Yohannes named to USWNT squad, Rodman, Smith left out

One week after announcing her intent to represent the United States and not the Netherlands, 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes headlines a 24-player USWNT roster for upcoming road matches against England and the Dutch.

The 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning Americans will round out the year against England on Nov. 30 at Wembley Stadium in London, followed by a meeting with the Netherlands in The Hague three days later.

They will be without all three starting forwards from the Olympics — Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson — to allow them to rest lingering injuries after a long season, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said on Monday.

Smith limped off the field at a recent NWSL playoff game after appearing to reaggravate an ankle injury that has bothered her since the Olympics, while Rodman will compete for the NWSL Championship with the Washington Spirit on Saturday.

“Not one of these players want to ever miss a game for playing for their country,” Hayes said. “I want to be really clear about that. But two, I want to make sure these players are prepared for a long time to come. And when you’re in the backend of a season, and you’re playing a lot, and your body’s tired, your mind’s tired, that’s where sometimes it can become risky.”

Hayes has called up goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and forward Ally Sentnor for the first time. Sentnor captained the U.S. team that recently finished third at the U20 World Cup, and she was a standout rookie in the NWSL for Utah Royals FC. Tullis-Joyce, who just turned 28 years old, assumed the starting goalkeeper role at Manchester United this season after the departure of England international Mary Earps.

Hayes has now given 11 players their first senior call-ups since officially starting the job in late May. All seven players who earned their first caps in October are back on the roster for these high-profile road friendlies. Fourteen players have 20 caps or fewer, continuing Hayes’ search for depth and the next generation of talent ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

She could roll out a somewhat inexperienced roster at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 30 in front of a crowd of at least 70,000 fans, as of Monday’s ticket sales.

“I like doing these things,” Hayes said. “I’ve developed rosters over a long period of time. Well, they don’t improve just by having them on the roster. We have to give them the opportunities to do that. I have no fear whatsoever to be able to put out a very different team, if that’s what we choose to do against England, because I think that players are demonstrating — look at last camp, from Alyssa Thompson to Emma Sears to Eva Gaetino — they’re demonstrating that they deserve opportunities to be seen again.”

Fifteen of the 22 members of the 2024 Olympic team were named to this roster. In addition to the absences at forward, midfielder Croix Bethune and goalkeeper Jane Campbell are injured. Fullback Crystal Dunn has been an excused absence from club and international duty for over two months.

Casey Murphy, the team’s backup goalkeeper at the Olympics, is healthy but absent from the roster. Tullis-Joyce and Mandy Haught will back up No. 1 Alyssa Naeher in this camp. Haught made her debut in October after replacing Campbell midway through training camp.

Yohannes returns to the USWNT for her third training camp. She scored 10 minutes into her debut in June against South Korea. She grew up in Virginia before her family moved to the Netherlands when she was 10 years old when her father accepted a job in Amsterdam. Yohannes signed with Dutch power Ajax at 15 years old in 2023. Later that year, as a 16-year-old, she became the youngest player in UEFA Champions League history to start a group-stage match.

Dutch coach Andries Jonker publicly courted Yohannes, who previously said that she was looking into obtaining Dutch citizenship.

But Yohannes decided to represent the USWNT, which she announced last week.

“Getting the commitment from Lily Yohannes is massive for us, and one where I’m so grateful for everyone involved, from Lily to her dad to the federation, and everybody showing the importance of [how] you’ve got to get the plan right when someone like Lily is faced with such an interesting choice,” Hayes said on Monday.

“But she has been really clear, and we had a really good chat with her this week. The camp she came into [in] May was such an enjoyable one for her that she’d been thinking about that ever since, and she really wants to progress now with her international career. She knows she has to work hard with the playing pool being as strong as it is, but I think she’s an exceptional talent, and I’m delighted that we can develop a very young Lily Yohannes over the next few years to prepare her for a future with the national team.

Yohannes thanked both federations for their patience in the process when she announced her decision.

“The U.S. is my homeland, my birthplace, and where my extended family resides,” Yohannes said in a statement. “These strong connections have driven me to honor my roots and proudly commit to U.S. soccer. I am excited and eager to continue putting in the work and earn my place on the U.S. Women’s National Team.”

Twenty-three of 24 players will suit up for each match, which serve as the final two before a mid-January “Futures Camp” in Los Angeles meant to identify new players who haven’t yet earned call-ups.

A trip abroad is a rare one for the USWNT for friendly matches. The Americans last played a non-competitive game outside the U.S. in New Zealand in January 2023 as part of World Cup preparations.

The U.S. lost to England, 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in October 2022.

Hayes said she would like to see more tests like this ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

“Yes, I’d love to, but we’ve got to plan it strategically with people that do that in the background. We are looking to do that when the opportunities present themselves, whether that be in ’25 or ’26. But absolutely, I will push for at least once a year that we could do this. It might not always work out, but I certainly will attempt to do it.”

U.S. Women’s National Team roster by position (club; caps/goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Mandy Haught (Utah Royals FC; 1), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 113)