USWNT Takeaways: Who Made Their Case vs. China and Jamaica | OneFootball

After falling to Japan and Brazil in the previous two FIFA international windows, the U.S. women’s national team returned to outright domination.

A 3–0 win over China and a 4–0 win over Jamaica showed just how impressive Emma Hayes’s team can be against lower-ranked nations. After this window, the USWNT is now 18-2-2 with Hayes at the helm.

Hayes has said that by the end of June, she wants to evaluate who is in her core group moving forward. With no major tournament for the USWNT in 2025, we’re now halfway through a year of experimentation.

Let’s look at who made their case, and what question marks remain from these latest friendlies against China and Jamaica.

Who made their case?

Ally Sentnor

Seven goals were scored by five different goalscorers over the two games, with Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo both registering braces against Jamaica.

While Biyendolo’s double off the bench is exactly what we’ve come to expect from the veteran forward, Sentnor emerging as a more clinical finisher in the box was a welcome development. Sentnor’s six shot attempts (four on target) were the most of any player during this window.

At 21, Sentnor is still developing her game. Whether she is a true winger or a more central striker is up in the air. And there’s a good chance Hayes is enjoying that fluidity.

Against Jamaica, Sentnor started wide on the right but was given license to drift inside, with Emily Fox advancing from the defense. Both of Sentnor’s goals were from central areas.

“This performance will get her a lot of confidence,” Hayes said of Sentnor’s two-goal outing against Jamaica.

“She [Sentnor] has got an ability inside the box that you can’t teach. She knows where the back of the net is, and if she gets a chance, she takes it. Not only was she in the right position to do that, but she executed.”

Phallon Tullis-Joyce

This wasn’t a very eye-catching window for goalkeeper Tullis-Joyce. But that says more about China and Jamaica’s inability to create chances. After all, Tullis-Joyce was forced to make just one save across the two matches and kept two clean sheets.

And yet, it is telling that Tullis-Joyce started consecutive matches for the first time in her international career. So much of the goalkeeper’s role on the USWNT is to be constant, steady and cohesive. This was a promising step, even if she didn’t have a lot to do.

This was also Tullis-Joyce’s first time playing with Naomi Girma, who also started both games, and Hayes spoke about how vital that relationship is.

“I felt it was important for Phallon to build connections with Naomi ... so, I felt it was right in this moment to give her that support to build that connection,” Hayes said.

“If you're playing goal for this team, your behaviors have to be that, you wait for one moment, and you have to be alert to that, and I can see the progress to be made in Phallon’s game, and I’m quite happy that she had a really quiet evening.”

Avery Patterson

The 22-year-old is now up to four USWNT caps, with four consecutive appearances during the past two windows—three of those coming off the bench.

Patterson earned her first USWNT start in the team’s 3–0 win over China and looked at home marauding up and down the right flank. She won more duels (nine) than any other player and ranked third on the team for completed passes.

Fresh off winning the Champions League with Arsenal, Emily Fox is the undisputed starter, but Patterson is shaping up to be a fitting deputy. Hayes will also be delighted with her 10-minute cameo against Jamaica, where Patterson came off the bench to assist Biyendolo. Patterson’s first assist for the USWNT was a swift low pass that was placed to perfection.

What question marks remain?

Emily Sams

Emily Sams has been a mainstay for the reigning NWSL champions, but her opportunities with the USWNT continue to be limited. The Orlando Pride defender played just 21 minutes off the bench against China and did not see the field against Jamaica.

While she was included as an alternate for the Olympics last summer and was moved onto the full roster during that tournament, she has now been surpassed in the pecking order by Tara McKeown of the Washington Spirit.

With the return of Girma—and Hayes keen to give McKeown and Emily Sonnett time alongside her—this was not a window for Sams to stake a claim.

Mandy McGlynn

For now, McGlynn appears to be the second goalkeeper on the roster, with Tullis-Joyce starting to cement her place as the No. 1 option. McGlynn did not get on the pitch this window but showed some nerves with distribution last time out.

Errors have been creeping into McGlynn’s game in the NWSL, but she still has a positive goals prevented score on the season, with +2.7 (per Fbref). The 26-year-old will likely continue to get called up, but time will tell how Claudia Dickey begins to challenge for any extra caps Hayes wants to hand out.

Olivia Moultrie

This was one of the better windows for the USWNT’s midfield. Hayes started Sam Coffey and Lily Yohannes in both games, and the duo thrived. Against Jamaica, Claire Hutton was played alongside Coffey and Yohannes, and her press resistance was a boost. Seeing the midfield look more intricate has been a long time coming.

So, as midfield spots get snapped up, what about Moultrie?

The Portland Thorns midfielder did come off the bench in both matches (for 13 minutes against China and 23 minutes against Jamaica). However, she wasn’t able to show too much of her passing ability or chance creation tendencies. Having not played for the USWNT since October 2024, she probably needs another window to truly start coalescing with her teammates.