The third stage: what to expect from Emma Hayes’s USWNT with World Cup in sight?

‘I do think there is clarity, a lot more clarity in terms of the squad of players that we are building around,’ says Emma Hayes. Photograph: Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF

When the whistle blows to start USA v Argentina on Sunday in Nashville, a new period of the Emma Hayes era will begin in earnest. The team preparing to play La Albiceleste in Tennessee for the 11th SheBelieves Cup, followed by Canada and Colombia, is the first in more than a year to feature no uncapped players.

For a head coach who spent 2025 setting, challenging or matching all-time USWNT records for capping players, that is a notable shift and it marks the next phase of the team’s World Cup preparation.