NEW YORK (Reuters) – United States’ first tournament without Alyssa Naeher will provide a shot for fresh talent between the sticks, as the four-times World Cup winners look to start a new chapter without the veteran goalkeeper at the SheBelieves Cup.
Naeher stepped down from international duties late last year after keeping 12 clean sheets and conceding only a dozen goals in 22 starts at the World Cup and Olympics, helping the U.S. team to their fifth gold in Paris.
When they open their latest SheBelieves campaign against Colombia on Thursday, the team will look to either 2023 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Jane Campbell or Utah Royals’ Mandy McGlynn, who has made only one appearance for the U.S.
“With both of them, they’re both extremely talented and again, both very eager to just get on the field, get the connections, get the relationships and show what they have,” Arsenal right back Emily Fox told reporters on Tuesday.
Campbell and McGlynn are far from the only candidates to replace Naeher, however, with Paris Olympic backup Casey Murphy a prime choice along with Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
“We have so much talent in our goalkeeper pool,” said defensive midfielder Sam Coffey.
“It is a really exciting time and opportunity for them to kind of come into this position where it’s kind of open and there is an opportunity to really, you know, take a shot at it.”
The United States play in their 10th SheBelieves Cup without some of their most familiar faces, as Trinity Rodman recovers from a back injury and Mallory Swanson opts out due to personal reasons.
The third member of the U.S. attacking trio, Sophia Wilson – who changed her last name from “Smith” after marrying NFL wide receiver Michael Wilson last month – is also regaining her competitive strength, U.S. Soccer said.
Four of the seven forwards called up have four or fewer caps for the senior national team, while fans will cheer the return of Chelsea forward Catarina Macario, who had to withdraw from the U.S. Olympic team due to knee irritation.
“While it’s a totally different vibe and there’s a lot of new energy, fresh faces and, you know, there’s challenges in navigating that in certain moments, I think there’s so much opportunity for us as a team to continue to deepen our player pool, to continue to layer in our understanding of tactics and the way we want to play,” said Coffey.
The United States play their first match of the four-team invitational round robin tournament against Colombia at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium, while Japan and Australia face off on Thursday at the same venue.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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