Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Photos
It was a yr of transition for the U.S. girls’s nationwide crew. Emma Hayes got here in as head coach, and 14 gamers made their debuts within the yr between her rent and the ultimate sport of 2024 in opposition to the Netherlands.
The U.S. received an Olympics gold medal a mere 12 months faraway from their ignominious 2023 World Cup, the place the People crashed out within the spherical of 16. Positions that after appeared bereft of choices now seemed to be bursting with expertise.
Central midfield was one such key space. Sam Coffey hadn’t discovered favor with former head coach Vlatko Andonovski, and Julie Ertz needed to maintain off retirement simply to present the squad some depth in that zone. There are actually six or seven choices to play the 2 spots behind the attacking midfielder, an astonishing turnaround in such a short while.
Who distinguished themselves within the 15 video games performed to this point beneath Hayes? Who made a case for the beginning XI, who has fallen out of favor, and who ought to Hayes shift her opinion on? Let’s dive in and rank them — particularly the midfielders who play decrease, not the talent-rich No. 10 place — beginning with one of the best choices.
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