Lindsey Horan (Lyon)Getty Images
Ameé RuszkaiOct 10, 2024USAAnalysisWSLDivision 1EredivisieWomen's Champions LeagueE. FoxL. HoranK. AlbertC. MacarioM. FishelFEATURESK. MewisL. YohannesArsenal WomenLyonParis Saint GermainChelsea FC WomenWest Ham United WomenAjax

USWNT abroad: Lindsey Horan off to a flying start in France, keying Americans playing in Europe

INDIVISA looks at how the eight USWNT stars representing teams in Europe in the 2024-25 campaign are faring

In the NWSL, focus is starting to drift towards the postseason. The Orlando Pride secured the NWSL Shield and, week by week, those playoff spots are starting to be filled. In Europe, it's a different story, with the 2024-25 campaign just beginning.

Competitions such as the English Women’s Super League, French Premiere Ligue and UEFA Women’s Champions League have all kicked off, and there have already been some fantastic games and incredible results - with plenty of USWNT stars involved.

Lindsey Horan, Emily Fox and Korbin Albert were the only Europe-based names on Emma Hayes' USWNT Olympic roster, which won gold at Paris 2024, but there are many more that will be of interest to fans of U.S. women's soccer - be it veteran midfielder Kristie Mewis or promising teenager Lily Yohannes.

So, now that the season has started for these USWNT stars in Europe, how are they getting on? Let INDIVISA catch you up.

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    Emily Fox (Arsenal)

    It's not been a good start to the season for Emily Fox's Arsenal. The defender has been getting plenty of game time, starting all eight of the Gunners' fixtures to date, but only four of them have ended in victory.

    The good news is that the English side have made it through to the Champions League group stage this year. Twelve months ago, before Fox's January arrival, Arsenal crashed out in qualifying and there was fear that could be the case again, when they lost the first leg of their second round qualifier to Hacken. However, a 4-0 home win made amends for that result.

    The bad news is that the Gunners started the group stage with a shocking 5-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, which followed a really disappointing goalless draw with Everton in the league.

    Having also dropped points on the opening weekend against Manchester City, it means the upcoming clash with Chelsea is a must-win for Arsenal's title hopes and a big performance from Fox would go a long way to helping them be successful. Whether it is Lauren James, Guro Reiten or Aggie Beever-Jones, the USWNT defender will be matched up with an attacker of incredible quality and will need to be ready as her team try to turn things around.

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    Lindsey Horan (Lyon)

    No USWNT star abroad has had a better start to the 2024-25 season than Lindsey Horan, who is flying in France right now. The midfielder has five goals from her first four games of the campaign, helping Lyon to win each of those fixtures in rather convincing fashion. Fleury are the only side who have been able to score against them so far, and even that game finished 6-2 to the French champions.

    Perhaps the most impressive thing about Horan's incredible goal-scoring form is how different each of her five strikes have been. There's been a clinical penalty, a curling free-kick, a bullet header, an improvised bicycle kick and a timely arrival into the box to smash home a loose ball.

    After being beaten to the French league's Player of the Season award last term by new teammate Tabitha Chawinga, Horan is certainly staking an early claim to be in the running for the individual accolades once again, especially if she can keep up this remarkable level of performance.

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    Korbin Albert (PSG)

    It's been a disappointing start to the season for Paris Saint-Germain. The French giants were given a tough Champions League qualifier against five-time Italian champions Juventus and it was one they couldn't come through, losing 5-3 on aggregate. It marked a first qualifying exit, with PSG having made at least the quarterfinals on each of their last nine appearances in the competition - with 2017-18 the only season in that period in which they did not qualify for the UWCL.

    Fortunately, it's been a better story in the league, which will be the club's focus now. PSG have won all of their first three fixtures as they aim to battle Lyon for the title, with U.S. midfielder Korbin Albert starting all three games. The 20-year-old got her first goal of the season in their first outing too, her intended cross sailing over the Montpellier goalkeeper's head for PSG's third goal in a 3-1 win.

