The U.S. Women’s National Team started this year right where it left off at the end of 2025. Following back-to-back shutout wins over Italy in November and December, the USWNT won 6-0 against Paraguay and 5-0 against Chile this past week to conclude its annual January training camp.
Even with many familiar names missing and two of the least-capped starting lineups in decades, the squad still put up two strong performances that set the tone for the rest of the year heading into World Cup qualifiers.
Here are the biggest storylines coming out of this January camp:
A Month Full of Firsts
The firsts started on Jan. 8 when the camp roster was announced, and Maddie Dahlien, Reilyn Turner, Riley Jackson and Sally Menti all earned their first call-ups. The quartet, along with late replacement Ayo Oke, earned their first international caps, becoming the 286th-290th players to debut for the USWNT. Emma Hayes has now debuted 32 players in her first 32 matches as head coach.
“I literally can’t stop smiling,” Jackson said after earning the start against Chile. “My whole soccer career has led up to this moment, so I had a lot of emotions coming into the game, but once I got settled in, it just felt like another game. Then, I looked down, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I’m wearing the crest.’ I never want to take this jersey off. This is where I want to keep pushing to be.”
Turner became the 25th player in U.S. history to score her first international goal in her first appearance, slotting home the opening goal just before halftime in the match against Paraguay. Croix Bethune, Jameese Joseph and Emily Sams joined Turner as the other players to score their first international goals during this camp.
Bethune, Sams, Jackson, Oke, Izzy Rodriguez and Gisele Thompson also recorded their first international assists in the two matches. Oke, who earned her debut against Chile, assisted Bethune on the match’s opening goal. Both players grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and competed with club team Concord Fire.
“This has definitely been a dream for as long as I can remember,” said Oke. “Just being able to accomplish it means everything. [The assist to Croix], I think it’s the Atlanta connection. I just saw her in that space, and I knew she would get on the end of it.”
Returning and Emerging Stars
January’s camp marked the return of forward Trinity Rodman, who had last played for the U.S. in April of 2025 and had with various injuries throughout the last year and a half. Ahead of the opener against Paraguay, Rodman re-signed with NWSL club Washington Spirit for a record-breaking deal that made her the highest-paid player in league history.
Rodman was the most tenured player among the camp’s roster; she entered with 47 caps among a group that averaged 6.3 caps per player. She wore the captain’s armband for the first time against Paraguay and scored in both matches, producing viral moments during her celebrations with head coach Emma Hayes.
“I’m really happy I got to be in this camp after being out for so long,” Rodman said. “For me, it was just that I stayed fit and ready through the offseason, just because of the injuries that I dealt with. I felt really goodout there. I felt like myself again, and it’s been a while since I’ve said that. I hope that continues and this set a good foundation for the Spirit.”
Rodman’s Washington Spirit teammate, Bethune, also had an impressive camp. The midfielder earned her sixth and seventh National Team caps and assisted Emma Sears on the final goal against Paraguay. She looked as though she scored her first goal in that match, but it was ruled an own goal. She quickly earned her redemption against Chile and netted the opener 18 minutes into the match.
“I think it’s been the best camp I’ve seen from Croix,” Hayes said. “She’s clever. She can unlock things. She can see a pass. I can feel that Croix is going to take another level in her game, so that’s great for us.”
Another name Hayes spoke high praises about was Emily Sams, who Hayes named the captain against Chile in what was her ninth international appearance. She scored her first USWNT goal, and the third of the match, in the 33rd minute off a cross from Sears. The duo linked up again less than a minute into the second half, this time Sams earning her first international assist.
The 26-year-old was a part of the 2024 Olympic squad and has since earned consecutive call-ups to the National Team. Rodman said the defender has “natural leadership” and is the “most competitive person [she has] ever seen,” sentiments that Hayes echoed.
“Emily Sams, without question, leads by example,” Hayes said, “not just in terms of being competitive, but the standard she holds for herself. She’s a great teammate, very thoughtful and caring and kind. She hasn’t got a lot of caps for us, but she’s always ready.”
Laying the Foundation
The goal of 2026 for the U.S. Women’s National Team is qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup via the Concacaf W Championship in November. Hayes explained that the squad for qualifiers will be determined throughout the year, starting with January’s camp.
The team is now just over a month out from the 11th annual SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa®, where the USA will face 30th-ranked Argentina, 20th-ranked Colombia and 10th-ranked Canada, who will also be competing against the U.S. in the Concacaf qualifiers. This tournament will be the next step toward the end-of-year roster building, especially considering the more tenured players who were not present during the camp.
“We have a minimum of 17 possible players that I think will be in contention for SheBelieves that are not here,” Hayes said at the start of camp. “So, which six to eight players are now competing from this group to join them? We’ve got to give ample opportunity for any player to hear the message from me that this is not set, but we do have to push forward with a core group, which SheBelieves will be about.”
Hayes explained that those in this camp who will not be a part of World Cup qualifiers this year are still building the team’s foundation for tournaments in the future, including the 2028 Olympics and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She said the execution against Paraguay and Chile among the less-experienced lineups shows the direction the team is heading.
“The way that we coach the players is that it doesn't matter who's got the crest on, you know what that is expected in that role,” Hayes said. “We always know the U.S. produces players that can win soccer games, but I feel like we have learned how to break opponents down in much different ways, where the expectation is high again, on the team. That's the level that this program sets, and I feel like we're returning to a level that was here a while ago.”
