A three-match international window is unconventional, and arguably overly complicated, but for the U.S. women’s national team, a jam-packed schedule seemed to suit them just fine. Between a 2-1 loss to Portugal, a 3-1 win over the same opponent and then Wednesday’s 6-0 win against New Zealand, this month’s friendlies offered a perfect opportunity for the coaching staff to continue collecting as much information on the player pool as possible, all with a long-term vision in mind.
Hayes’ commitment to the trial period is steadfast, to the point that 25 different players have earned their first cap since she started the job in June 2024, outdoing herself on Wednesday by piecing together the least experienced USWNT lineup in 25 years with an average of 17.3 caps between the starters. It was perhaps the most experimental USWNT lineup Hayes has ever named, almost obscuring the specifics of her long-term plans in the process. That is not exactly bad news – Hayes has the benefit of time with the Women’s World Cup almost two years away, now as good a time as any to try new things. There is an inherent pragmatism to the approach, too.
It may be difficult to predict the USWNT’s World Cup starters at this time, but Hayes’ uber-experimental strategy is all in service of a team reinvention she was hired to oversee. Her layered approach has slowly started to reveal itself over the course of the last year and especially so in this month’s friendlies, trials and tribulations, an important part of her years-long process as Hayes’ tactical vision evolves. If anything, the October matches only add intrigue as the preparation for 2027 continues.
Hayes’ commitment to experimentation
Fresh faces have not lacked opportunities to impress since Hayes began to expand the player pool last year, this month working with just seven members of the gold medal-winning team. The head coach made anywhere from six to eight changes to lineup from game to game during this window, all but one player – goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn – getting a run out over the course of the month. The list of names was wide-ranging on Wednesday, with center back Kennedy Wesley earning her first cap from the start and fellow defender Eva Gaetino coming on as a substitute a few days after earning a promotion from the concurrent U-23 national team camp.
Hayes went one step further with her experimentation against New Zealand, specifically in defense – not only did her back line have a combined 11 caps before the game, Emily Sams started at right back despite typically being deployed as a center back. Wednesday’s match was a perfect opportunity to tinker, both in terms of personnel and tactics, since the Football Ferns were obviously second-best in a game in which the U.S. had 82.3% of the ball and outshot the opposition 33 to two.
The approach has fostered the truest sense of competition for playing time and roster spots that the USWNT has seen in quite some time, and in just about every position on the pitch. While Hayes will have to select a brand-new goalkeeper after Alyssa Naeher’s international retirement, it creates a fascinating dynamic as Hayes inches closer to next November’s World Cup qualification tournament – and as veterans return to the fold following injuries and maternity leave.
The youth revolution is here
The USWNT’s experimentation period was always in the cards when Hayes was hired but to some degree, the head coach was forced into it. She has been without the triple espresso of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson for much of the last year, and the same goes for starting center backs Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson. Each of them still feel like contenders for starting roles once they return to full fitness but no matter how the competition shakes out, one thing feels crystal clear – Hayes’ rosters for future major competitions will likely be jam-packed with young players, no matter which ones make the cut.
Hayes has been as patient as possible with her integration of the next generation but in the October friendlies, her lineups progressively getting younger and younger over the course of the window. The starters have usually had a healthy mix of veterans but Hayes has begun to let the fresh faces fend for themselves, the group clearly earning more trust from the coaching staff – and taking advantage of their opportunities. The likes of Lily Yohannes, Olivia Moultrie and Emma Sears had standout moments during the international break, making a case for themselves to be starters in not only the long-term but the short term.
The U-23 national team also continues to have an oversized role as an incubator of talent for the senior team, the groups now having held several concurrent camps over the course of 2025. Hayes used the October international break as a chance to observe the first few days of the U-23 camp and promote Gaetino as a result, but has big plans for the youth team. Hayes warned that key players may shift between the two national teams at times, believing experiences at the U-23 team more valuable than riding the bench with the seniors and that participation at major youth tournaments is vital to a player’s development.
A much-needed trial period
The intensive approach to experimentation should not come as much of a surprise, in large part because Hayes has been open about how player development is her favorite part of the job, nor has she been cautious about keeping one eye on the future. Look no further than her decision to exclude Alex Morgan from the 2024 Olympics roster, choosing form – and ultimately youth – over experience despite her incredibly short run-up to the competition.
Hayes almost suggested in the build-up to Paris that the roster was never going to be an accurate reflection of her vision for the team, but rather a best-case scenario for the work done by her predecessors. She often credited Twila Kilgore, the interim head coach who filled in as she completed her final season with Chelsea, with introducing new players to the fold but mentioned on several occasions that she inherited an experience issue. The coaches who came before her were often overly reliant on veteran talent, even in the “off” years from major international tournaments.
It eventually led to a lost generation of talent; Hayes’ heavy experimentation is primarily tackling that problem. It is an approach that feels like a direct response to the issues that plagued the USWNT before Hayes’ arrival, chiefly that the midfield felt unresolved and the attack had become stale, all with a very ambitious objective in mind. If Hayes can pull it off, the end result just might be the creation of the most expansive and competitive version of the USWNT’s player pool in recent memory, a layered vetting process that will hopefully ensure the team contends for major titles for another cycle.
