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
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