"There'll be changes to the team, as I mentioned at the beginning. So I'm putting together a whole new lineup, which itself will bring another set of challenges, whether that be first caps, whether that will be inexperience, collectively playing together,"
"One thing I have almost agreed to do, knowing where the players are at this stage of the season with their NWSL club, is to not start a player for two games."
"This window is about identifying which players we think will be key to that group, or that core group. Then it's which players are going to be instrumental to that pool, and then which group are for 2028 and which ones are for 2031. It's doing two or three things all at once, but that's what development is,"
Emma Hayes will make significant lineup changes for the friendly against Chile, introducing first caps and inexperienced players to the USWNT. The January camp will function as a testing ground to identify players who will form the core for World Cup qualification and for longer-term cycles aimed at 2028 and 2031. A policy under consideration is to avoid starting any player in two consecutive games due to NWSL season timing. The friendly at Santa Barbara's Harder Stadium will be the USWNT's first full international match at that venue. Preparations continue toward the SheBelieves Cup against Argentina, Canada, and Colombia.
Read at ESPN.com
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