    That regular game time at club level will be vital if Albert is to break into Hayes' starting XI with the USWNT and so while it has been a frustrating few weeks for PSG, it has been more positive on an individual level for their American midfielder.

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    Eva Gaetino (PSG)

    Things haven't been going so well for the other U.S. representative on PSG's roster, the uncapped Eva Gaetino. The club changed managers in the summer - appointing Fabrice Abriel after Jocelyn Precheur left for London City Lionesses, the English second-tier side owned by Michele Kang - and Gaetino has struggled for game time under the new boss.

    Initially, the 21-year-old, who won her first USWNT call-up earlier this year but didn't take to the field, appeared to be in Abriel's plans as a midfielder, rather than the centerback position she thrived in during her first few months in Paris last season. That's where Gaetino was used in PSG's first league game of the season and the second leg of their UWCL qualifier against Juventus.

    However, since that European exit, she has found herself on the bench, playing just a handful of minutes as a substitute in wins over Guingamp and Le Havre. She will certainly hope her fortunes change sooner rather than later, as she will need to be playing regularly in order to force her way into Hayes' plans for the USWNT.

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    Catarina Macario (Chelsea)

    It was a tough summer for Catarina Macario. Injury meant she had to withdraw from the USWNT's Olympic roster, and thus missed out on a gold medal, and it also limited her in Chelsea's preparations for the new campaign. Macario didn't play on the pre-season tour of the U.S. or in the Blues' final public friendly against Feyenoord, but she is making her way back to full fitness now.

    In her only appearance so far this season, the USWNT star came off the bench to contribute a goal and an assist to Chelsea's 7-0 thrashing of newly-promoted Crystal Palace, underlining the quality she is capable of bringing to the table.

    Unfortunately, the controversial postponement of the Blues' home game against Manchester United and a bout of illness before the Champions League clash with Real Madrid means that is the only action Macario has seen so far this campaign.

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    Mia Fishel (Chelsea)

    It's unlikely that fans will see Mia Fishel in action again in 2024. The forward suffered an ACL rupture back in February, one that was particularly hard for Chelsea to take given it came just weeks after Sam Kerr, whom Fishel was backing up, did the same. Sonia Bompastor gave a positive update on the 23-year-old this summer, albeit while looking at a January return for her.

    It'll be interesting to see what kind of role Fishel has in the new coach's team when she is back. After the injury to Kerr, Chelsea signed another striker in January, in Colombia star Mayra Ramirez, so will have three strong options for the No. 9 role when all are available at the same time.

    Given how competitive the forward areas are on the USWNT roster, Fishel will need to be in good form to earn a spot, never mind playing regularly. We'll have to wait to find out how that plays out though, with her to watch the first few months of the Blues' season from the sidelines.

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    Kristie Mewis (West Ham)

    It's not been easy for Kristie Mewis since she arrived in England in January. Injuries limited the midfielder to only three substitute appearances in the second half of last season and she's only been able to play once from the bench so far this term, with illness also coming into play to make things difficult.

    That has been a blow for West Ham, too. Mewis might not have been involved with the USWNT in the past year but she has a ton of experience to bring to the table from her time with her country - and also from her club career. But the Hammers have been without that, at least on the pitch, as they continue to search for their first league win of the new season.

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    Lily Yohannes (Ajax)

    Lily Yohannes was one of the breakout stars of the Champions League last season, helping Ajax to emerge from the "Group of Death" ahead of Roma and Bayern Munich and reach the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, she will not be lighting up that stage again this year though, after the Dutch club fell short in qualifying.

    Ajax's focus will be on winning a fourth league title then, having fallen just two points short last term, and they've certainly made a good start in that respect, winning both of their first two fixtures. Yohannes has been a key figure in those successes too and scored a stunning goal on the opening weekend, smashing the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box in a 5-1 win over PEC Zwolle.

    Hayes will certainly hope to see Yohannes consistently provide contributions like that through the upcoming season as she maps out what role the 17-year-old could play for USWNT, both now and in the future - that is if she chooses to fully commit herself to playing international soccer for the U.S., with the Netherlands also still an option.