USWNT January Camp: Dunn and Girma Lead New Era

USWNT January Camp: A New Era Begins with Dunn and Girma Leading the Charge

As the new year kicks off, U.S. women’s national team manager Emma Hayes has unveiled a 26-player roster for a week-long training camp in Carson, California, starting January 14. This camp, although not within a FIFA international window and devoid of any matches, is a crucial step in building depth for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup in February. Notably, the roster is headlined by Gotham FC defender Crystal Dunn and San Diego Wave center back Naomi Girma.

Interestingly, the camp will not feature any European-based players, and some of the U.S. team’s star forwards, including Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson, are being given a well-deserved rest following the NWSL season. Another key player, midfielder Rose Lavelle, is also absent due to recent ankle surgery. Hayes commented, “Lavelle had a tremendous year last year, but it’s just something that needs cleaning up, and it was the right time to do it.”

Despite these absences, the camp will see 11 of the 22 members of the 2024 gold medal-winning Olympic Team in attendance. This provides a golden opportunity for 13 players with three or fewer caps, including six uncapped players, to gain invaluable experience in the USWNT setup. The camp will run alongside a 24-player “futures camp” featuring younger prospects, all age-eligible for the U.S. Under-23 WNT, with the roster to be announced soon.

Hayes emphasized the importance of fostering a player-centric environment, stating, “We want to continue to foster an environment and culture on the National Team that is player-centric and female athlete-centric and helps the players maximize their abilities.” She added, “I’m really looking forward to getting on the field with these players and the players in the Futures Camp to get in a solid week of training with both groups without having to make adjustments for the impact that a match would have on our loading and training plan. I can’t wait.”

This camp marks the first since veteran goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced her retirement in November. Leading the goalkeeping contingent is Casey Murphy from North Carolina Courage, with 20 international appearances. Hayes expressed optimism about the goalkeeping talent in the country, saying, “I’m very optimistic we’ve got great goalkeepers in this country. We just, we just have to recognize that there’s not a lot of gaps between lots of them. It will probably take the rest of this year to figure that out.”

Crystal Dunn returns to the camp after missing all the fall games and is the most capped player on the roster with 155 appearances for the USWNT. She is followed by defender Emily Sonnett with 103 caps and Seattle Reign forward Lynn Williams with 75.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position

• Goalkeepers: Angelina Anderson (Angel City FC; 0), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 0), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 1), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 20)
• Defenders: Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 65/3), Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 155/25), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 44/2), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC; 1/0), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 18/2), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 2/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 103/2), Ryan Williams (North Carolina Courage; 0/0)
• Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 28/1), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC; 7/0), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit; 3/0), Nealy Martin (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 0/0), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage; 28/3), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 2/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 21/8)
• Forwards: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 22/5), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 3/1), Ella Stevens (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 0/0), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 13/1), Morgan Weaver (Portland Thorns FC; 2/0), Lynn Williams (Seattle Reign FC; 75/21)

With a mix of seasoned veterans and fresh faces, this camp is set to be an exciting start to the year for the USWNT. The focus on developing a deeper player pool and fostering a supportive environment for female athletes is a promising direction under Hayes’ leadership. As the team gears up for the SheBelieves Cup, fans will be eager to see how these players perform and who will emerge as key contributors in the months to come.