Let's Discuss
Playing the Field
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is less than a year away, and US Women’s National Team (USWNT) head coach Emma Hayes still has some tough decisions to make. After more than two years of widening the player pool, Hayes brought 26 players to October camp, which kicked off yesterday at US Soccer’s new national training center outside Atlanta. The roster mixes established stars, returning faces, and first-time call-ups. Now it’s time to figure out who fits.
What’s at stake: The USWNT is back together after more than four months, and star forward Trinity Rodman got off the bus with exactly the right amount of enthusiasm. The team has to find its flow fast because it faces reigning World Cup champion Spain on Oct. 10 and 13. These are its final two friendlies before World Cup qualifying begins later this year — and Hayes still has plenty to sort out. Forward Ashley Sanchez, who hasn’t played for the USWNT since 2024, earned her way back into camp with a record-tying 20-goal NWSL season. Forward Mallory Swanson could play her first US minutes since she scored the winner in the 2024 Olympic final, and her first as a mom. Meanwhile, star defender Naomi Girma, whom Alex Morgan recently called a “generational player,” had to withdraw from camp due to injury concerns at Chelsea. Add open questions about who will anchor the midfield and take the top goalkeeper job, and these matches against the world’s No. 1 team should offer a better sense of who clicks, how deep the roster goes, and where the US still has work to do.
The longer game: The 2027 World Cup may be the immediate goal, but Hayes has to think beyond a single tournament. The LA Olympics follow in 2028, with another World Cup in 2031. That means building a team that can win next summer while continuing to develop the players who could define its future. As Hayes puts it, “You can't always park the development of the generation that will be there for tomorrow.”
Related: Alyssa Thompson Wants Another Shot at the World Cup (theSkimm)
“I love working off of feedback, even from people I've never met,” says the five-time Grand Slam champ. Here’s why she considers it an advantage.
Timeout...
The Indiana Fever are out of the WNBA playoffs, so why are we still talking about them?
Our Well Played co-hosts and friends of the show tackle listener Qs.
Because this story is bigger than their postseason. When the Fever selected Caitlin Clark first in the 2024 WNBA draft, it sparked unprecedented interest, and scrutiny, around the franchise. That attention has also fueled a question that’s been percolating all season: Does the Fever have a fan problem? The debate came to a head during Indiana’s first-round playoff series against the Las Vegas Aces. Fever GM Amber Cox insists attacks on the fan base have “no basis in reality.” Yet star guard and newly unrestricted free agent Kelsey Mitchell (who basketball legend Cheryl Miller says the Fever can’t afford to lose) offered a different perspective. She admitted it’s hard to show up for fans that “may or may not like you.” The tension reflects a bigger conversation across the WNBA about player safety as more eyes land on the league. And with commissioner Cathy Engelbert set to retire at the end of 2026, her replacement will inherit a major question: How does the WNBA keep growing without leaving its players behind?
Featured Expert
Blake Morgan
Multimedia Producer and Cohost of Well Played
PS: Sound off on the sports stories keeping you up at night. Call Well Played at (828) 412-4825 to leave your questions, rants, or rule checks. You could end up on next week's show — and we'd love to hear from you.
No Notes
Let's Discuss
Playing the Field
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is less than a year away, and US Women’s National Team (USWNT) head coach Emma Hayes still has some tough decisions to make. After more than two years of widening the player pool, Hayes brought 26 players to October camp, which kicked off yesterday at US Soccer’s new national training center outside Atlanta. The roster mixes established stars, returning faces, and first-time call-ups. Now it’s time to figure out who fits.
What’s at stake: The USWNT is back together after more than four months, and star forward Trinity Rodman got off the bus with exactly the right amount of enthusiasm. The team has to find its flow fast because it faces reigning World Cup champion Spain on Oct. 10 and 13. These are its final two friendlies before World Cup qualifying begins later this year — and Hayes still has plenty to sort out. Forward Ashley Sanchez, who hasn’t played for the USWNT since 2024, earned her way back into camp with a record-tying 20-goal NWSL season. Forward Mallory Swanson could play her first US minutes since she scored the winner in the 2024 Olympic final, and her first as a mom. Meanwhile, star defender Naomi Girma, whom Alex Morgan recently called a “generational player,” had to withdraw from camp due to injury concerns at Chelsea. Add open questions about who will anchor the midfield and take the top goalkeeper job, and these matches against the world’s No. 1 team should offer a better sense of who clicks, how deep the roster goes, and where the US still has work to do.
The longer game: The 2027 World Cup may be the immediate goal, but Hayes has to think beyond a single tournament. The LA Olympics follow in 2028, with another World Cup in 2031. That means building a team that can win next summer while continuing to develop the players who could define its future. As Hayes puts it, “You can't always park the development of the generation that will be there for tomorrow.”
Related: Alyssa Thompson Wants Another Shot at the World Cup (theSkimm)
“I love working off of feedback, even from people I've never met,” says the five-time Grand Slam champ. Here’s why she considers it an advantage.
Timeout...
The Indiana Fever are out of the WNBA playoffs, so why are we still talking about them?
Our Well Played co-hosts and friends of the show tackle listener Qs.
Because this story is bigger than their postseason. When the Fever selected Caitlin Clark first in the 2024 WNBA draft, it sparked unprecedented interest, and scrutiny, around the franchise. That attention has also fueled a question that’s been percolating all season: Does the Fever have a fan problem? The debate came to a head during Indiana’s first-round playoff series against the Las Vegas Aces. Fever GM Amber Cox insists attacks on the fan base have “no basis in reality.” Yet star guard and newly unrestricted free agent Kelsey Mitchell (who basketball legend Cheryl Miller says the Fever can’t afford to lose) offered a different perspective. She admitted it’s hard to show up for fans that “may or may not like you.” The tension reflects a bigger conversation across the WNBA about player safety as more eyes land on the league. And with commissioner Cathy Engelbert set to retire at the end of 2026, her replacement will inherit a major question: How does the WNBA keep growing without leaving its players behind?
Featured Expert
Blake Morgan
Multimedia Producer and Cohost of Well Played
PS: Sound off on the sports stories keeping you up at night. Call Well Played at (828) 412-4825 to leave your questions, rants, or rule checks. You could end up on next week's show — and we'd love to hear from you.
No Notes
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