SheBelieves Cup
USWNT roster, by the numbers
The U.S. women’s national team is less than two weeks away from its first tournament of 2026.
Moments ago, Emma Hayes named her 26-player roster for the 11th annual SheBelieves Cup, which will kick off on March 1 in Nashville. We’ll get into the specifics of the tournament shortly, but first, let’s talk about who’s on the squad:
To start, every player has appeared for the U.S. at least one time. That seems like an odd thing to point out. However, that hasn’t happened on a USWNT roster since last year’s edition of this tournament. Maybe we are finally getting to that core Hayes keeps talking about. Still, this will be nine players’ first SheBelieves Cup. More numbers:
- 100 — Three players have surpassed more than 100 appearances. This is still a young team. Only Lindsey Heaps (170), Rose Lavelle (116) and Emily Sonnett (113) have reached the century mark. Emily Fox (71) isn’t far behind. Conversely, 11 players have fewer than 10 caps.
- 19 — NWSL players on the squad. Gotham FC leads the way with the most NWSL representation on the roster (four players), followed by Seattle Reign and Washington Spirit (three each).
- 4 — U.S. rosters that have now featured both Gisele and Alyssa Thompson. They’re the third pair of sisters to represent the U.S. together, following Sam and Kristie Mewis and twins Lorrie and Ronnie Fair. Alyssa and Gisele previously played for Angel City together before the former signed with Chelsea last summer.
U.S. Soccer also shared this brutally worded fun fact about the 32-year-old Sonnett, who has won a record seven SheBelieves Cups:
“Sonnett is the oldest player on the roster while (Lily) Yohannes is the youngest. Yohannes was eight years old and still living in the United States (she was two years away from her family’s move to the Netherlands) when Sonnett earned her first cap in 2015.”
Why not toss in the No. 1 song and movie of the year so we all collectively feel the back pain creep in? (“Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars and “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.”)
It’s worth noting the USWNT’s 2025 leading goal scorer, Catarina Macario, isn’t on this list. The forward has played nine WSL games for Chelsea and featured in three Champions League games, but was left off Chelsea’s squad list for the tournament later this month and next. While the 26-year-old has been recovering from injury, she has also recently been linked to an NWSL move — specifically to the San Diego Wave, according to ESPN.
Even with the “Triple Espresso” front three aiming for a 2026 comeback, this team is better when Macario is on the field.
New rules and how to watch
The U.S. will face Canada, Colombia and Argentina across Nashville, Columbus, Ohio, and Harrison, N.J., in a round-robin tournament from March 1-7. All games will be broadcast on TNT/TBS, truTV and HBO Max in English and in Spanish on Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.
Last week, SheBelieves Cup also introduced two new rules:
- Teams are allowed to field 26 players on their rosters, up three players from previous tournaments. However, only 23 players can suit up each game day.
- Games that end in ties go straight to penalty kicks, no extra time. The winner of the tournament is still determined on total points. Teams get three points for a win and one for a tie after 90 minutes, and an additional point goes to the winner of the shootout.
There will be no repeat title, as Japan will be participating in the Asian Cup in Australia and cannot defend its 2025 win. Before Japan took the title last year, the U.S. had a five-year win streak.
This is a prime opportunity for the U.S. to return its name to the trophy.
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Shocking shuffle of USWNT players
The Kansas City Current are in America’s Heartland, but last week, they were also at the heart of two major NWSL trades.
Claire Hutton, 23, went to Bay FC in a $1.1 million transaction. After evolving into one of KC’s key contributors in the midfield, she is a crucial signing for Bay as they aim to bounce back from 2025, when they finished second-to-last in the NWSL.
The Current turned around and signed 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune from the Washington Spirit in a $1 million transfer deal. It was a shocking exit for the 24-year-old midfielder after two successful seasons with the Spirit. Bethune, one of the most creative midfielders in the league, brings a new flair to the Current’s already impressive depth as they push for their first NWSL Championship.
Savy King returns after heart surgery
Angel City defender Savy King returned to soccer for the first time in 283 days on Sunday.
The 21-year-old started and played 30 minutes in Angel City’s 2-1 preseason friendly loss to the Portland Thorns at the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, Calif. “I’ve been looking forward to this for the last nine months,” King said. She called the moment the “best feeling in the world.”
A quick refresher:
- King suffered a cardiac incident during a game on May 9, 2025. That night, King went down in the 74th minute of Angel City’s win over the Utah Royals at BMO Stadium and received medical attention on the field that saved her life. She was then taken off the field via a cart and transported by emergency medical services to a nearby hospital in Los Angeles.
- She later learned that she was born with an anomalous left coronary artery and spent the following months recovering from heart surgery.
- In November, King joined the same medical team that treated her on May 9 on stage at the NWSL awards to announce her new heart health advocacy nonprofit, Savy King of Hearts. Her nonprofit will provide free CPR training to all 16 NWSL teams this year.
And now King is back on the field, but not before a moment with Jennifer Hudson on her eponymous talk show. Watch for a sweet surprise from King’s Angel City teammates.