The kids are alright. That was the overwhelming feeling as the U.S. women’s national team closed out the October international window with two wins and one defeat. In Emma Hayes’s short reign as head coach of the USWNT, she has given 25 players their international debut over the past 19 months.
The USWNT kicked off the October window with the worst possible start, throwing away an early 1–0 lead and losing to Portugal 2–1. After making eight changes to her starting XI in the rematch with Portugal, the USWNT bounced back in a big way to win 3–1. The window closed with a 6–0 thrashing of New Zealand, which was much harder to evaluate.
Let’s look at who made their case, and what questions remain from these latest friendlies.
Who made their case?
Olivia Moultrie
The 20-year-old attacker has not been a constant since making her senior national team debut in 2023, but a career-best season in the NWSL with the Portland Thorns has pushed her back into Hayes’s plans. Moultrie grabbed her opportunity with both hands and scored a quick brace in the 3–1 win over Portugal.
Moultrie offers Hayes versatility in the midfield and forward lines. She has the distribution to play deep and help generate passes that move the play forward, setting up chances for others. In a more advanced role, as seen against Portugal, she possesses the ability to finish chances and occupy lethal spaces in the box. It’s a crowded field, but Moultrie is certainly making herself known.
.@olivia_moultrie caught @USWNT coach Emma Hayes' attention right away 🤝 pic.twitter.com/x6WfLQPcJE
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) October 29, 2025
Jordyn Bugg
The 19-year-old center back is making the most of established defenders Tierna Davidson, Alana Cook and Naomi Girma, all being absent due to injury. With poise well beyond her years, Bugg thrived, picking up two starts in both of the USWNT’s wins in the October window.
In the 3–1 win over Portugal, Bugg completed 68 of 69 passes, the most of any player on the pitch. She was calm and confident when building from the back. Unlike the more cavalier approach of Emily Sonnett, Bugg has a way of not committing too early to an opposing forward, which helps squash the threat of second balls.
With only four caps to her name and just over a year in the books as a professional, she still has plenty to learn. However, Hayes may want to keep Bugg around to develop into the role rather than turning straight back to older players once they become available again.
Emma Sears
In the 6–0 win over New Zealand, the Racing Louisville winger scored the first USWNT hat trick in 1,299 days. Known for her blazing pace on the wings, Sears excelled in the October window when it came to drifting more centrally to get the final touch in a passing move and finishing from close range.
Although Sears only had one start across the October window’s three matches, she appeared off the bench in the other two. The 24-year-old was one of just six players on the USWNT roster to appear in all three friendlies, which was an encouraging sign that Hayes knows how she wants the winger to fit into her lineups.
With Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson all missing, having a nose for goals will keep you getting called up to camp.
Not one, not two, but THREE for Emma Sears 3️⃣
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 30, 2025
USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/3WXCeRi4X8
What questions remain?
Mandy McGlynn
When it comes to the goalkeepers, Hayes opted to play Phallon Tullis-Joyce in the first friendly, followed by Claudia Dickey in the second and third friendlies. That left Mandy McGlynn without any minutes during the October window.
It’s been one year since McGlynn made her USWNT debut, and, in that time, her club form with Utah Royals has dipped after a very impressive 2024. McGlynn appears to be the third goalkeeper option on the roster, which opens the door for Hayes to potentially experiment with another in her place.
McGlynn has age on her side, being just 27 years old, which is relatively young for a goalkeeper. While Tullis-Joyce’s shot-stopping remains the best in the group, there is a world in which McGlynn can keep impressing with her feet when the USWNT wants to play out of the back.
Ally Sentnor
The upside of versatile players is that they can be deployed in many roles; the downside is a lack of clarity on their best position. Sentnor hasn’t seemed to have quite nailed down a preferred spot in the USWNT.
Despite often being used as an inverted winger in the NWSL, Hayes has continued to push Sentnor as a central attacking forward or as a false nine. Sentnor hasn’t shown a cutting edge in front of the goal or an ability to link with teammates in tight spaces.
The upside for Sentnor is her set-piece delivery—which earned an assist for Sam Coffey’s goal in the 3–1 win over Portugal—does give her an extra feather in her cap when it comes to Hayes evaluating her forwards.
Sam Coffey subs on and scores to give USA the 3-1 win over Portugal 😤 pic.twitter.com/eKpbpxTnOZ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 26, 2025
Tara McKeown
After McKeown started in the 2–1 defeat to Portugal, and the USWNT conceded two set-piece goals from crosses into the box, she was not seen again in the window. It wasn’t all her fault. The USWNT defense lacked intensity and organization in that first game.
Aerial balls into the box appear to be a weak spot for the USWNT right now, and McKeown will need to be at her best moving forward to show that she can be the solution to the problem. McKeown can be instrumental, building out of the back with the ball at her feet. However, the same adventurous approach she has at the club level with the Washington Spirit hasn’t quite translated to the USWNT.
Hayes hopes McKeown’s confidence and cohesion with her USWNT teammates will grow, allowing her to transform into a key ball passer from deep at the international level. With nine caps for her country, all coming in 2025, it is still very early in the 26-year-old’s USWNT career. The question is whether Hayes will allow more time to go to younger defenders, such as Bugg, Kennedy Wesley, or perhaps even Trinity Armstrong.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Which USWNT Players Made Their Case Against Portugal and New Zealand.
