Depleted U.S. to experiment in Olympic rematch

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- United States women's nationalist squad manager Emma Hayes said she feels assured successful her team's antiaircraft unit up of an Olympic golden medal-game rematch against Brazil, contempt the "extremely unfortunate" wounded to center-back Tierna Davidson.

Davidson tore her ACL past week and volition miss the remainder of 2025. The USWNT was already without chap starting center-back Naomi Girma, who is dealing with a calf injury, heading into Saturday's crippled astatine SoFi Stadium.

"Without Naomi Girma, without Tierna Davidson, this is the close clip to make individuals first," Hayes said astatine a quality league Friday. "I've been truly wide that this camp, the adjacent 2 camps, determination is going to beryllium experimentation, and that means that the connections connected the tract mightiness not beryllium arsenic strong, but we get a accidental to spot wherever the idiosyncratic improvement is successful that."

Defenders Crystal Dunn and Emily Sonnett are the astir elder defenders connected the existent roster. They are joined by immoderate young and little experienced players similar center-back Tara McKeown, who earned her archetypal caps successful February, and fullback Avery Patterson, who is successful her archetypal campy with the USWNT.

Hayes said connected Friday that she would "drip-feed" young players into games alongside veterans to marque definite that little experienced players are acceptable up for success.

"What I person noticed successful this campy is the spread closing crossed the committee wrong the team, and that's our archetypal starting point," Hayes said.

The USWNT volition besides play Brazil connected Tuesday successful San Jose, California. The Americans won the 2024 Olympic last 1-0 successful August to seizure a 5th Olympic golden medal for the program.

The USWNT is without astir fractional their starters from that game. Forward Sophia Wilson (nee Smith) is connected maternity leave, guardant Mallory Swanson is connected idiosyncratic leave, and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher precocious retired from planetary duty. In summation to injuries to Girma and Davidson, Rose Lavelle -- a longtime mainstay successful midfield -- is besides sidelined.

Forward Trinity Rodman has returned to the squad, however, for the archetypal clip since the Olympics aft dealing with chronic backmost problems. The 22-year-old said precocious that she might not ever beryllium 100% healthy.

"I deliberation the back's precise hard due to the fact that you can't debar utilizing it astatine each infinitesimal successful a game, each infinitesimal of your day-to-day life," Rodman said connected Friday. "For me, it is astir absorption and grooming my backmost to beryllium successful definite positions truthful I'm not overworking different muscles to overcompensate for it.

"It's been an absorbing and hard journey, but it's been bully getting back."

Hayes said she volition negociate Rodman to marque definite she doesn't propulsion her excessively hard excessively soon. Rodman made her archetypal commencement of the NWSL play for the Washington Spirit past weekend.

Forward Catarina Macario is expected to play a important relation for the USWNT implicit the adjacent 2 games against Brazil, which is her commencement country. Macario was calved successful Brazil and moved to the U.S. with her household successful 2012. She acquired U.S. citizenship successful 2020 and received her archetypal call-up to the USWNT connected the aforesaid day.

"I haven't thought astir it excessively much," she said Friday astir playing Brazil. "But volition evidently beryllium precise peculiar -- benignant of similar a full-circle moment."

Hayes expects Brazil to bring precocious unit defensively, which volition unit her squad to marque speedy decisions. On Friday, she cited the celebrated Mike Tyson punctuation astir however everyone has a program until they get punched successful the face.

"Let's spot what we're similar erstwhile we've been punched successful the game," Hayes said. "That's thing that I deliberation we're acceptable up to bash successful the enactment that we're doing some connected the transportation and successful the classroom."