The USWNT’s first roster after the World Cup ends two eras and starts a new one

Update: On Sept. 16, U.S. Soccer announced that due to injuries, Rose Lavelle and Kelley O’Hara were withdrawn from the squad, and replaced by Midge Purce (Gotham FC) and M.A. Vignola (Angel City FC).

When the U.S. women’s soccer team gathers next week for its first games since its disappointing exit from the World Cup, many eyes will be on retiring stars Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe as they play their final games for their country.

But a lot of people also will be paying attention to the players set to take over the mantle going forward — especially two youngsters with the potential to become superstars soon.

Forwards Jaedyn Shaw, 18, and Mia Fishel, 22, stand out on interim U.S. manager Twila Kilgore’s 27-player roster just as much as the big-name veterans. Fans, scouts, and media have been waiting to see the duo reach the big stage, and here they are.

» READ MORE: Julie Ertz retires from playing soccer after 10 years as a pro and two World Cup titles

“We’re really excited to have both Jaedyn and Mia in the squad,” Kilgore said in a news conference Tuesday. “They have a lot of talent. We view them as high potentials, but the idea with bringing them into the environment — Mia for her just her second camp and Jaedyn for her first — is just to expose them to the current environment. Help with their onboarding, get them used to what the expectations are, and make sure they have a pathway for the future.”

It’s Fishel’s second career senior-team call-up, the first having come in October 2020, and Shaw’s first. Fishel was a prolific scorer for U.S. youth teams and turned heads when she turned down being drafted by the NWSL’s Orlando Pride to go pro in Mexico at the start of 2022.

Fishel signed with Tigres UANL, and scored 38 goals in 48 games in a year and a half. Though the Mexican women’s league isn’t as good as the NWSL or top European leagues, former U.S. manager Vlatko Andonovski drew heat for not inviting her to a U.S. camp to see how she’d stack up. She moved to English power Chelsea this summer for a reported $250,000 transfer fee.

» READ MORE: The USWNT’s salvation lies in youth development. Will the status quo stop it?

Shaw has turned heads repeatedly since turning pro as a 17-year-old with the San Diego Wave last summer, a move that forced the NWSL to change its rules to accommodate a minor. She wasn’t the first player under 18 to join the league, but her arrival launched a leaguewide youth movement. Wave president Jill Ellis, previously a two-time World Cup-winning U.S. coach, led the charge for change and continues to lead it.

Twenty-one of the Americans’ 23 World Cup players will reunite in Cincinnati, Rose Lavelle’s hometown, where the Americans will start a two-game friendly series against South Africa on Sept. 21 (7:30 p.m., TNT, Universo, Peacock). That game will serve as Ertz’s finale. Then it will be off to Chicago for Rapinoe’s finale on Sept. 24 (5:30 p.m., TNT, Universo, Peacock).

The two World Cup squad absentees, midfielder Kristie Mewis and forward Sophia Smith, are injured. Mewis has a seemingly minor leg injury that hasn’t been detailed yet, while Smith suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament on Aug. 27 — on a play that left everyone fearing much worse.

» READ MORE: Megan Rapinoe’s USWNT finale is set for September

Also on this squad are four players who effectively were the last cuts from the plane to New Zealand: centerback Tierna Davidson, outside back Casey Krueger, midfielder Sam Coffey, and striker Ashley Hatch. All four join the race to make next year’s Olympic team, and there will be extra attention on Davidson and Coffey.

Davidson perhaps was the most notable omission from the World Cup, and 38-year-old Becky Sauerbrunn is still sidelined by a foot injury. Coffey, a Penn State grad, is a leading candidate to Ertz’s throne in defensive midfield. She has strong passing skills to complement her tackling, with seven assists and 38 chances created in 22 games this year for the Portland Thorns.

» READ MORE: Crystal Dunn looks forward to the USWNT’s next chapter as she returns to the NWSL

Unlike past eras, there was no collectively bargained obligation to call in the World Cup squad for the first games after the tournament. There’s little time before next summer, though, and urgency to redeem the round-of-16 departure from Australia. And no one believes the players are individually as bad as one World Cup showed. So it’s no surprise that the door remains open for the incumbents while new challengers arrive.

South Africa should provide good tests — in fact, better tests than some fans might have expected when the series was set up. Banyana Banyana, as the team is nicknamed, reached the World Cup’s round of 16 this year for the first time. The again team will be led by forward Thembi Kgatlana of Racing Louisville, whose two goals in the World Cup included a 92nd-minute group stage finale game-winner vs. Italy.

» READ MORE: The USWNT’s long era of success is over, but a new one could be on the horizon

Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders 9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

Midfielders (7): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville), Julie Ertz (unattached), Lindsey Horan (Lyon, France), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea, England), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)