HAYES NAMES 23-PLAYER USWNT ROSTER FOR 2025 SHEBELIEVES CUP, PRESENTED BY VISA
12 Players from Olympic Gold Medal Team on Roster for 10th Annual SheBelieves Cup;
2022 Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP Catarina Macario Returns to Roster;
Hayes Calls Up Four Uncapped Players, Two of Them to First USWNT Event;
Alyssa and Gisele Thompson Become Third Set of Sisters to Make Same USWNT Roster;
Emily Sonnett Will Be Honored for Her 100th Cap on Feb. 20 in Houston
CHICAGO (Feb. 11, 2025) – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes has named the 23-player roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, taking place in Houston (Feb. 20), Glendale, Ariz. (Feb. 23) and San Diego (Feb. 26).
The U.S. roster features 21 field players and two goalkeepers. This tournament will be the 10th annual SheBelieves Cup, and the USA has won the past five editions. The first SheBelieves Cup for Hayes and for 10 players on the roster.
“This team is still growing, and I continue to be impressed with the dedication of our player pool to get better, individually and as a group,” said Hayes. “With many players at the beginning of their club preseasons, we’ll be patient with them but at the same time, we’re going to maximize the time we have together. We are facing three excellent teams with three very different styles and the tournament will be a great test to see who can perform against world-class players, but to see that, we need to give them opportunities. We have put in a lot of thought on how best to accomplish that while continuing to evolve and putting out a team that can win, so every game should be a lot of fun for the staff, the players and the fans.”
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals) – 2025 SheBelieves Cup
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 8), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 1)
DEFENDERS (8): Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 65/3), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 155/25), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 62/1), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Jenna Nighswonger (Arsenal FC, ENG; 18/2), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 2/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 103/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 0/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 22/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 28/1), Lindsey Heaps (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 161/36), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; 0/0), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage; 21/8), Lily Yohannes (Ajax, NED; 2/1)
FORWARDS (7): Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC; 75/21), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 0/0), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG; 19/8), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash; 4/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 3/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 2/0), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 13/1)
Two players – Lindsey Heaps (formerly Horan) and Lynn Biyendolo (formerly Williams) -- will play for the U.S. Women’s National Team under their married names for the first time.
Houston Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell and newly acquired forward Yazmeen Ryan will get the chance to play in their home venue at Shell Energy Stadium where the USA will open the tournament. Two of Campbell’s eight caps have come at the venue.
The roster includes 12 players from the 22-player squad that won the 2024 Paris Olympics but just four players who started five or more games in the tournament, so the theme of increased opportunity for the player pool once again will be at the forefront during the three SheBelieves Cup matches.
Hayes called up four uncapped players – all of whom have played in a FIFA Youth World Cup – and 10 players (43% of the roster) who have four or fewer caps. Veterans and 2024 Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Heaps (161 caps/36 goals), Crystal Dunn (155/25), Emily Sonnett (103/2), Lynn Biyendolo (75/21) and Tierna Davidson (65/3) lead the way.
Sonnett, who earned her 100th cap on Oct. 24, 2024, against Iceland in Austin, Texas, will be honored for the achievement prior the opening match of the tournament on Feb. 20 vs. Colombia at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston. She is the 45th USWNT player to reach that milestone.
The roster includes 16 players from the National Women’s Soccer League and seven from five different European clubs. The players on the roster from Arsenal FC (Emily Fox, Jenna Nighswonger), Chelsea FC (Catarina Macario) and Olympique Lyon (Heaps) will all be playing in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in March.
The camp also marks the first-ever senior USWNT call-ups for 19-year-old midfielder Claire Hutton and 22-year-old forward Michelle Cooper, who are teammates on the Kansas City Current.
The roster includes 12 players from the USA’s January training camp in Florida and three – Hutton, Cooper and defender Gisele Thompson – who attended the concurrent Futures Camp and showed well enough to earn these senior team call-ups.
Gisele Thompson’s inclusion on the roster along with her older sister Alyssa marks just the third time that a pair of sisters have been on the same USWNT roster. The first instance occurred in the late 1990s when twins Lorrie and Ronnie Fair were called up together. Most recently, Samantha and Kristie Mewis were on the 2021 Olympic Team together. This is Gisele Thompson’s second USWNT call-up after training with the team in June of 2024.
SHEBELIEVES: INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION
Inspired by the U.S. Women’s National Team, SheBelieves is a movement to encourage young women and girls to reach their dreams, athletic or otherwise. The campaign was originally launched in the run-up to the 2015 Women’s World Cup and has evolved into a special bond between U.S. Soccer and its fans, taking a meaningful message of empowerment and that of believing in yourself into communities across the nation.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The world’s top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team will host Japan (#8 in the current FIFA Women’s World Rankings), Australia (#15) and Colombia (#21) as the competition returns to its traditional six-game, three matchday format after being played in a four-game, two-date format last year due to the new FIFA windows in years that feature the Olympic Games.
The winner of the tournament will once again be determined by total points (three for a win, one for a tie), with the first tiebreaker being overall goal difference, followed by most goals scored, then head-to-head result and lastly, Fair Play ranking if necessary.
All four teams in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup field were in the women's tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with the USA defeating Australia (2-1) in group play and Japan (1-0) in an extra time thriller in the quarterfinal match. Australia and Colombia will make their first appearances in the SheBelieves Cup, while Japan returns to the field for the third consecutive year and the fifth time overall. The USA has won the last five SheBelieves Cups and has seven titles overall, while France won in 2017 and England took top honors in 2019.
All the U.S. matches will be broadcast on TBS and Universo and streamed on Max and Peacock. All non-U.S. games will also be available on Max and in Spanish on Universo and Peacock.
