Sophia Wilson is set to make her return to the US women’s national team next week. She is part of a 23-player roster named by Emma Hayes for friendlies against Japan.
Wilson’s Return After Maternity Leave
Wilson last played for the US on 27 October 2024, as a substitute against Iceland in a friendly. In March 2025, she announced her pregnancy and did not play for the US or her club team, Portland Thorns, that year. Her daughter, Gianna, was born in September 2025.
The 25-year-old Wilson returned from maternity leave for the Thorns last month. She started her first game last weekend in a win over the Kansas City Current.
She has shown ample initiative off the ball and in pressing as she works to get back to her world-class best in front of goal. While she has yet to score, she’s already logged 158 minutes across four games, including 67 minutes last weekend against Kansas City.
Davidson Back After ACL Injury
Gotham FC defender Tierna Davidson is also returning to the USWNT. She has been out for about a year with a torn ACL.
She has come off the bench in each of Gotham’s last three matches in NWSL play.
Davidson has proven a natural complement to Naomi Girma along the back, offering a veteran’s awareness in all phases, capable aerial defending and dangerous line-breaking distribution.
Friendlies Against Japan
Japan won the AFC Women’s Asian Cup earlier this year. They conceded only one goal and scored 29 en route to the regional crown.
- The US first play Japan on 11 April at 5.30pm ET in San Jose, California.
- They then play again on 14 April at 10pm ET in Seattle.
- The series finishes on 17 April in suburban Denver, where the teams will kick off at 9pm ET.
Hayes Finalising Roster
Hayes’s most notable inclusions are a trio of reigning gold medal winners. Jane Campbell is also back among the goalkeepers, having seemingly supplanted Casey Murphy as this cycle’s resident veteran. Campbell has long been among the NWSL’s best goalkeepers with the Houston Dash, and is a viable contender to earn starts.
Campbell joins Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Claudia Dickey in the goalkeeping corps. Tullis-Joyce has had a strong season with Manchester United, and held Bayern Munich scoreless in the opening leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final. Dickey is
Hayes’s grand experiment of examining the depth of the USWNT pool gave 27 players their international debuts. The nearing Concacaf W Championship – and, through it, qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil – has forced her to establish some continuity. Given the ample turnover since the Paris Olympics, it’s worth identifying the players who have been selected more often than not in recent windows.