Six Gotham FC players were named Monday to the U.S. women’s national team roster for a pair of upcoming European friendly matches, making the NWSL team the roster’s most represented club.
Gotham’s Rose Lavelle, Tierna Davidson and Lynn Williams are among the names headlining the USWNT for this marquee trip abroad.
Gotham defenders Jenna Nighswonger and Emily Sonnett and forward Yazmeen Ryan also earned the call-up to the 24-player roster, offering perhaps some solace after Gotham’s hopes of repeating as NWSL champions were dashed in the playoff semifinals Saturday when the Washington Spirit beat them in a penalty shootout.
The U.S. women’s national team, which features 15 players from the team that won Olympic gold this summer in Paris, is set to play England on Nov. 30 in front of an expected crowd of more than 70,000 at Wembley Stadium before facing the Netherlands three days later at ADO Den Haag Stadium in The Hague.
The second match will have an added layer of intrigue after 17-year-old sensation Lily Yohannes, a star midfielder for the Dutch club AFC Ajax, recently opted to represent the U.S. instead of the Netherlands.
“In terms of our schedule, this is the end of a wonderful year, but we’re still at the beginning of our process of building towards qualifying for the next World Cup,” U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes said in a statement. “So, this trip will be about testing ourselves against two world class teams with opportunities to develop our roster. We will continue to build relationships on and off the field and I’m really excited to work with this group as we continue to set the stage for 2025.”
England and the Netherlands made it to the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in the past two cycles. England was the runner-up in the 2023 World Cup, and the Netherlands fell to the U.S. in the 2019 final.
The U.S. notably will be without its elite “Triple Espresso” front line of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, who are sitting out the upcoming games to deal with nagging injuries.
Gotham forward and three-time Olympian Crystal Dunn, who’s missed the past few months due to what has been labeled an “excused absence,” also won’t be making the trip for the red, white and blue.
Here’s the full roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Mandy Haught (Utah Royals FC; 1), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 113)
DEFENDERS (9): Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 64/3), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 60/1), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 1/0), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 42/2), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit; 59/0), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC; 1/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 17/2), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 2/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 101/2)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 20/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 26/1), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 159/36), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 108/24), Lily Yohannes (Ajax, NED; 1/1)
FORWARDS (6): Yazmeen Ryan (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 2/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 2/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals FC; 0/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 19/8), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 11/1), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 73/20)