2025 In Review: Talent Development, Cat's Resurgence and a New No. 1 Goalkeeper

While 2025 wasn’t quite as exciting as 2024, what with the United States women’s national team winning an Olympic gold medal and hiring Emma Hayes, the squad still had an impactful and productive year. 

The United States spent a lot of time developing its broader player pool. The inaugural Futures Camp in January turned out to be a valuable way for Hayes and her staff to identify up-and-coming talent that could not only start competing with the senior team now, but maybe become part of a core group Hayes plans to have at the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. 

Over the course of the year, Hayes called up 16 new players to the USWNT, an important step in exposing more players to the senior team environment and creating depth. The squad went an impressive 12-3 in a year when it didn’t have a full-strength Triple Espresso – Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith welcomed baby girls, while Trinity Rodman battled injuries – and experimented with the players it did have. It was also a year in which Hayes seemed to have made progress in finding a new starting goalkeeper after Alyssa Naeher retired at the end of last year (more on that later).

The Americans closed out the year with a pair of victories over Italy and while the group is earning praise for a successful first full year under Hayes, the manager wants everyone to know that they’re really just getting started.

"We’re still cooking," Hayes told reporters earlier this month. 

With that, here’s how 2025 went down for the USWNT, and what’s to come in 2026:

A Year of Growth and Development

Hayes called in an unprecedented 16 new players to the senior team roster, the most in program history. Many of them had been part of the 24-player Futures Camp roster in January, including midfielder Claire Hutton, defenders Avery Patterson, Lily Reale and Jordyn Bugg, and forward Jameese Joseph. They figure to play important roles with the team moving forward.

Washington Spirit defender Kate Wiesner, who made her first-ever USWNT start in the team’s final match of the year on Dec. 1, became the 50th different player to start a game in Hayes’ short tenure. 

What does this all mean? For starters, Hayes has cast a wide net in terms of who she thinks can contribute to the team now and help it win a World Cup in 2027 and another Olympics in 2028. It’s safe to say that in a few years time, we will be able to look back on 2025 as a pivotal moment in the squad’s chase for more trophies.

Overcoming Adversity

The U.S. suffered three losses this year, but the most disappointing and shocking was a 2-1 defeat to Portugal in October. After Rose Lavelle scored in the opening minute, the United States failed to find the back of the net again.

It was the worst loss in the Hayes’ era, and after the game, she told reporters, "I didn’t recognize us. We didn’t look like the team that we’d been working on." She also described the individualistic play as a game of "whack-a-mole."

The team hadn’t played together since July, but it was still unacceptable for Hayes, and players weren’t willing to use the 113 days between matches as an excuse.

However, the squad showed it’s capable of learning from mistakes and bouncing back quickly. Three days later, the USWNT beat Portugal 3-1 behind a brace from Olivia Moultrie and another goal from Sam Coffey.

Gaining Goalkeeper Clarity

Ever since Naeher announced her retirement at the end of 2024, we’ve been talking about who will be her successor. Hayes played four goalkeepers in 2025: Jane Campbell, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Claudia Dickey and Mandy McGlynn.

Hayes has been high on Tullis-Joyce, who played in four matches and recorded two clean sheets. She started every WSL match for club Manchester United and was a co-winner of the Golden Glove award. Meanwhile, Dickey, who plays for the Seattle Reign, started six matches with five clean sheets. She closed out 2025 with four straight starts for the U.S., which included three shutouts.

It looks like 2026 could be an opportunity for one of these players to gain an edge.

A Big Year for Cat Macario

Striker Cat Macario has been through the injury ringer. Her first cap with the USWNT was in 2021, but she has only made 29 appearances since then. She’s been hampered by knee injuries that kept her out of big career moments like the last World Cup and Olympics.

This year, she’s been fit and healthy, and led the USWNT with eight goals – doubling the amount of goals she's scored for the squad since 2021. The Chelsea forward scored the USWNT’s first goal of the year against Colombia during the SheBelieves Cup, and then closed the year scoring goals in the final three matches (including braces in back-to-back games against New Zealand and Italy). She also added two assists.

Hayes has a special relationship with Macario, whom she recruited to play for her at Chelsea. She knows how hard Macario has worked to get back on the pitch and believes the best is still yet to come.

"Have we seen the best Cat Macario yet? Absolutely not," Hayes told reporters earlier this year. "How long will that take? I always tell players this: they need to play continuously, stay on the field. I think getting through this [club] season for her and getting another preseason under her belt, I think we'll start to see it go up another level. 

"She's a wonderful soul and someone that is so desperate to do well for our program."

Looking Ahead to 2026

There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the U.S. in 2026 since the team will have to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil later in November.

Will we see the return of Triple Espresso with a healthy Rodman and Swanson and Wilson back from maternity leave?

At what point will we know who makes up the "core group" that Hayes is eyeing to be part of the 2027 World Cup roster? There’s been continuity in rosters this past year, but still a handful of players who are on the bubble.

Will we get more separation in goal between Tullis-Joyce and Dickey?

These are some of the critical questions for the team as it rings in the New Year. 

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.