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Jeff Kassouf
Midfielders Rose Lavelle and Croix Bethune will join the United States women’s national team for the first time in 2025 for upcoming games against Ireland and Canada.
The pair of 2024 Olympic gold-medal winners are on the 25-player roster that USWNT head coach Emma Hayes announced on Wednesday. Hayes’ most recent roster also includes four first-time call-ups, a continuation of her goal to expand the player pool.
“We want to continue to improve our understanding of how we want to play and widen the player pool, and those are some of the key goals of this three-game window,” Hayes said in a statement.
“On this roster, we have players with a varied amount of experience, and my priority is to deepen the exposure required for international soccer. These are three challenging matches and as always, we want to win, but also to make sure we are ready for the next steps.”
The USWNT will play Ireland on June 26 outside Denver, Colorado, and again three days later in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lavelle’s hometown. The USWNT will conclude the international window against Canada on July 2 in Washington, D.C.
Naomi Girma is the only player on the roster who does not currently play in the NWSL. Hayes told ESPN last week that she is allowing her European-based players to rest during this international window.
“This is the first opportunity — and the only one — for them to take a break between now and the World Cup in two years,” Hayes said on Futbol W, ESPN’s weekly women’s soccer studio show. “And player welfare and rest and recovery are also important for these players.”
Bethune is back with the USWNT for the first time since the Olympics. She exploded onto the professional scene in 2024, winning NWSL Rookie of the Year and tying the single-season NWSL assists record, but her season was cut short when she tore her meniscus throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at an MLB game in late August.
Bethune has been building her minutes with the Washington Spirit and started in the team’s four most recent matches.
Lavelle, who scored in the Americans’ 2019 World Cup final triumph, returns to the USWNT for the first time since December. She had ankle surgery shortly after those final games of 2024 and only returned to the field for NJ/NY Gotham FC in early June, appearing in limited minutes off the bench in the team’s two most recent games.
“We miss her experience and [we’re] very much looking forward to her coming back,” Hayes told ESPN about Lavelle’s return.
The four players joining the USWNT for the first time are Seattle Reign centerback Jordyn Bugg, NJ/NY Gotham FC fullback Lilly Reale, Kansas City Current fullback Izzy Rodriguez, and Seattle Reign midfielder Sam Meza. All four have been part of U.S. youth national teams and played in youth World Cups.
Hayes has now given 27 players their first USWNT call-ups since taking over as head coach just over a year ago.
Goalkeepers Angelina Anderson and Claudia Dickey are the two other uncapped players on the roster. Mandy McGlynn, who has three caps, is the other goalkeeper in camp
The young and inexperienced roster is the continuation of a trend for the USWNT under Hayes, who has been searching for her core group of players that she will develop for the 2027 World Cup.
Hayes told ESPN last week that she has a better understanding of the player pool now than when she began the job just over a year ago, and she believes she is on track to narrow down the group by the next USWNT camp in October.
“I’d say so,” Hayes said about narrowing her player pool in the fall. “I believe it’s important, though, to — I believe in consistent performances.
“So, I think anybody that’s called up at any given time — I want everybody to know that we’ll watch every game, and if there is a drop in form or there is a drop in consistency, it doesn’t necessarily mean that players leave that pool. But, we expect you to keep pushing all the time because we know what the quality is like worldwide.”
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position (Club) – June/July Matches vs. Ireland and Canada
GOALKEEPERS (3): Angelina Anderson (Angel City FC; 0), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 0) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 3)
DEFENDERS (10): Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride; 1/0), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign FC; 0/0), Naomi Girma (Chelsea, ENG; 46/2), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC; 0/0), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 6/0), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash; 4/0), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current; 0/0), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 4/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 108/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit; 3/0), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 35/2), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; 3/0), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC; 110/24), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign FC; 0/0), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 7/2)
FORWARDS (6): Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC; 80/24), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 6/1), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash; 9/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville; 5/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 9/4), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 19/1)
