The U.S. women’s national team’s rebuild continues this month at the SheBelieves Cup, where the best version of a new-look team might finally hit the pitch as a handful of players return from injury and another batch of young talents begin to make their case before July’s Olympics.
This month’s squad is headlined by Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario, who are back in the team after spells on the sideline with long-term knee injuries. The two are obvious candidates to bolster the team’s attack, while 16-year-old Lily Yohannes and 21-year-old Eva Gaetino could be the latest to earn their first caps as the USWNT coaching staff continues to plan for the present and the future.
While the SheBelieves Cup will likely serve as another period of experimentation for interim head coach Twila Kilgore, the emergence of younger players puts pressure on some of the team’s veterans. It is worth remembering that few invitees to this camp are actually out of the running at this point in time. Even if there’s uncertainty around their spots on the roster or in the lineup, that could change in time for Emma Hayes to make her picks for Paris.
It merely means that the longtime players have just as much to prove as their less…