The schedule will see the USA open the tournament against Colombia on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston (7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET on TBS, Max and in Spanish on Universo and Peacock) while Japan faces Australia at 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET (Max, Universo and Peacock). The teams will then move to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where the USA faces Australia on Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. ET (TBS, Max and in Spanish on Universo and Peacock) and Colombia takes on Japan at Noon MT / 2 p.m. ET (Max, Universo and Peacock). The final two games will take place at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Feb. 26 with the USA facing Japan at 7:30 p.m. PT / 10:30 p.m. ET (TBS, Max and in Spanish on Universo and Peacock) and Australia taking on Colombia at 4:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. ET (Max, Universo and Peacock).
VISA SHEBELIEVES CUP MVP
For the sixth year in a row, Visa, the presenting sponsor of the SheBelieves Cup, will award the MVP trophy to the most outstanding player of the tournament. The award will be announced following the conclusion of the final match on Feb. 26 and with the input of a selection committee comprised of representatives from the four competing nations.
For the fifth year in a row, fans will also get the opportunity to vote for the Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP award using an online ballot to select among a list of finalists chosen by the committee. The fan vote will be incorporated into the overall determination of the 2025 Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP.
Spain attacker Alexia Putellas won the inaugural award in 2020 while the USA’s Rose Lavelle collected the honors in 2021. Macario took home top honors in 2022 followed by Mallory Swanson in 2023 and Sophia Smith (now Sophia Wilson) in 2024.
Additional Notes:
- The average age of the 23-player game roster is 24.9. The average number of caps per player on this roster is 33.2.
- While the last two SheBelieves Cup MVPs – Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith (now Wilson) -- as well as 2021 MVP Rose Lavelle are not on the roster, 2022 Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP Catarina Macario makes her return.
- Macario played in last year’s SheBelieves Cup, which marked her return to the USWNT after a long injury layoff. She would be named to the 2024 Olympic Team but had to withdraw due to persistent knee irritation. She has not played for the USA since June 1, 2024, but has recently returned to form with Chelsea FC in London, playing in 13 games this season, with five starts, while scoring five goals with two assists.
- Among the 2024 Olympians not available for selection to this roster were Trinity Rodman (still regaining her fitness as she rehabs her back injury), Mallory Swanson (personal commitments) and Sophia Smith (not physically ready for National Team competition). Lavelle (recovering from ankle surgery) and Naomi Girma (regaining fitness after recovering from a calf injury), who recently became the first female player involved in a $1 million transfer, going from the San Diego Wave to Chelsea FC, will also miss the tournament.
- Hayes also named three training players who will not be on the game roster but will train with the squad for the duration of the tournament. All three – Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Angel City defender Savy King and Bay FC midfielder Hannah Bebar – are uncapped.
- Tullis-Joyce earned her first National Team call-up at any age level during the USA’s matches in Europe at the end of last year. King, who was traded from Bay FC to Angel City FC on Feb. 3, played in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. She attended the January Futures Camp. Bebar attended the USWNT’s January training camp after being called up to replace the injured and now healthy Lynn Biyendolo.
- There will be four teenagers in training camp in Lily Yohannes (17), King (19), Claire Hutton (19) and Gisele Thompson (19).
- The four uncapped players on the 23-woman roster all represented the USA at a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Tara McKeown in 2018 in France, Claire Hutton in 2024 in Colombia and Michelle Cooper in 2022 in Costa Rica, a tournament in which she captained the team and scored once. Gisele Thompson played in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India and 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
- The call-up for McKeown, who had her first senior USWNT experience at the USA’s 2025 January camp in Florida, represents another step in an interesting career arc. This is the first time the former forward has been named to a USWNT game roster. She switched positions to center back for the Washington Spirit only at the beginning of the 2023 NWSL season.
- Twelve players on the 2025 SBC roster were also on the squad for the 2024 tournament: goalkeeper Jane Campbell, defenders Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Jenna Nighswonger and Emily Sonnett, midfielders Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Heaps, Jaedyn Shaw and Yohannes and forward Macario.
- Yohannes, who signed a professional contract at the age of 15 with Ajax, was born in Springfield, Va., and her family moved to the Netherlands when she was 10 years old. She attended U.S. Youth National Teams camps at the U-15 and U-16 levels and was invited to participate with the U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team prior to 2024 Concacaf qualifying during this World Cup cycle, but commitments to Ajax precluded her participation.
- Yohannes was on the roster for last year’s SheBelieves Cup, but did not play in the tournament. She made her USWNT debut a little less than two months later against the Korea Republic, a match in which she scored. She pledged her international future to the USA on Nov. 11, 2024, and earned her second cap against the Netherlands on Dec. 3, 2024.
- Emily Sonnett will be playing in her 10th SheBelieves Cup and has won the most SheBelieves Cups of anyone on the roster with seven. Alyssa Naeher also won seven SBC titles in her career.
- Dunn will be playing in her ninth SBC while Heaps will be in her eighth.
- The 10 players in their first SBC are Cooper, Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, McKeown, Yazmeen Ryan, Emily Sams, Emma Sears, Ally Sentnor, Alyssa Thompson and Gisele Thompson.
- Biyendolo and Davidson will be playing in their seventh SBC, Fox will be in her fifth, Macario will be in her fourth while Coffey, Shaw, Nighswonger, Albert and Yohannes will all be in their second, although Yohannes did not get off the bench in 2024.
- Sams, the 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year, is the lone player on the roster from the defending NWSL Champions Orlando Pride.
- After making her debut at Wembley Stadium vs. England on Nov. 30, 2024, in front of 78,346 and then earning her second cap against the Netherlands in The Hague on Dec. 3, 2024, Sentnor, the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, makes her first tournament roster for the USA.
