USWNT Stars Shine Bright: Who Seized Their Moment Against Portugal and New Zealand
The future looks bright. That was the prevailing sentiment as the U.S. women's national team wrapped up their October international fixtures with two victories and one loss. During Emma Hayes's brief tenure as USWNT head coach, she has handed 25 players their first international caps across the last 19 months.
The USWNT began the October series with a disappointing start, squandering an early 1–0 advantage and falling to Portugal 2–1. Following eight alterations to her starting lineup in the Portugal rematch, the USWNT responded emphatically with a 3–1 triumph. The series concluded with a dominant 6–0 victory over New Zealand, though this result proved difficult to assess meaningfully.
Let's examine who strengthened their position, and what uncertainties persist following these recent exhibitions against Portugal and New Zealand.
Who strengthened their position?
Olivia Moultrie
The 20-year-old forward hasn't been a regular fixture since earning her senior international debut in 2023, but an outstanding NWSL campaign with Portland Thorns has brought her back into Hayes's considerations. Moultrie seized her moment brilliantly, netting a rapid double in the 3–1 victory against Portugal.
Moultrie provides Hayes with flexibility across midfield and attacking positions. She possesses the passing range to operate deeper and help create forward momentum, establishing opportunities for teammates. In an advanced position, as demonstrated against Portugal, she shows the composure to convert chances and find dangerous areas in the penalty box. Competition is fierce, but Moultrie is definitely establishing her presence.
.@olivia_moultrie caught @USWNT coach Emma Hayes' attention right away 🤝 pic.twitter.com/x6WfLQPcJE
Jordyn Bugg
The 19-year-old central defender is capitalizing on the absence of established defenders Tierna Davidson, Alana Cook and Naomi Girma, all sidelined through injury. Displaying maturity beyond her age, Bugg excelled, earning two starts in both USWNT victories during the October window.
In the 3–1 triumph over Portugal, Bugg completed 68 of 69 passes, more than any other player on the field. She remained composed and assured when building attacks from defense. Unlike Emily Sonnett's more aggressive style, Bugg demonstrates patience in not engaging opposing forwards too early, which helps neutralize secondary attacking threats.
With only four international appearances and just over a year of professional experience, she has considerable room for growth. Nevertheless, Hayes might prefer to retain Bugg for development rather than immediately reverting to veteran players when they return from injury.
Emma Sears
In the 6–0 rout of New Zealand, the Racing Louisville winger netted the first USWNT hat-trick in 1,299 days. Recognized for her explosive speed on the flanks, Sears impressed during the October window by drifting into central areas to provide finishing touches to attacking moves and converting from close range.
Though Sears started just once across the October window's three fixtures, she came off the bench in the remaining two. The 24-year-old was among only six USWNT squad members to feature in all three friendlies, suggesting Hayes has clear ideas about how to utilize the winger in her tactical setup.
With Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson all unavailable, demonstrating a clinical finishing ability will ensure continued call-ups to camp.
Not one, not two, but THREE for Emma Sears 3️⃣
USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/3WXCeRi4X8
What uncertainties persist?
Mandy McGlynn
Regarding the goalkeeping position, Hayes chose to field Phallon Tullis-Joyce in the opening friendly, then Claudia Dickey in the subsequent two matches. This left Mandy McGlynn without any playing time throughout the October window.
It's been twelve months since McGlynn earned her USWNT debut, and during this period, her club performances with Utah Royals have declined following an impressive 2024 season. McGlynn seems to be the third-choice goalkeeper, which could prompt Hayes to trial another keeper in her position.
McGlynn benefits from her youth, being only 27 years old, which is relatively young for a goalkeeper. While Tullis-Joyce's shot-stopping remains superior within the group, there's potential for McGlynn to continue impressing with her distribution when the USWNT seeks to play from the back.
Ally Sentnor
The advantage of multi-positional players is their deployment flexibility; the drawback is uncertainty about their optimal role. Sentnor hasn't appeared to establish a definitive position within the USWNT setup.
Despite frequently operating as an inverted winger in NWSL competition, Hayes continues positioning Sentnor as a central striker or false nine. Sentnor hasn't demonstrated clinical finishing or the ability to combine effectively with teammates in congested areas.
Sentnor's strength lies in her set-piece delivery—which provided an assist for Sam Coffey's goal in the 3–1 Portugal victory—giving her additional value when Hayes evaluates her attacking options.
Sam Coffey subs on and scores to give USA the 3-1 win over Portugal 😤 pic.twitter.com/eKpbpxTnOZ
Tara McKeown
After McKeown started in the 2–1 loss to Portugal, where the USWNT conceded two set-piece goals from crosses, she didn't appear again during the window. The blame wasn't entirely hers. The USWNT defense lacked urgency and structure in that opening match.
Aerial deliveries into the penalty area seem to be a vulnerability for the USWNT currently, and McKeown must perform at her peak to demonstrate she can address this issue. McKeown can be influential when building attacks from deep with her ball-playing ability. However, the same adventurous style she displays at club level with Washington Spirit hasn't fully transferred to international football.
Hayes anticipates McKeown's confidence and understanding with her USWNT colleagues will develop, enabling her to become a crucial deep-lying playmaker at international level. With nine caps for her country, all earned in 2025, it remains early in the 26-year-old's USWNT journey. The question is whether Hayes will allocate more opportunities to younger defenders like Bugg, Kennedy Wesley, or potentially Trinity Armstrong.
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