‘We’re building toward something’ - Emma Hayes to integrate more young players as Cat Macario looks to extend sizzling form: Five keys to the USWNT’s rematch with Italy

Rose Lavelle arrived in Florida fresh off winning the 2025 NWSL Championship, earning MVP honors, and speaking in front of New Yorkers during Gotham FC’s celebratory parade.

She had every reason to be tired, but on Friday she showed none of it. Despite the long season and quick turnaround from club duties, Lavelle was sharp as ever in the first meeting with Italy - driving the midfield, linking play, and playing a part in nearly every major attacking moment.

Just 67 seconds into the game, Lavelle combined on a give-and-go with Alyssa Thompson, received the return ball, and squared it across the box for Olivia Moultrie to finish. It marked Lavelle’s 27th international assist and her third of the year. She has now contributed to a goal in five of her last six USWNT appearances.

Whether she starts on Monday is unclear, given her recent workload and the depth in midfield, but her leadership remains crucial. After Friday’s win, Lavelle said this window has allowed the U.S. to “tap into our depth.”

“It can be tough when you have injuries and a lot of rotation, but I think it allowed us to tap into our depth and gave a lot of players experience in really good, hard games,” Lavelle said. “That’s only going to help us moving forward. We’ve had some performances we felt we could do better in, but facing adversity early on sets you up for the long run.”

Friday’s victory marked the fourth straight match in which the USWNT scored within the opening 10 minutes. Hayes’ emphasis on starting on the front foot is clearly sinking in. Setting the tempo of a game isn’t easy, but the U.S. have been doing exactly that.

Defensively, they’re composed on the ball and communicate well - and that will only improve with the return of Naomi Girma. In midfield, the blend of younger players and seasoned contributors provides both built-in chemistry and space for new connections to form in real time. And offensively, Cat Macario is leading the charge. She credits her recent surge to “Emma knowing her really well,” and while that familiarity certainly helps, Macario’s long road back from injury now feels firmly in the past. She’s flying for both Chelsea and the USWNT.

After the first meeting with Italy, Hayes spoke about the team’s mindset. “Starting fast is one thing, but we’ve often started fast and conceded just as quickly,” she said. “So a clean sheet means as much to us this evening as the result and the performance.

“I’ve said it many times: they are so coachable, these players - malleable.”

Scoring early has become something of a USWNT trademark lately, and Rose Lavelle set the tone back in October when she scored just 33 seconds into the match against Portugal.

With her brace against Italy, Macario made one thing clear: she’s the focal point of the USWNT attack. The Chelsea star now has seven goals in 2025 and a team-high 15 in 28 international appearances.

Her versatility in front of goal is just as striking. She can certainly hammer a shot, but her ability to take players on, create space, and use her body to dominate the box has added an entirely new layer to her game.

“I’m very proud and happy at the fact that this was the first year in nearly three years I’ve been available for nearly every game, every training,” Macario said after the USWNT's win. “For me, personally, that’s a big win.”

Macario had several chances to score against Italy, and her brace was her fifth-ever and her second straight in as many matches.

It's been quite the year for  Emma Hayes, who will now be entering her 30th match as head coach of the USWNT. Her impact has been legendary, leading the USWNT to an Olympic gold medal in 2024, just in her 10th match as head coach.  As the 10th full-time head coach in USWNT history, Hayes has been focused on maintainig the elite standard of this team and program, but also changing and evolving it.

Ahead of Monday's meeting against Italy, Sam Coffey and Heaps spoke to the media and could hardly hold back when asked about Hayes' impact on the team. 

"There is not enough words to describe this woman, like she's a legend," Coffey said. "It's such a privilege to be coached by her, and we just love it. Like, she is so fun to play for."

Heaps believed Hayes' poise is what makes her successful as a manager. 

"Credit to her experience that she's had at Chelsea and all the big games that she's played in and everything," Heaps said. "I think she's so calm and poised. And I think it's one of the nicest things as a player, when you're on the field, and maybe something is not going right, and someone or something is going wrong, but you look on the side, and you see calmness, that is a really nice thing to have...That's a form of confidence as well, and gives us confidence."

Coffey shared an example of how Hayes finds ways to keep morale high, even when things don't go to plan. 

"Even when after we lost to Portugal in a really uncharacteristic performance and loss for us, like I remember coming back into the meal room after the game and she was just expressing how much she, like, loved us. She's like, 'I love you guys,'" Coffey said.

Imagine being Emma Hayes and having to choose a back four right now. The USWNT are suddenly stacked with outside backs - a rare situation for a program that has seen several veterans phase out over the past year.

It’s become a genuine battle on the flanks. Avery Patterson, the Houston Dash standout, is as locked-in and disciplined as they come. Lilly Reale, still a rookie in the NWSL, is already a one-v-one specialist who also threatens going forward. Izzy Rodriguez and Emily Sams are steady shutdown options, while newcomers Kate Wiesner and Kennedy Wesley have already shown promise. Every fullback Hayes has used has brought something convincing - which makes the question less about who can play and more about who best complements Naomi Girma, with Arsenal’s Emily Fox holding down one of the starting spots.

Against Italy in the first meeting, Hayes went with Reale on one side, Girma and Sonnett in the middle, and Fox opposite. Wiesner earned her first cap after coming on for Reale in the second half. On Monday, Hayes will almost certainly rotate again, and if there’s a player most likely to break into the lineup outside of Fox or Reale, it’s Patterson.