Only Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith made the cut for GOAL's annual list of the world's elite players as Alex Morgan and Rose Lavelle dropped out
The United States has the most successful women's national team in soccer history. With four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, no country comes close to what the U.S. has been able to achieve over the last 30 years or so, with some of the greatest players the sport has ever seen having been central to those triumphs. Why, then, just five years removed from the fourth of those world titles, does the USWNT only have two players inGOAL's 2024 edition of the World-Class Club?
It was only back in 2019 that the U.S. reigned supreme again at the World Cup, beating the Netherlands 2-0 in the final in a year that saw the star of that success, Megan Rapinoe, claim the Ballon d'Or. Featuring the likes of Becky Sauerbrunn, Julie Ertz, Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle, Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan, this was unquestionably a world-class side.
A lot has changed since then, due to injuries, retirements and new coaches, with the two Americans in GOAL's elite club this year still playing in college when the USWNT last conquered the world stage. But as new head coach Emma Hayes prepares to take this famous team to a major tournament for the first time, at the Olympic Games which starts this week, she goes armed with a new generation of talent that has the potential to establish itself among the sport's very best in the years to come.
Getty ImagesChanging of the guard
The USWNT has pretty much always been at the top of the women's game. In the 1990s, it won two of the three World Cup tournaments played and the only Olympic gold medal on offer for women's soccer. It didn't win a World Cup in the noughties, but did win back-to-back Olympic golds, at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, and then backed that up by reaching the 2011 Women's World Cup final, winning gold at the 2012 Games and claiming back-to-back World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019.
However, many of the players from that last particularly golden era, from 2012 to 2019, have left the big stage now. Hope Solo, Christie Rampone, Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday, Sam Mewis, Ertz and Rapinoe, and many more, have retired. Heath and Christen Press haven't played for some time, due to injuries. Sauerbrunn and Morgan, meanwhile, are still around, but are watching their roles with the USWNT shrink, as evidenced by the latter's omission from Hayes' Olympic roster.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesExcitement for the future
But despite a couple of disappointing tournaments under Vlatko Andonovski, who left his role as head coach following last year's shock exit in the World Cup round of 16, there's no doubt that what lies ahead for the USWNT is exciting. That's because the generation coming through has the potential to be truly outstanding.
We can see that already in GOAL's World-Class Club, which features two of that young crop. Naomi Girma, aged 24, has a spot after asserting herself as one of the most composed and talented centerbacks on the planet, and she is joined by Sophia Smith, set to celebrate her 24th birthday in August, the youngest player ever to win the NWSL's Most Valuable Player accolade.
Those two feature on an Olympic roster which has an average age of 27.1, some three years younger than the one that travelled to Japan for the previous edition, and an average caps-per-player of 58, compared to the 111 of 2021.
GettyPlenty of prospects
In other circumstances, they'd be joined by Catarina Macario, but her two years struggling with injury – continued by her need to drop off the Olympic roster due to 'irritation' of the knee – mean it is difficult to include her right now, despite the quality she showed after returning to action in March.
In the future, Macario is likely to re-stake her claim successfully and others are likely to increase the American representation, too. Jaedyn Shaw, aged 19, showed why the hype around her is so great when she won the Golden Ball at this year's inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup; Trinity Rodman, already a NWSL Championship winner at 22 years old, looks on track to reach the very top of the sport; while Korbin Albert, a controversial figure in recent times, has impressed Hayes enough to earn a ticket to Paris this summer, aged 20.
And that is just talking about this current roster. There are others who have been around this U.S. team who could well break through and become key players in the years to come, such as Croix Bethune (23), Mia Fishel (23), Hal Hershfelt (22) Eva Gaetino (21), Alyssa Thompson (19), Olivia Moultrie (18) and, if they can secure her international future ahead of the Netherlands, Lily Yohannes (16). A few of those have world-class promise and, if not, they at least have the potential to contribute to making this era under Hayes a special one.
Getty ImagesExperienced guidance
It's not just about the young, up-and-coming players either. Lavelle was in GOAL's World-Class Club in 2023 and has every chance to get back in there; Lindsey Horan, one of the best players in Europe this past season, is certainly a top player even if she didn't make the cut here; Mallory Swanson was a huge miss at last year's World Cup, due to injury, and has an impressive 34 goals in 92 caps. These are just some of the top quality, experienced heads that can help carry this next generation through.
That's exciting for the USWNT and for Hayes, as it provides a blend that can make this transitional period less difficult. There's a changing of the guard going on, for sure, but there are players that remain from those title-winning tournaments to help the winning culture stay in the locker room.