The 2025 season is in the books for the U.S. women’s national team. And what a year it has been.
The USWNT closed out the last international window of the year with two shutouts over Italy, including a 3–0 win in Orlando on Friday and a 2–0 victory in Fort Lauderdale on Monday night.
The USWNT finished 2025 with a 12-3-0 record, with the three losses coming to Japan, Brazil and Portugal. The USWNT was undefeated under Emma Hayes entering ’25 and is now 25-3-2 since she became manager in June ’24.
As World Cup qualifying preparations build, let’s look at who made their case and what questions remain after these latest friendlies.
Who made their case?
Catarina Macario
This international window may well be remembered as the Macario window. After years of anticipation, these friendlies against Italy showcased a player who has now crystallized herself at the heart of the USWNT’s attack.
Macario started both games against Italy and scored three goals (a brace in the first friendly and the opening goal in the second friendly). The sumptuous chipped finish in the second friendly was one of the best technical strikes in recent program history.
Emma Hayes' reaction to Cat Macario's unreal chip says it all 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/s6zqKVPa6X
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 2, 2025
No USWNT player has scored more goals than Macario in 2025 (eight). The Chelsea forward has also now scored seven goals in her last seven starts for her country. She is a favorite to be crowned the USWNT’s Player of the Year for 2025.
It has been a long journey for Hayes and Macario. Hayes signed Macario when she was the Chelsea manager in 2023. At the time, the forward was recovering from an ACL tear that would keep her sidelined for almost two years. This year with the USWNT has been the result of years of hard work between player and manager.
“She’s got a little swagger back,” Hayes said Monday night. “And that matters to her, not to me, because I always think she puts in great performances. But I saw tonight that there really is another level to her, to go in her words, not mine, and I think I know how she feels when she’s in this environment, like she feels valued and seen and supported.”
Jaedyn Shaw
Flashback to a year ago, and Shaw was requesting a transfer from the San Diego Wave to the North Carolina Courage. Go back six months, and Hayes was demoting Shaw to the U.S. U23 squad. Rewind 10 days, and Shaw was lifting the NWSL Championship with NJ/NY Gotham FC after a stunning string of playoff performances.
It’s been a whirlwind year for Shaw, but she ended it in electric style. Shaw scored her first USWNT goal of 2025 with a rocket, set up by Alyssa Thompson, to make it 2–0 on Monday night. The goal epitomised the freedom she has been playing with since moving to Gotham in September and reigniting her career.
But Hayes highlighted Shaw’s defensive work in this window. Shaw forced the turnover that led to Macario’s opening goal against Italy on Monday night. That tenacity over 90 minutes is new and will boost Shaw’s chances of becoming a more regular starter.
“I’m so proud of Jaedyn and the growth in her game. I’ve said it before, she can score a million goals for the work she does for the team, defensively, stands out to me that has been the biggest work on for her, I’m so pleased for her,” said Hayes.
She came, she Shaw, she scored a screamer for the @USWNT 🇺🇸✨pic.twitter.com/iyoxsocTbu
— Gotham FC (@GothamFC) December 2, 2025
Lily Yohannes
The USWNT midfield is looking as good as it has in many years, and a big part of that is Yohannes’s passing ability. The OL Lyonnes midfielder was at her quick-thinking best in the friendlies against Italy and finished the window with two assists.
Yohannes wasn’t given the start in the 3–0 win over Italy on Friday, but wasted no time in making an impact off the bench. Just five minutes after entering the match, Yohannes dinked a pass behind the Italian backline for Macario to run onto and score.
In the second match against Italy, Hayes opted to start Yohannes. The Macario-Yohannes connection was on display again. What’s so impressive about Yohannes's second assist for Macario is the awareness to play the long pass early and to hit the exact space she knows her teammate can run into. The spin that Yohannes can get on the ball is something few players have in their tool belt.
When Yohannes plays, the pitch feels bigger. This latest window was yet another example of how the 18-year-old is becoming a key part of Hayes’s plans.
Cat Macario's last two games:
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 29, 2025
vs. New Zealand: ⚽⚽
vs. Italy: ⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/VIWapa0RCA
What questions remain?
Jordyn Bugg
With no tournaments or qualifying games in 2025, this year has been about gaining experience for young players.
Hayes has handed 27 players their first cap for the USWNT, with 16 earning their debuts in 2025. Jameese Joseph and Kate Wiesner were the latest two players to make their first appearances for the USWNT this week against Italy.
One of those 2025 rookies is 19-year-old center back Bugg, who impressed against Italy. Bugg earned the fifth cap of her career in the second friendly against Italy and played the full 90 minutes. She was brilliant, muting the Italian attack and earning the shutout.
However, while Bugg’s calm demeanor on the ball under pressure is what makes her such a capable player, Hayes is not yet claiming that her place on the USWNT is guaranteed. The USWNT manager emphasized the improvement she wants to see from Bugg.
“Jordyn Bugg is a huge talent. Is she a player that is ready for now? No, I don’t think she is. I think she’s got great potential. She’s a high-potential player that has to develop the experience to be able to play at the highest level, and that’s why we play her in these situations,” Hayes said.
“She’s got to improve aerially at the top level. She knows that. We made that clear to the whole back line. Tonight, we’d only won 25% of our aerial duels, which was not acceptable.”
Mandy McGlynn
With the USWNT’s No. 1 goalkeeper, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, unavailable due to an eye injury, this was a window where Mandy McGlynn could’ve had some time on the pitch. Instead, the Utah Royals goalkeeper was left as an unused substitute in both matches, and Claudia Dickey assumed the role of USWNT starter.
For now, there appears to be a clear pecking order. Tullis-Joyce is the starter, Dickey is the backup and McGlynn is the No. 3. Hayes doesn’t seem to see too much value in getting McGlynn minutes and would rather get Dickey comfortable should she need to keep deputizing, or even contend for the starting spot.
Izzy Rodriguez
Izzy Rodriguez is coming off a career year in the NWSL with the top-of-the-standings Kansas City Current. The 26-year-old left back played every match for the Current, led the league in assists (6) and was named in the NWSL Best XI of 2025.
But Rodriguez is entering a USWNT defensive pool that is highly competitive and brimming with young talent. Avery Patterson and Lilly Reale, who both earned their first caps for the USWNT in 2025, appeared to already be ahead of Rodriguez in Hayes’s estimation.
Despite being on the roster for these Italy friendlies, Rodriguez was not active for either match and did not play a single minute. This was a bit of a surprise and a bitter pill to swallow for any player with aspirations to impress.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Hayes opted to give Weisner her first USWNT start at left back against Italy Monday night rather than try Rodriguez.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Which USWNT Players Made Their Case Against Italy.
