With the USWNT still unbeaten under Emma Hayes, GOAL looks at players on the rise after a draw with England, win over the Netherlands
The U.S. women's national team closed out 2024 on-brand: with a win. This was a big year for the USWNT, who leave it with an Olympic gold medal, a 20-match unbeaten streak overall – 15 straight under Emma Hayes – and unlimited amounts of optimism. The foundation has been rebuilt and, as this group heads into 2025, there are myriad reasons to believe.
Before moving onto 2025, though, the U.S. had two final tests in 2024: visits to England and the Netherlands. Friendlies, yes, but these were big games, on the road, in Europe, matches that were a measuring stick – particularly when you account for the absence of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson. These were final tests against the elite before the U.S. could turn the page on a truly game-changing year of soccer.
The two road tests were something of a mixed bag, but leaned positive. After a 0-0 draw with England, the U.S. came from behind to earn a 2-1 win over the Netherlands Tuesday in a game that was the far more eventful of the two. While the England game was largely middling, you saw good and bad from the USWNT in that Netherlands match. It was a game in which several rose to the occasion, and others struggled in ways that opened up new questions.
And of course, more than anything, the two matches – especially Tuesday – rounded off Alyssa Naeher's legendary career with a yet another celebratory moment. She wore the captain's armband in her 115th international appearance, a stretch that goes back to her debut on Dec. 18, 2014, against Argentina.
Naeher is two-time World Cup winner (2015 and 2019) and an Olympic gold medalist, with shutouts in the finals of both the 2019 World Cup and the Paris Games final this summer. Naeher had another huge game, one that served as one final reminder of how hard she'll be to replace as she moves on.
Overall, who stood out? Whose stock rose, and whose fell? GOAL takes a look.
Getty ImagesStock up: Lynn Williams
The game in London showed why she probably isn't a starter against the very best. The game in the Netherlands showed why she should still have a role when playing those elite teams.
Off the bench, Williams is a weapon, and that's exactly what she was in The Hague. Brought in to inject life into the team, Williams subbed in and promptly scored what would be the winning goal, providing her 10th career finish off the bench. Since Williams' USWNT debut in 2016, only Alex Morgan, with 11, has scored more goals off the bench.
It's a key to have a player that can come in and change a game, and that's exactly what Williams is. When you also account for her experience and leadership among a young group, it becomes apparent why Williams can and should stick around. In the 31-year-old winger, Hayes has a perfect, dependable role player.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportStock down: Korbin Albert
Here's the concern for Albert: at this stage of her career, there isn't anything she really does at an elite level. Most teams can find a way to use that, but this isn't most teams. The USWNT demands elite and, when surrounded by some of the world's best at what they do, Albert stands out – or to put it more literally, she doesn't stand out.
The PSG midfielder struggled to really contribute in the match against the Netherlands, although it must be said that the midfield setup wasn't ideal. Even so, it's been a theme when it comes to Albert: it's still hard to figure out what exactly she can offer the U.S. in big games.
Is she a more attacking midfielder? If so, she's behind Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle. Is she a defensive midfielder? Stats say no but, if she is, she's nowhere near Sam Coffey. Has she shown more than Hal Hershfelt or Lily Yohannes, two players she is now battling for central midfield spots? Not really and, with the likes of Catarina Macario, Croix Bethune and Olivia Moultrie also in the mix, what will Albert's role be going forward?
That's the big question Alebrt will have to answer.
Getty Images SportStock up: Yazmeen Ryan
There's still a lot of climbing up the depth chart to do if she wants to really contribute to this attack, but the only way to do that is with standout performances. Ryan had one of those on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Gotham FC star came off the bench to prove the assist on Williams' goal, firing a perfect cross straight into the path of her club teammate. The chemistry was there for all to see in that moment, but it was really Ryan's run and cross that made it all come together.
Spots in the attack are hard to come by in this team, and this group was one without the famous Triple Espresso leading it. Even so, of the newer players, Ryan was the one who had a standout moment, which will only boost her stock as she pushes for more opportunities once that starting three does return in 2025.
AFPStock down: Jaedyn Shaw
One of the big questions heading into this camp was centered around Jaedyn Shaw. Without the starters in attack, could she be the key player? Could she be the star this team needed to carry a shorthanded group? The answer was no or, more accurately, not quite yet.
Starting as a striker, admittedly not her best position, Shaw was ineffective in her 45 minutes, struggling to really do much of anything against the Netherlands. That came after a brief cameo against England but, realistically, this Netherlands game was should have been Shaw's night to dominate.
Instead, it was a reminder Shaw is still very young and very new to all of this. She's done so many good things that it's easy to forget that she still has so much to learn. Just 20, she can't yet carry the attack on her shoulders, and that's OK. Give it a few years time.
Right now, though, Shaw is a piece, not piece. That will likely change soon but, at the moment, there are still some lessons to learn before she's an unquestioned starter in this attack.
