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Welcome back to your weekly column from Sports Illustrated breaking down the women's soccer weekend through a U.S. women's national team lens.
Last week's roster announcement revealed which players did enough over the past several months to secure a place in head coach Emma Hayes's squad for the upcoming home friendlies against Spain on Oct. 10 and 13.
The October international window represents a critical opportunity for players to stake their claim for a USWNT berth ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in November.
With league play on hold for two weeks, let's examine which American players saw their stocks climb or drop this past weekend.
Stock Up
Phallon Tullis-Joyce
At a press conference last week, Hayes stated that Claudia Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce were the leading candidates to start in goal for the USWNT, while also noting that Dickey currently held a slight edge over Tullis-Joyce. "Claudia [Dickey] leads the way," Hayes told reporters.
Well, the competition for that starting position is intensifying. Tullis-Joyce delivered a standout performance in Manchester United's 1–0 victory over Liverpool last weekend. The 29-year-old shot-stopper was pivotal in securing all three points, producing eight saves against 1.98 expected goals on target and recording her side's first clean sheet of the English Women's Super League campaign.
Tullis-Joyce's most spectacular moment arrived in the first half when she pulled off a stunning double save. Hayes will have taken note and now faces some difficult decisions as the battle for the starting position intensifies.
PHALLON TULLIS-JOYCE DOUBLE SAVE ‼️🇺🇸
🎥: @WGolazo
pic.twitter.com/AknR3Q0cND
Kate Del Fava
Utah Royals defender Kate Del Fava has received her first call-up to the senior USWNT after Chelsea's Naomi Girma withdrew from the squad due to injury. Del Fava has enjoyed one of the finest seasons of her career and has featured for every minute of fourth-place Utah's NWSL campaign.
Last weekend, Utah salvaged a point in a 1–1 away draw at Racing Louisville, courtesy of a 90th-minute equalizer from Brecken Mozingo. Racing had taken the lead via a penalty converted by Katie O'Kane, which Madison Hammond conceded. Del Fava completed more passes than any other player in the match (43) and contributed 10 defensive actions, including six tackles and seven successful duels.
Making the step up to international football won't be straightforward for Del Fava, particularly with her debut call-up coinciding with a daunting pair of friendlies against world No. 1 Spain. While she is unlikely to see the field, it remains a significant milestone in her career and demonstrates that consistent NWSL performances can open doors.
Lindsey Heaps
After a sluggish start to her time with Denver Summit, Lindsey Heaps is finding her rhythm again in the NWSL. The USWNT captain netted a brace in the Summit's 3–0 triumph over the Chicago Stars on Sunday. Across her last five matches, she has scored five goals and added one assist.
Heaps can, at times, appear somewhat out of place when representing the USWNT. Hayes frequently deploys her as a traditional midfielder, with a more advanced No. 10 (often Rose Lavelle) operating ahead of her. Does she possess the best ball-carrying, medium-range passing, and press resistance in deeper midfield positions compared to her peers?
What Heaps executed so effectively for Denver this past weekend was her late runs into the box. The timing of her arrivals and physical presence create real problems for defenders when she joins the attack. If her impressive Summit form is any indication, a genuine No. 10 role with the USWNT may be her ideal fit.
Lindsey Heaps slides in to double Denver's lead 💪 pic.twitter.com/kTLZ3uOkG3
Stock Down
Emily Fox
Arguably the USWNT's most dependable performer over recent years, Emily Fox rarely puts in a poor showing. Sunday's 4–2 defeat for Arsenal against Manchester City was one of those uncommon exceptions.
Fox played 81 minutes as her side took the lead on two occasions but ultimately collapsed in the final stages of the match. The Arsenal right back went 0-for-3 on crosses into the box and contested just five duels, winning three of them.
City left winger Lauren Hemp scored twice, with Fox positioned against her for both goals. Hemp's opening goal deflected in off Fox's boot, though the deflection did little to alter the shot's trajectory. For Hemp's second goal from Fox's flank, the American had limited options as she was drawn into a two-versus-one situation. City defender Kerstin Casparij pushed forward into the attack and occupied Fox's attention, leaving Hemp free to finish unmarked.
LAUREN HEMP BRACE 💥@ManCityWomen take the lead! Catch all the Barclays WSL action live on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/QvxPTbdIzf
Avery Patterson
Interestingly, Fox's backup on the USWNT, Avery Patterson, also had a difficult weekend. The Houston Dash right back was unable to shore up her side's defense as they fell to the Washington Spirit 3–2. Patterson has endured a below-par year by her own standards, partly due to Houston's underwhelming season as a whole.
The Spirit's second and third goals did Patterson no favors. On Sunday, the defender pushed too high on both occasions, failed to win the ball in the attacking third, and consequently left space for Washington to break forward and convert. It was a complete defensive collapse from the Dash as they chased the game.
Emma Sears
Hayes continues to back Emma Sears for now, but the Racing Louisville winger's form has shown little improvement. While Sears reclaimed her starting spot in Louisville's 1–1 draw against the Utah Royals, she made minimal impact during her 65 minutes on the pitch.
Sears registered just 19 touches last weekend, completed six passes, created one chance, and managed one shot. Defensively, she went 2-for-7 in her duels. As for that one shot — it wasn't a poor effort, struck cleanly but directly at the goalkeeper from a promising position. The dribble that set it up was undoubtedly her standout moment of the game.
The upcoming international window is a pivotal moment for Sears to cement her place in the USWNT setup. Most likely entering as a substitute, she will need to display her best dribbling, crossing, and vertical play against Spain.
Theo Lloyd-Hughes is a writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer based in the Southern United States. Originally from England, he can often be found in a press box across the NWSL or at international matches featuring the USWNT and other Concacaf nations.