10 USWNT stars and standouts to watch during the NWSL playoffs

The NWSL playoffs are here. The league’s first-ever eight team bracket is set and the quarterfinals begin Friday when Shield winner Orlando hosts Chicago. The semifinals will take place the following weekend and the final is set for Nov. 23 in Kansas City. 

Before all the chaos ensues, here’s a look at this weekend’s matchups:

• No. 1 Orlando Pride vs. No. 8 Chicago Red Stars, 8 p.m. ET on Friday (Prime)
• No. 4 Kansas City Current vs. No. 5 North Carolina Courage, 12 p.m. ET on Saturday (CBS)
• No. 2 Washington Spirit vs. No. 7 Bay FC, 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday (ABC)
• No. 3 NJ/NY Gotham vs. No. 6 Portland Thorns, 3 p.m. ET on Sunday (ABC)

There will be plenty of U.S. women’s national team stars to watch. From familiar faces like Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman of the Triple Espresso, to rising stars like Yazmeen Ryan and Emily Sams. As U.S. manager Emma Hayes gets going in this new cycle, we’ll likely see different players called into training camps as we did in October when six players earned their first caps. The squad has one final window this year when it travels to Europe to play high-profile opponents England and the Netherlands, and we should expect Hayes to use those matches for even further evaluation as she continues to develop and broaden the player pool with an eye looking ahead to the 2027 World Cup.

With that in mind, here’s a look at 10 players (in no particular order) who are competing in the NWSL playoffs and could soon play major roles for the USWNT.

Mallory Swanson, Chicago Red Stars

Swanson needs no introduction here. The USWNT superstar scored the winning goal vs. Brazil in the gold medal match this summer, and was recently honored for playing in her 100th cap. The Triple Espresso – which includes Swanson, Smith and Rodman – combined to score 10 of the USWNT’s 12 goals at the Olympics and five of the nine assists.

Swanson, however, has not scored for the Red Stars since the Olympic break. The 26-year-old forward has seven this season, and has built a reputation for coming up big in big moments. Chicago will need her to do that if it’s going to pull off an upset over top-seeded Orlando in this weekend’s opening game.

Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns

The Thorns are hoping Smith can be at full strength for a deep playoff run. The 24-year-old star missed a handful of games while rehabbing an ankle injury that nagged her following the Olympics, and has been building her minutes back up ever since. 

During the last USWNT camp in October, Smith came off the bench in all three matches and provided an immediate spark and contagious energy each time she came on the pitch. In fact, she scored 16 minutes after subbing on in the Americans’ first match vs. Iceland.

She’s scored 12 goals for the Thorns this season, which is good for the third most in the league, including in the club’s final regular season win over Angel City last week.

Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit

Rodman missed the USWNT’s October window to stay with the Spirit while she continued to rehab a back injury. She suffered a back spasm during a match in September and had to be taken off the field in a wheelchair.

Rodman has scored eight goals and added six assists for the Spirit this season. She scored three goals for the USWNT at the Olympics, including a thrilling extra-time game-winner in a 1-0 win over Japan in the quarterfinal. Having her at full strength will be important for the Spirit, which has lost several key players to injuries this season.

Ashley Sanchez, NC Courage

Sanchez is relieved to be back in the fold for the USWNT after a tumultuous year. She was a member of the 2023 World Cup squad, but didn’t get any playing time and was told that would be the case ahead of time. Then in January, she was “shocked and heartbroken” to be traded from the Spirit to the Courage.

While the adversity was initially difficult to overcome, Sanchez has responded with vengeance. The creative midfielder has scored five goals and added four assists for her club this season, and was rewarded with a call up from Hayes during the last U.S. camp in October.

Emily Sams, Orlando Pride

Sams has a fun fact that not many other people in the world can claim: she won a gold medal before she even appeared in a USWNT match. That’s because the Pride defender was named as an alternate for the U.S. at this summer’s Olympics, and while she never played in a game, she still earned a medal by making a game-day roster due to Tierna Davidson needing to sit out with an injury.

In Orlando, Sams has been a critical piece along the back line and helped the club win the Shield this season. She finally made her first international appearance for the national team in October when she started in the second match vs. Iceland, and there will be many more caps to come.

Yazmeen Ryan, NJ/NY Gotham 

Ryan is a young, versatile player who was called into her first USWNT camp last month. While she may be new to national team fans, Ryan has played in the NWSL for four years and has already won two championships – one with the Thorns in 2022, and then last year with Gotham.

Ryan, who has started nearly every match for Gotham this season, could become a fixture on Hayes’ rosters in the future. Especially because she can play multiple positions in the midfield and on the forward line, which Hayes very much values when evaluating players. 

Claire Hutton, Kansas City Current

Hutton is the one player on this list that has yet to earn a national team cap. But that could be coming soon. She played on the U-20 squad that finished in third place at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in September, and is one of a few rising stars that appears ready for a shot with the senior team.

The talented midfielder could be part of the “futures camp,” or a talent and identification camp, that Hayes plans to run concurrently with the senior team’s training in January in Los Angeles. Hutton, who is a prolific dribbler in the midfield, has been a regular starter for the Current and has been central to the club’s success this season. 

Hal Hershfelt, Washington Spirit

Like Sams, Hershfelt was an alternate at the Olympics this summer. She did not earn a medal (unlike Sams, she was not named to a match-day roster), but earned her first senior team cap during the October window
 

The 23-year-old midfielder was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NWSL draft, and has started nearly every match for the Spirit this season. Hershfelt is well-regarded by Hayes, who has quickly integrated her into the national team. Even though she’s only made one USWNT appearance so far, the experience she has from being on the team at a major tournament will serve her well in the future.

Olivia Moultrie, Portland Thorns

Moultrie, 19, was the youngest player to be called into the USWNT’s October training camp. She last played for the national team during the Concacaf W Gold Cup in February and March, scored two goals and helped the squad win the tournament. She was also on the roster for the SheBelieves Cup in the spring, but did not get any playing time.

Moultrie didn’t make the Olympics roster – she was recovering from a knee injury at the time and missed a handful of games for the Thorns – but has returned to form in time for the playoffs.

Casey Murphy, NC Courage

One of the biggest storylines that doesn’t get discussed enough is who will succeed Alyssa Naeher in goal when the time comes? The logical answer right now is Murphy, who has 20 caps and 15 clean sheets for the national team. Naeher will be 39 years old at the next World Cup. Murphy, who served as the backup at the 2023 World Cup and the Paris Olympics, is 28 and has extensive experience. 

She has a major challenge in Saturday’s NWSL quarterfinal, though, facing Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga (20 goals this season) and Kansas City’s high-flying offense. There’s no doubt that Hayes will be watching.

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.

---

---