Naomi Girma and Sam Coffey are returning to the United States women’s national team, with their pair of WSL standouts named in Emma Hayes’ squad for October’s friendlies against defending World Cup champion Spain. NWSL top scorer Ashley Sanchez has also earned a recall on the back of her MVP-caliber performance with the North Carolina Courage. Sanchez has already set an league record for goals in a season by an American player, already up to 20 in 26 matches.
With another goal, Sanchez will break Temwa Chawinga’s overall scoring record. An attacking midfielder, Sanchez’s most recent cap came in October 2024, in a friendly against Argentina early in Hayes’ tenure. Hayes largely leaned on established members of her core for the 26-player squad, adding four uncapped players on the back of strong seasons in the NWSL.
A member of the 2023 Women’s World Cup squad, Sanchez failed to get on the field that summer and has since been a peripheral figure as positional alternatives like Lavelle, Jaedyn Shaw, and Croix Bethune have been preferred by Hayes. Sanchez’ recall may help explain the absence of Shaw, whose brace over the weekend brought her to nine goals for Gotham this season. Shaw has been a regular part of the national team setup following the last World Cup, with 17 caps earned in the explorational 2024 and 16 more caps since the start of 2025.
The question this window, and in subsequent ones, is how much of Sanchez’s stellar performance with North Carolina will carry over with the national team. The Courage’s team is built to cater to her strengths, allowing her to serve as chief facilitator as well as the team’s primary scoring threat. Hayes’ team already has plenty of players who are comfortable with those responsibilities, and while no team can ever have too many decisive game-breaking options in the final third, it’ll be up to the coaching staff and Sanchez to find the right way to maximize her considerable threat.
Also among those selected is Mallory Swanson, who was involved in the team’s June camp but who didn’t see the field in two contentious friendlies against Brazil. Her last cap for the national team was her goal-scoring, gold medal-winning showing in the 2024 Olympic final. Swanson has appeared in just one of the struggling Chicago Stars’ five most recent games as she works back from injury and the birth of her daughter late last year, but earned Hayes’ faith while co-headlining the Olympic team with fellow “Triple Espresso” front-liners Trinity Rodman and Sophia Wilson – both also selected for the October friendlies.
All eight defenders selected have made at least seven appearances for the USWNT, including young options like Kennedy Wesley, Gisele Thompson, and Lilly Reale. Girma’s return should help refine the team’s play in the defensive third and give a vital primary focal point in possession sequences, as Girma often leads the team in touches whenever available. However, she will be lacking in match fitness, having not appeared for Chelsea due to injury since early September.
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