EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – For U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes, much of the last year has been an exercise in planning for the long-term. She speaks frequently about how learning never stops for players and how teaching is her favorite part of the job, perfectly positioned to have as much information as possible by the time she has to lock in personnel and tactical choices for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. It may be early in Hayes’ reinvention of the USWNT, but in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Portugal, she may have been witness to the biggest takeaway yet – the future just might be now.
Whether or not it was in direct response to the team’s 2-1 loss to Portugal just three days earlier, Hayes used her re-do to make eight changes to Thursday’s lineup, her youth-skewing roster on full display. That was especially true in midfield – out went the trio Sam Coffey, Lindsey Heaps and Rose Lavelle, the starters from the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning team with an average age of 29, and in came Claire Hutton, Lily Yohannes and Olivia Moultrie, a trio with an average age of 19.
The results were instant, with Moultrie scoring a brace in the opening 10 minutes of the game. Her second goal was especially emblematic of the difference between three days and an almost brand-new starting lineup. Yohannes noticed Jaedyn Shaw, another new starter, making a run towards goal and pinged a perfectly-placed long ball in her direction. Shaw needed a second touch on the ball after her first got away from her, but she quickly came through with a backheel pass to Moultrie, who found some space and slotted the ball cleanly into the bottom left corner of the net, making the most of their opportunities on the field.
Even as Portugal’s fifth-minute goal showcased some more room for improvement in the USWNT’s defense and the attack did not generate as many chances on Sunday as it did on Thursday, the success of the U.S.’ new-look midfield was the greatest takeaway as Hayes’ learning period continues. Even outside of Moultrie’s brace, there was a fluidity that was apparent throughout the 90 minutes, even if Portugal’s intensity dropped from Thursday’s game to Sunday’s. Yohannes was perhaps the biggest plus of all in the center of the park as the 18-year-old expertly noticed the teammates in front of her making runs, perfectly picking out passes to them to unlock meaningful goalscoring opportunities.
Moultrie, meanwhile, took her chances well in a competitive spot on the field. While the U.S. midfield failed to cover themselves in glory in their loss, Lavelle was arguably the lone bright spot with the team’s only goal and creative spark that created some meaningful attacking chances. Mountie placed her own name in the hat as Hayes slowly whittles down a list of contenders in time for next November’s World Cup qualification tournament.
Just under two years before a World Cup, it would be hard to describe any player as a lock, nor is there any reason to as Hayes continues a necessary trial period. Even then, USWNT’s youthful midfield feels like an early winner of Hayes’ experimentation process and a much-needed one. The last year of tinkering was as hard a reset as the team has experienced in recent years but Thursday’s outing offered a stark reminder that the USWNT’s midfield was disjointed before Hayes showed up and was one of the team’s areas of weakness during the gold medal run in Paris. A lack of rhythm in the center of the park generally drummed up a stilted attack, and changes there could perhaps unlock the team’s success up top as the offense remains a work in progress.
Amidst many signs of progress for Hayes’ in-development version of the USWNT, the up-and-coming midfield may be its first tangible sign of the head coach leaving her mark on the group.
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