Defender Naomi Girma will join the United States women’s national team next week for the first time since her world-record $1.1 million transfer to Chelsea in January.
She could play for the USWNT for the first time since December if she appears against China on May 31 or against Jamaica on June 3.
Vice-captain Girma, who USWNT head coach Emma Hayes called “the best defender I’ve ever seen” during last year’s run to an Olympic gold medal, is healthy again and helped Chelsea win the Women’s Super League title and the FA Cup in England.
“You cannot underestimate the importance of players like Naomi Girma to this team,” Hayes said during a Tuesday news conference. “And you know, we’ve been without a lot of experienced players over the last sort of six, seven, eight months, so to start getting some of them back in this camp with Naomi, I think will add a lot of not just quality, but the leadership piece.”
The centerback briefly reported to USWNT camp in January, prior to her world-record transfer to Chelsea from San Diego Wave FC, but withdrew from the camp due to a calf injury that bothered her in the months since.
