Welcome back to your new weekly feature from Sports Illustrated that analyzes the women’s soccer weekend from a U.S. women’s national team perspective. If you missed the opening edition, check it out here.
Time is flying, and the National Women’s Soccer League is already three weeks and four matchdays old. This past weekend was the penultimate matchday before the FIFA international break, and the final slate on the schedule before manager Emma Hayes drops her next roster.
This week, Hayes is expected to announce her roster for next month’s three friendlies against Japan on April 11, 14 and 17. Here is the latest USWNT stock up, stock down analysis.
USWNT Stock Up
Reilyn Turner
Now in her third season, Reilyn Turner has quietly gone about her business as one of the best aerial threats in the NWSL. That was plain to see when she leapt up in front of Kansas City Current goalkeeper Lorena and flicked the ball behind her and into the goal to make it 2–0 to the Portland Thorns on Saturday.
A looooooooong ball from Jayden Perry finds Reilyn Turner to head it over the keeper 💫
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 28, 2026
Portland leads 2-0! pic.twitter.com/6Z6O2Sv2KY
A long ball out the back, knocked on in the air by a forward, is commonly known as “Route 1.” It’s not pretty or sophisticated, but somehow Turner made it look both of those things. The jittering steps to watch the flight of the ball, the deft use of neck muscles. Even Turner’s ability to ghost past the last defender was silky.
Hayes and the USWNT are not necessarily looking for a target forward, and yet no forward on the roster can quite match Turner on crosses. That being said, Turner is more than just a target. The 23-year-old is great at running onto through balls and can start as a winger who makes late runs into the box to finish.
Sophia Wilson
While Sophia Wilson didn’t get on the scoresheet, she did hit the post and win a penalty in the Thorns’ 2-0 win over the Current. But more than just causing havoc in the box in the first and half, and drawing the foul, the 25-year-old showed off a silky first touch and burst of pace that we hadn’t quite seen since she returned from maternity leave.
Wilson is getting sharper every week. Along with that sharpness comes more minutes. Wilson made her first start of the season on Saturday and came off in the 68th minute. This was her longest continuous stretch on the pitch since the birth of her child in September 2025. Previously this season, she had picked 13, 31 and 45 minutes in the Thorns’ three other matches.
Hayes has spoken about not wanting to rush Wilson back to USWNT duty and her not quite being ready for the SheBelieves Cup. But this upcoming window may just be the right time.
Claudia Dickey
It’s no secret that the Seattle Reign are often at their best when they’re defending a lead. Their recent 2–1 win over Racing Louisville epitomized this, with goalkeeper Claudia Dickey showing up to get things over the line.
Seattle went into halftime with a 2–0 lead, converting on two out of three shots. In the second half, the Reign were outshot, 11–3, with Dickey making five saves to seal the win. If it weren’t for a last-minute goal off the bar by Macy Blackburn, she would have had a clean sheet. The Reign are set up to do the simple things right and not be too adventurous. That tactic requires Dickey to be at her best.
USWNT Stock Down
Croix Bethune
After three consecutive defeats, it’s fair to say some understandable frustration was plain to see on Croix Bethune’s face. The midfielder was shown a yellow card for her only foul of the game, while she was fouled three times and put under siege by her opponents, the Portland Thorns.
For a playmaker assumed to be one of the league’s best, a 70-minute outing where she failed to create a chance will sting. Bethune was clearly targeted and marked out of the Kansas City Current’s 2–0 loss in Portland. Still, one would like to see the 25-year-old find a way to get into better positions and not be allowed to be pushed into fighting for her life in the wide areas.
Bethune missed the last USWNT camp due to availability issues, and her place in the next roster feels precarious. Current manager Chris Armas is already under pressure due to his team’s woeful start to the season. Getting the best out of Bethune should be high on his list of priorities.
Jameese Joseph
It is now four matches without a goal contribution for Jameese Joseph to start 2026. The forward has started all of the Chicago Stars’ three defeats, the latest being a 68-minute showing this past weekend in the 2–0 loss to the San Diego Wave. The 23-year-old had just 23 touches, zero shots, and zero chances created in that game.
Joseph was a breakout star of the USWNT’s January camp and the SheBelieves Cup, but it feels like the competition for places is heating up and she is falling behind the likes of Turner and Wilson on recent form. Of course, this isn’t all down to her. The Stars’ slow start to the year isn’t helping.
Jaedyn Shaw
A hamstring injury has kept Jaedyn Shaw from seeing the pitch for three consecutive matches. Time will tell just how bad the injury is and whether she is available for selection by Hayes for the upcoming April friendlies. Another weekend inactive won’t help her case.
Gotham FC certainly needs the 21-year-old creative attacker back in their lineup. Gotham’s only win of the season, a 1–0 win on the opening day away to Boston Legacy, came when Shaw gave a 90-minute player of the match performance. Since then, the Bats are 0-1-2 and have failed to score in all three of those games.
More NWSL from Sports Illustrated
- Denver Summit Smashes NWSL Attendance Record With First Game at Mile High
- NWSL Power Rankings: Angel City Keep Flexing on Matchday 2
- USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Emma Sears Makes Her Case in NWSL Action
- Denver Summit to Acquire Yazmeen Ryan, Delanie Sheehan From Houston Dash
- Inside Lucia Di Guglielmo’s Move From Italy to the Washington Spirit
This article was originally published on www.si.com as USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Portland’s Reilyn Turner Takes Off.
