The U.S. women’s national team roster for the SheBelieves Cup sees the return of many Europe-based players who featured in camps last year but were absent from the January roster. Gotham FC players Jaedyn Shaw, Emily Sonnett, Rose Lavelle and Lilly Reale, who were also unavailable for January camp because they were competing at the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in Europe, are also back. The U.S. will compete against Argentina, Canada and Colombia during the first week of March in the 11th edition of the round-robin tournament.
The USWNT January camp was made up entirely of National Women’s Soccer League players for its fixtures against Paraguay and Chile, but seven of the 26 players on this SheBelieves roster play in Europe. Notably absent among them is Chelsea forward Catarina Macario, whose future with the club is uncertain and who is said to be out with an injury. Macario, the USWNT’s top goal scorer last year, has not played since early December.
After more than a year of experimentation with younger and uncapped players, USWNT coach Emma Hayes appears to have shifted focus to building upon experience, at least during this window. For the first time since the 2025 SheBelieves Cup (in which the USWNT placed second to Japan), there are no first-time invitees. This roster also marks the third straight call-up for Chicago Stars winger Jameese Joseph, who scored her first USWNT goal last month.
SheBelieves Cup roster in full
Goalkeepers (3): Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 7), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 5), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 4)
Defenders (9): Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC; 6/0), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 71/1), Naomi Girma (Chelsea FC, ENG; 50/2), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC; 6/0), Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit; 10/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 113/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 5/0), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave FC; 3/0), Kate Wiesner (Washington Spirit; 3/0)
Midfielders (8): Sam Coffey (Manchester City, ENG; 42/5), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 170/38), Claire Hutton (Bay FC; 13/1), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; 1/0), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC; (116/27), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 13/5), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC; 31/9), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 13/1)
Forwards (6): Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign FC; 2/0), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars FC; 2/1), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 49/13), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 14/6), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current; 15/6), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea FC, ENG; 26/3)
In-form European club players hint at USWNT depth chart
Each of the USWNT players named to the roster who play for European clubs is enjoying some form of success. Tullis-Joyce, Girma, Coffey, Fox and Alyssa Thompson play among the top four clubs in the Women’s Super League in the UK. Yohannes and Heaps are clear atop the Ligue 1 Feminine table in France. Coffey, who left the Portland Thorns and signed with Manchester City last month, is the only Europe-based USWNT player on this roster not competing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, but City occupies the No. 1 spot in the WSL by 8 points. Most of these players are in their clubs’ starting XI, and they are proving themselves important fixtures on the national team as well.
Early on, Tullis-Joyce appeared to have the edge on the No. 1 keeper position, earning her first call-up in November 2024 and her first start and shutout last April. An eye-socket injury left the United keeper unavailable for USWNT selection in December, followed by the European players’ absence last month. (The January camp falls outside the FIFA window.) But Tullis-Joyce has been stellar at United, which is No. 2 in the WSL and enjoying a bright Champions League debut. Tullis-Joyce now trails Dickey and McGlynn (both of whom are in the NWSL preseason) in caps, but she is primed to resume her place at the front of the line.
Similarly, Alyssa Thompson comes in as the second-most-capped forward on this roster with 26 appearances. (Rodman is the only player with more than her, at 49.) As Chelsea confronts tough questions about its trajectory this season and Macario’s contract, Thompson has consistently impressed, with six goals and an assist in the WSL and an additional goal and assist in the Champions League. She will likely set the tone of the USWNT’s attacking class, and it will be helpful to see how wingers such as Dahlien and Joseph combine with (and measure up to) her as they compete for minutes.
Competition for the backline core continues
With nine defenders in camp, Hayes will have plenty of permutations to consider — and regular starting XI roles remain open apart from Girma at center back and, likely, Fox. Bugg, Rudd (formerly McKeown), Sonnett and Wesley have all auditioned, though each has such a distinct profile that Hayes might decide against a rigid backline and adjust it for certain strengths as needed: Sonnett’s veteran composure, Rudd’s distribution in the attack, Bugg’s incisive read of the game or Wesley’s aerial strength.
Just as striking as the absence of Houston Dash defender Avery Patterson, who was selected to the January roster but had to withdraw due to illness, is the inclusion of Gisele Thompson for her second consecutive USWNT camp. Patterson started out last year in the USWNT Futures Camp but swiftly worked her way into the senior team, earning nine caps and scoring a goal last summer. Thompson, who played with the senior and U-23 teams last year, will look to build upon her five caps, as will Reale with her six and Wiesner with her three. That last fullback spot is wide open, and fixtures against the likes of Olivia Smith for Canada and Linda Caicedo for Colombia at SheBelieves will be excellent tests for them all.
Generational range most apparent at midfield
Combined, Heaps and Lavelle have more than twice the number of caps (286) compared to the rest of the midfielders in their group (113). Jackson, 20, is coming in with one. Across three matches against quality opposition, this could be a gauge of how much the veteran midfielders can integrate into the younger group (and for how long) and who among the less experienced players can shoulder greater responsibilities in their possible absence. Hutton became the youngest captain in USWNT history last month and will likely continue growing into that leadership role. Coffey’s return offers a helpful intergenerational (and cap) bridge. At the same time, the creative possibilities of Yohannes, Moultrie and Shaw on the pitch together, last seen in the United States’ 3-1 win over Portugal, deserve more attention.