how Emma Sears played. Says they have been watching all of the NWSL games. Says she can play up top and out wide, (note again: describing spaces).
• 2027 planning versus a specific camp need: She says that she has spent half her time working strategy and aside from comms, she spends most of her time on player interactions. She says she has a team around her responsible for developing the technical, tactical and analytical in line with the team's methodology. Says they have been together a lot from the beginning through the Olympics, they have developed what they want to accomplish tactically by the end of this camp, versus by the time they get to England. Reiterates again this is her opportunity to set things up for the long term across the YNT and WNT.
• Asked about Sunday and coming from behind, and that the team was a bit rigid before she arrived, did it add confidence to be able to adjust tactically and personnel wise in the second half. She notes that with the women's game developing, there are more players playing at the top level in the world. Notes Iceland is a good side (#13, beat Germany 3-0). She says that with good coaching, you have to start with off the ball, and then you have 90 minutes to break them down. She said that when you are the dominant team you want to have multiple goals in the first 15, but football isn't like that at the top level, there are multiple parts to it: you have a game plan to defeat an opponent, but when you play an opponent twice they change things tactically, and you can't prepare for that.
• She said Iceland adjusted to make their wide players lower, which meant the spaces(!) weren't the same. But when you have new players in, they don't know the triggers and cues and it is hard to communicate it in the flow of the game. Said they had one adjustment in the first half, bringing Korbin lower to get on the ball. But the second half changed again, not only personnel but tactics.
• She said that it was something that Denise and her really wanted to do, but haven't wanted to overload, but they have learned they can go man for man out of possession and play a 3-5-2 at the same time, which is an aggressive way to play and puts a lot on the players. (NOTE: Explains bringing in the Olympic players, and why Sears/Thompson deserve a lot of credit for their adaptability, wingers in a 3-5-2 is no easy job - basically the space outside the box, from goal line to goal line.)
• She says that when they went 1-nil down she said that this is good, she likes this, she wants to see who they are under pressure. Said real credit to the players that Lindsey came on from the bench and went up a notch. She said that older players came on and showed they can win different ways and that is critical.
• Asked about Emma Sears (they are in Louisville). She says she likes to see a player's habits on the ground, in the meetings, etc. and that she was impressed by Emma Sears's habits, not even just for a first year pro. She then notes that experienced players never get the credit for building upon those habits year after year, that is the hardest thing to do in top level sports.
• Asked about relying about player feedback about playing Argentina. She says she always listens to players, but they tend to have player centric views of a team. She has an analysis team around the world that study the things that coaches study. She says she expects them to play a 5-4-1, which means they will be low, congested, compact and her team is going to need to be patient. She says they have been working a lot of the finishing part of the game in this camp so she will be curious how they handle that. But she again points out that when you have multiple changes it is hard to build off the connections when forming new partnerships. She says she wants to see intent - changing tempo, making the right decision in the right moment.
• She points out that the fundamental challenge in getting the Ballon d'Or voting improved is getting more access to women's football more broadly.
• She also says she doesn't want to be on these voting bodies.

That is actually pretty effusive from her about tactics, etc. It seems that she expects this team to get even better tactically and the shape (no pun intended) of that is still being discovered along with the personnel. (NOTE: She essentially flipped Rose and Lindsey from their roles in the Olympics for the first Iceland game.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCApIi7Dpy0

https://preview.redd.it/ydwzrsv9woxd1.png?width=1652&format=png&auto=webp&s=8422bfc161f61de87b1fb3969519165dc709d5aa

I just watched the video of the Thorns v Royals match from like 2018 or 2019 where Sonnett and Horan were fighting with A Rod (linked below). And of course the infamous scuffle between Horan and DvD at the 2023 wwc. Does anyone remember any other scuffles between national team players at a club match or club teammates at an international match??? I just think it’s fun to think about them going back to being buds when they’re back on the same team haha

https://youtu.be/L9-d7_kqPz0?si=RcHXU-FKFI6Utmbf

Insider email out went out for a USA section - says there are 434 seats left. Are you ready for the kicker? Tickets are 12.50 euro....less than $14 USD. Why why why do we do this to ourselves in the US??? Jealous of any of you able to go - enjoy!!

She even beat out Putellas