The U.S. Women’s National Team opens its 2026 campaign in Southern California against Paraguay on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Dignity Health Sports Park (DHSP). After closing 2025 with four consecutive wins, the USWNT looks to keep the momentum rolling in its first appearance of the year.
Here are five storylines heading into the weekend:
1. She's Back
The 26-player January training camp roster features the return of forward Trinity Rodman, who played in just one USWNT match in 2025, a 2-0 win against Brazil in which she scored the game-winning goal. Rodman was called into the October USWNT camp but was replaced after suffering an MCL strain during the Concacaf W Champions Cup. The 23-year-old has the most caps (47) and goals (11) of anyone on January’s roster, and as one-third of the dynamic Triple Espresso attack that led the USWNT to Olympic Gold in 2024, Rodman will look to set the tone in the group's 2026 debut.
2. Fresh Faces
Five players received their first call-ups to the senior U.S. Women’s National Team: forwards Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign FC) and Reilyn Turner (Portland Thorns FC), midfielders Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage) and Sally Menti (Seattle Reign FC), and defender Ayo Oke (Denver Summit FC), who replaced Avery Patterson due to illness. Most of the players have competed on various U.S. Youth National Teams, including Dahlien and Jackson, who featured in all five U.S. U-23 WNT events in 2025. They make up five of the six uncapped players on the roster alongside goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz of Bay FC.
3. Celebrating Christen Press
Prior to Saturday’s match, former USWNT forward and Los Angeles native Christen Press, who announced her retirement from professional soccer last October, will be honored for her historic international career. Press, who is slated to be the featured guest on the U.S. Soccer Podcast on Wednesday, Jan. 28, scored 64 goals for the USWNT – including one at DHSP in 2020 – finishing ninth all-time in team history.
4. SoCal Soccer
No venue has hosted more USWNT matches than Dignity Health Sports Park dating back to soon after the stadium opened in 2003. Under various names, DHSP has staged 21 for the U.S. Women’s National Team, most recently at the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. The USWNT held a 19W-0L-1D record at DHSP before losing its most recent match 2-0 against Mexico on Feb. 26, 2024 in the Gold Cup group stage.
The match in Carson will be a homecoming for nine players on the roster who hail from Southern California. Trinity Rodman (Laguna Niguel), Tara Rudd (Newbury Park), Kate Wiesner (Monrovia), Kennedy Wesley (Seal Beach), Lo’eau LaBonta (Rancho Cucamonga), Gisele Thompson (Studio City), Jordyn Bugg (El Cajon) and Reilyn Turner (Laguna Beach) will have the opportunity to play in front of hometown friends and family. Oliva Moultrie also lived in Orange County for a time as a youth soccer player.
5. USWNT History vs. Paraguay
The USWNT does not frequently match up against Paraguay, which is ranked 46th in the world and fourth in South America behind Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. The teams have only met twice, and both were in Ohio in September 2021. The USWNT defeated Paraguay 9-0 in the USA’s first match after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, headlined by a five-goal performance from forward Carli Lloyd. Five days later, the USWNT won 8-0 against Paraguay where Cincinnati-native Rose Lavelle recorded a goal and three assists in front of her hometown fans.
