Three of the USWNT’s biggest stars will miss the last games of the year

When the U.S. women’s soccer team gathers in Europe later this month for its year-ending games at England and the Netherlands, three of the program’s most famous names will be absent.

Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson — the “Triple Espresso” forward line that powered the Americans’ dash to Olympic gold in Paris — have all been left off the roster for the games. Manager Emma Hayes is allowing them to rest and shake off injuries that accrued from a year of hard work.

All three players fought through the knocks to take their clubs into the NWSL playoffs. Smith has suffered from chronic ankle fatigue since returning from the Olympics, with Portland Thorns manager Rob Gale admitting earlier this month that “she’s barely been able to train.”

Hayes limited Smith’s playing time during last month’s friendlies on home soil, though in the time she got Smith scored a fantastic goal against Iceland. She and the Thorns finally ran out of steam in a first-round playoff loss at Gotham FC.

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Swanson’s season ended when the Chicago Red Stars lost in the first round at the Orlando Pride. It’s not known if she has a specific injury, but she played that game after falling awkwardly midway through the first half.

Rodman has been dealing with back pain for two months. She has fought through it to help the Washington Spirit reach the NWSL championship game, beating Bay FC and Gotham in the playoffs, but Hayes didn’t call her in last month so she could rest.

Washington will play Orlando for the title on Saturday in Kansas City. (8 p.m. CBS3). Three players from those clubs are on the U.S. roster: Washington defender Casey Krueger and midfielder Hal Hershfelt, and Orlando defender Emily Sams.

While the big three absences won’t surprise close followers, it’s obviously disappointing. The U.S.-England game set for Nov. 30 at London’s famed Wembley Stadium will match the Olympic champions against the reigning European champions, and two fan bases that love to claim bragging rights over each other. More than 70,000 tickets have been sold.

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Three days later, the Americans will visit the Dutch, No. 11 in FIFA’s global rankings. They have slipped from the No. 4 spot they occupied just before the 2022 European Championship, but are still one of the continent’s powers.

And this game will get extra attention, because it will be the first time marquee prospect Lily Yohannes plays for her native country against the one where she now lives.

The 17-year-old midfielder was born and raised in northern Virginia, and moved to the Netherlands at age 10 when her father got a job there. She has played for Dutch club Ajax for the last few years, and earlier this month committed her national team future to the United States.

The forward group will be led by U.S. veteran Lynn Williams, and big-time youngsters Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Thompson. The England game will be a special moment for Thompson in particular, as she returns to the stadium where she made her U.S. debut two years ago.

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A number of players who made their national team debuts last month are back for this squad, including Hershfelt and Sams. The others are forwards Yazmeen Ryan (Gotham) and Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), defenders Eva Gaetino (France’s Paris Saint-Germain) and Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC), and goalkeeper Mandy Haught (Utah Royals).

Forward Ally Sentnor (Utah) and goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce (England’s Manchester United) have earned their first U.S. call-ups. Sentnor is a NWSL Rookie of the Year finalist, and might have been on the last U.S. squad had she not just gotten back from the under-20 World Cup. Tullis-Joyce moved to England just over a year ago after two years with the Seattle Reign, and won the United starting job this season.

Though Manchester United isn’t yet as big of a deal in women’s soccer as it is in men’s soccer, the team is having a good season: in fifth place with a 4-0-3 record, and just two goals conceded.

We’ll see if she or Haught get any playing time in the upcoming games. Longtime starter Alyssa Naeher isn’t going anywhere yet, but the Penn State product is 36 and will be 39 when the next World Cup kicks off in 2027. Now is a fair time for Hayes to start planning for her successor.

Hayes will have more to say about all of this in a news conference later Monday morning.

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Goalkeepers (3): Mandy Haught (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, England), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders (9): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal, England), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)

Midfielders (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), Lindsey Horan (Lyon, France), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (Ajax, Netherlands)

Forwards (6): Yazmeen Ryan (Gotham FC), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)

Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. England at Wembley Stadium, London, 12:20 p.m. (TNT, Universo, truTV, Max, Peacock)

Tuesday, Dec. 3: vs. the Netherlands at ADO Den Haag Stadium, the Hague, 2:45 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, Peacock)