USWNT 2027 World Cup roster predictions 3.0: Wilson and Davidson return, a possible goalkeeper shift?

USWNT 2027 World Cup roster: Wilson and Davidson rejoin squad, goalkeeper battle looms

James Okafor | GlobalBeat

Crystal Dunn’s retirement opened two left-side spots and forced coach Emma Hayes to recall Tierna Davidson while Sophia Wilson’s knee rehab ended her 14-month exile, according to the third roster projection released Monday.

The 23-player list shows Alyssa Naeher keeping the starter’s gloves by inches over Jane Campbell after a shaky SheBelieves Cup, an assessment that contradicts February staff briefings that called the position “secure.”

Hayes took over in May 2024 pledging generational change but injuries to Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario plus Mal Swanson’s pregnancy slowed the turnover. The average age of Monday’s predicted squad is 27.3, down only fractionally from the 2023 finals group.

Defensive reshuffle
Davidson, 25, last wore the shirt at the 2023 send-off match and tore her ACL weeks later. She has started 11 of 12 NWSL games for Gotham, evidence the staff cited for restoring her to the depth chart. “We are not sentimental,” assistant coach Denise Reddy told reporters on a call. “Tierna wins duels in zones where we were exposed in Concacaf.”

The projection pairs Davidson with Naomi Girma in central defense, pushing Alana Cook to the alternate list and dropping Becky Sauerbrunn into an informal player-coach role. Staff said Sauerbrunn, 40, would travel to camps but is unlikely to dress in group-stage games.

Wilson’s return edges Ashley Hatch out of the 23, a decision that drew immediate scrutiny after Hatch’s 4 goals in 6 matches for Washington Spirit. Wilson, 24, scored once in 10 appearances since returning from knee surgery in February, yet scouting notes praise her counter-pressing value. “Sophia changes angles for us,” Reddy said. “That trait doesn’t show in box scores.”

Goalkeeper uncertainty
Naeher, 35, conceded 5 goals across 3 SheBelieves Cup matches and misplayed a back-pass that led to Brazil’s opener. Campbell posted 3 clean sheets for Houston this season and has narrowed the gap to 0.04 expected goals prevented per 90, analysts inside U.S. Soccer told the paper. The projection still lists Naeher as number one, a choice one staffer called “50.1 to 49.9.”

Third keeper Aubrey Kingsbury, 33, keeps her slot over 19-year-old standout Neeku Purcell, who started 5 games for Seattle after her freshman year at Stanford. Coaches want Purcell to receive U-20 minutes this summer rather than ride the bench in Brazil, sources said.

Midfield squeeze
The headline midfield change is the omission of Lindsey Horan, who has 158 caps. A persistent calf issue limited her to 347 minutes for Lyon since January and forced staff to leave her off, though her locker-room influence keeps her on speed-dial. “If horan proves fitness by March, she will jump straight back in,” Reddy confirmed.

Rose Lavelle and Sam Coffey retain starting roles, while Korbin Albert moves from bubble player to projected starter beside Coffey in Hayes’ double pivot. The staff likes Albert’s ability to hit diagonal passes that exploit the wide channels opened by new wing-back system.

On the flanks, Trinity Rodman and Jaedyn Shaw lock down starting roles, leaving Mallory Swanson’s roster spot dependent on medical clearance following her April delivery. Swanson is penciled as an alternate, the same status given to young winger Alyssa Thompson, who turns 20 in November.

New faces
The only uncapped inclusion is 18-year-old midfield prodigy Claire Hutton, whose 88 percent passing accuracy for Kansas City has tracked as the best in the league for teenagers. Hutton would fill the developmental slot previously held by Jaelin Howell, now surplus after a loan spell in Sweden.

Defender Emily Mason, 23, earns her first projected berth after 2 goals and 2 assists from right-back for San Diego. Coaches value her switch-pass range and view her as cover for injured right-back Emily Fox, whose return from ankle surgery is set for September.

Absent veterans
Besides Horan and Hatch, veteran absentees include goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who retired from international duty in March, and defender Abby Dahlkemper, dropped after average ratings in the Gold Cup. Forward Midge Purce misses out with a hamstring tear, while Lynn Williams’ Achilles recovery has stalled, leaving her off the list entirely.

Pay dispute backdrop
The roster release lands amid fresh labor friction. Players filed a grievance Thursday claiming USSF backtracked on equal-pay bonuses tied to World Cup qualifying tickets. Federation officials declined comment, but the protest could flare again if bonuses for Brazil 2027 are not settled by the October window. “We expect negotiations to continue,” MLSPA counsel Mark Levinstein said. “Nothing is resolved.”

Background

The USWNT failed to medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, losing to Spain in the quarter-finals and triggering the dismissal of coach Twila Kilgore. Hayes, fresh from guiding Chelsea to four consecutive Women’s Super League titles, signed a four-year deal and vowed to slash the average age while restoring a high-line identity last seen under Jill Ellis during the 2019 triumph.

American keepers have started every World Cup match since 1991, a run spanning 49 games. Briana Scurry, Hope Solo and Naeher combined for 39 clean sheets in that stretch, but the position has looked shaky since Solo’s 2016 exit. Naeher’s save percentage in 2024 dipped to 63, her lowest in any calendar year with 10 or more starts.

What’s Next

Hayes will convene a 28-player training camp in Carson, California, starting July 6, where fitness tests and two closed-door friendlies against Mexico will decide 5 cuts before the September qualifying tournament in Panama. The final roster must be submitted to FIFA by June 30, 2027, but the staff aims to lock selections by March after the SheBelieves Cup return leg in Europe.

The projected shake-up signals Hayes is willing to bench household names, a message that could reverberate through NWSL locker rooms this summer. Form, not fame, will decide who boards the charter to São Paulo.