The dynamic U.S. women’s national team trio of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson need time to heal from nagging injuries and won’t travel for upcoming matches in Europe.
U.S. coach Emma Hayes announced her roster Monday for friendly matches against England and the Netherlands. She left the three forwards, who were nicknamed “Triple Espresso” at the Paris Olympics, off the 24-player squad.
All three players were on club teams that made the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs. Rodman plays for the Washington Spirit, which will play in the league championship match on Saturday against the Orlando Pride.
Without the three players who helped the United States win the gold medal at the Olympics, Hayes will field a younger squad with an eye on developing for the future.
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The team will face England at Wembley Stadium on November 30 before visiting The Hague to play the Netherlands on December 3.
“In terms of our schedule, this is the end of a wonderful year, but we’re still at the beginning of our process of building towards qualifying for the next World Cup,” Hayes said in a statement. “So, this trip will be about testing ourselves against two world class teams with opportunities to develop our roster. We will continue to build relationships on and off the field and I’m really excited to work with this group as we continue to set the stage for 2025.”
The roster includes 15 players from the Olympic team and two players who have never appeared in a U.S. match: Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Utah Royals forward Ally Sentnor.
The roster also includes 17-year-old Lily Yohannes, who recently announced she would play for the United States on the international level. Yohannes was born in Virginia but she’s lived in the Netherlands since she was a child, and was eligible to play for either national team.
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