"I've achieved nearly everything I dreamed of in this sport and gave all I had to give." "I'm ready to embrace the life that awaits me on the other side. I look forward to spending more time with my family and being a more present mom. This was not a decision made lightly, but was one made with immense gratitude for everything I've experienced as a professional soccer player."
Defender Naomi Girma will return to the United States national team for the first time in nearly five months for a pair of upcoming friendly matches against Italy. USWNT coach Emma Hayes named her 26-player roster on Wednesday. It included two first-time call-ups and several other returning players, but it does not feature forward Trinity Rodman, who just returned to the field briefly on Saturday for the Washington Spirit after spraining the MCL in her right knee in October.
"Positionally, attacking wise, we were much, much better in all phases of the field. I think it's a good lesson," Hayes said after the match. "The goal we conceded was an exact moment of not jumping out in the wrong moment. Didn't quite get a detail right, and as we keep telling the players: At the highest level, those details matter. So, I have a coaching opportunity around the goal."
The disclosure by Hayes came on the same day that USWNT forward Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams) and her husband Marley announced on Instagram that they are expecting their first child. It also comes in the wake of a similar initiative announced by FIFA last year. Biyendolo joins a list of current players on the USWNT who either recently gave birth or are pregnant. Sophia Wilson gave birth to her daughter, Gianna, last month, while Mallory Swanson is expecting the arrival of her first child later this year.
Everywhere fans turned on Thursday at Subaru Park, there were reminders of Alex Morgan's illustrious United States national team career, from the eponymous pink pre-wrap station outside the gates to a Morgan bobblehead handed out to the first couple thousand fans through the gate. U.S. Soccer honored the career of Morgan on Thursday as the current USWNT faced Portugal at the same stadium where Morgan scored the first of her 123 international goals, which ranks fifth in program history.
The United States women's national team will face New Zealand on Oct. 29 in Kansas City, Missouri, the U.S. Soccer Federation said on Thursday. The match marks the third and final match of the October international window. The USWNT will play two games against Portugal, the first taking place at Subaru Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. on Oct. 23, which will also feature a retirement ceremony for USWNT legend Alex Morgan prior to the match.
