Naomi Girma is back, Rose Lavelle is fresh off an NWSL Championship win and new faces arrive: Five keys to the USWNT’s final camp of 2025 vs Italy

The backline has been missing one major piece in recent matches: Naomi Girma.

"I'm very excited to be here. Yeah, I'm happy to be back on the pitch and two good games for us, so I'm looking forward to it," Girma said at pre-match availability. 

The defending hasn’t been disastrous by any means, but the inexperience has shown,  particularly against Portugal. The USWNT had never conceded to Portugal until their most recent meeting, a surprising loss that included two goals surrendered on set pieces. The team corrected course in the rematch and then dominated New Zealand, but the defensive lapses were still jarring for a program that prides itself on stability at the back.

With Girma out, Hayes has relied on a rotating center-back pairing: sometimes Emily Sonnett and Tara McKeown, other times Jordyn Bugg and Emily Sams. For the first match against Italy, though, it feels almost certain Girma returns to the XI now that she’s fully recovered. In fact, she’s already making her presence known - U.S. Soccer’s camp video showed her jokingly celebrating being “first down for breakfast,” a small but telling indicator of how eager she is to be back in the mix.

The USWNT's midfield is absolutely stacked, from veterans Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Heaps to young stars like Lily Yohannes and Claire Hutton, Hayes is going to have a hard time deciding who her starting three will be. And those aren't even the only four, there's also always reliable Sam Coffey and recent call-ins Jaelin Howell and Croiz Bethune. 

The midfield is essential to how the USWNT plays, and historically it's usually a mix of one shutdown defensive-minded midfielder, like a Coffey paired with duo of creative magicians when it comes to combining and seeing the field. 

Fresh off scoring the game-winning goal against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Championship, Lavelle was smiling ear to ear when she spoke to reporters on Wednesday. 

"Happy to be back in camp, always fun when we can be back together and be together," she said. 

Whatever trio is charging the midfield will be solid, and Hayes will most likely showcase two different lineups against Italy because they have two games to try out different lineups and rotations. 

Howell hasn't been called up to the senior team in more than three years and was instrumental in Gotham FC's championship and postseason run. Hayes pays attention to all the leagues and players playing, so she was clearly impressed with Howell's season and contribution in the midfield. Another player back in the mix is Bethune, who has had a long journey back to health after unluckily injuring her knee last year while throwing out a first pitch. 

The 'Triple Espresso' trio of Sophia Wilson, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman may not be fully back yet, but a new trio of force is here to stay, and that's out of WSL side Chelsea FC: Girma, Catarina Macario, and Alyssa Thompson. 

All three players have a massive role on this USWNT roster. Girma, the centerback that keeps it all together, Macario, the composed and strong ball holder and handler in the No.9 spot, and Thompson, the fearless attacking winger who will take on anyone at any time. 

Chances are high that all three will be on the field at once for these upcoming friendlies, which will be exciting and all the credit to the Blues. Three other players on this roster are currently playing professional soccer overseas. Heaps and Yohannes play for OL Lyonnes in UEFA Women's Champions League, and then there's Emily Fox, who plays for Arsenal FC, which is currently mid-table in the competition at 10th, and marks the fourth U.S. player to be competing in England. 

It’s the never-ending battle for the No. 1 shirt - a competition that truly began when longtime USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced her retirement earlier this year. Since then, Emma Hayes has tested just about every option available, from Houston Dash standout Jane Campbell to North Carolina Courage keeper Casey Murphy, Manchester United’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and several others.

For this camp, Hayes stuck with two familiar faces in Mandy McGlynn and Claudia Dickey, but, in classic Hayes fashion, added a newcomer to the mix: Jordan Silkowitz. This is only Silkowitz’s second-ever international call-up, following her summer trip to Germany with the U-23s. She spent this past season with Bay FC in the NWSL and has quickly played her way into the senior conversation.

Hayes recently told reporters she is “likely” to lean on the same three goalkeepers she used against Portugal - Dickey, Tullis-Joyce, and McGlynn. Silkowitz is here to gain experience and push the group, but the battle for the top spot remains very much between the established trio.

Could this be Hayes' last look ahead of any decision that needs to be made for the 2027 World Cup? Surely not. There's still plenty of time, but by the time these friendlies wrap up she'll have a very clear scope of talent and what the pool looks like. She'll also be able to start building more cohesively with a consistent group, which has been a challenge with all of the changes to each training camp roster.

Since Hayes became head coach, she’s made it her mission to implement the “WNT way” - a female-driven blueprint to win, lead, and set the standard for the global game through a distinctly female lens. She’s doing exactly that. These games against Italy will be a test, of course, but even more importantly, an opportunity for her to refine who she wants in her squad and how she wants this team to show up in 2026.