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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Theo Lloyd-Hughes

USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Electric Jaedyn Shaw Moves Up the Depth Chart

Jaedyn Shaw USWNT Lilly Reale Ally Sentnor NWSL Emma Sears Michelle Cooper Yazmeen Ryan Mandy McGlynn United States

Welcome back to your weekly feature from Sports Illustrated that analyzes the women’s soccer weekend from a U.S. women’s national team perspective.

There are still another five weeks or so until Emma Hayes names her squad for the upcoming friendlies against Spain in October. A lot can change in that time, but outside of a core group of about 20 players, it still feels like there are plenty of places up for grabs.

We’re almost at the final rounds of qualification for the UEFA Women’s Champions League and soon European leagues will also be readying for their season openers. A lot is about to change when it comes to the pool of players looking to make a name for themselves.

But for now, let’s take a look at who saw their stocks rise and fall this past weekend in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Stock Up

Jaedyn Shaw

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder already showed off her clutch long-range shooting in Gotham FC’s 1–0 home win over the San Diego Wave last week. And now, a week later, she’s exhibiting more technical excellence in another close victory for Gotham.

With the score between Gotham and the KC Current tied at 1–1, Shaw picked up the ball on the left side of the box and slalomed past two Current defenders. Her magic feet were plain to see. Immaculate timing and close control drew the opponent in and then cut the ball into the space. Shaw completed the move with a perfect slip pass to Sam Kerr, who scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win.

With the USWNT losing Olivia Moultrie to an ACL injury, the need for more technically gifted creators with vision has risen. Shaw is getting hot ahead of the next window.

Ally Sentnor

It finally happened! Ally Sentnor’s long wait for a goal in Angel City colors is over. The 22-year-old attacker had gone goalless in nine NWSL matches, firing off 34 shots without finding the back of the net. On Sunday night, in Angel City’s 1–1 draw with the Washington Spirit, Sentnor dribbled in from a wide position to unleash a rocket into the net from a deep central position to get the equalizer.

Sentnor is a gifted player. The question is: Can she use her gifts? How much of it is form, mentality, coaching, consistently changing teams or an all-around lack of consistency? One of these long-range efforts was bound to go in at some point.

The last year has seen similar players rise through the ranks and challenge Sentnor for a spot on the USWNT. This goal and performance were a reminder of why Hayes likes Sentnor so much.

Yazmeen Ryan

Sometimes, when a player does something uncharacteristic, it is all the more impressive. That was the case when Yazmeen Ryan put on a tremendous big-center-forward performance and headed in the equalizer for the Denver Summit in their 1–1 draw with the San Diego Wave. The 27-year-old forward, known for her crossing, crisp passing and laser-like shots from the edge of the box, deftly directed Janine Sonis’s shot from close range like it was nothing.

Ryan is in a crowded field to pick up a roster spot on the USWNT as either a winger or a flex central forward. Being able to offer up some one-touch finishing in the air like this won’t hurt her case one bit. Ryan has scored in back-to-back weeks for the first time in 2026. An all-together stellar debut year in Denver, with five goals and three assists across 18 matches.

Stock Down

Mandy McGlynn

The Utah Royals goalkeeper had 27 touches in her team’s 3–2 win over Bay FC this past weekend, but only one of them will live in infamy. In the sixth minute, Bay took an early lead when Mandy McGlynn took a ponderous touch right in front of her goal and didn’t anticipate Karlie Lema closing her down quickly. This resulted in McGlynn whacking a clearance directly into Lema, and the ball ricocheting into the Utah net.

McGlynn, who is in the middle of the greatest NWSL season in the Royals’s brief history, is right in the mix for the third goalkeeper spot on the USWNT. But she will need to avoid moments like this to keep her place.

Michelle Cooper

When Michelle Cooper is fully fit, she is trending in the right direction to be on the USWNT’s 26-player roster. But Cooper came into 2026 nursing an injury from last season and only recently returned to being available after a midseason issue.

Cooper is still on limited minutes, although she is back on the team. The 23-year-old winger had a 29-minute cameo off the bench in the Current’s 2–1 defeat at Gotham, where she wasn’t able to turn the tide on the one-goal deficit. Cooper finished with zero chances created, zero shots, one dribble completed and 7 of 14 passes completed. There is still rust to brush off.

Lilly Reale

A slight tactical variation for Lilly Reale couldn’t stop Boston Legacy from being thrashed 4–1 on the road against Racing Louisville. Reale was shifted to more of a left-sided center back role, with Nicki Hernandez in front of her as a left wingback. Hernandez’s penchant for getting forward meant that Reale was a proxy left back at times.

Reale had a tough afternoon trying to handle Emma Sears on Louisville’s right wing. There was almost an own goal early, when a shot by Sears spun off Reale and onto the post. Things almost got worse when a miscommunication between goalkeeper Casey Murphy almost saw Boston cough up the ball in its own box to Sears again.

Despite the early wobbles, there was little Reale could have done about Boston’s opening two goals. However, Sears would eventually get on the scoresheet to make it 3–0 in the 59th minute, and it was Reale who lost her marker and gave up the space for the Racing winger to slam it home.

READ THE LATEST CLUB NWSL NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

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