Emma Hayes sets up her U.S. team debut with the last roster before picking the Olympic team

After watching from afar for six months, Emma Hayes takes the helm of the U.S. women’s soccer team this week with the ship already at full speed.

The training camp she’ll oversee starting next week, and the June 1 and 4 games vs. South Korea afterward, are part of the Americans’ last gathering before the Olympic roster is set.

So while Hayes has corresponded with the team and individual players since November, her first time running the show will be her only time before what could be the most difficult decisions she’ll make in her tenure.

Picking an Olympic team is traditionally the hardest task for any U.S. manager. The 18-player roster (plus four alternates who travel in case of injury) is smaller than the traditional 23-player squad for the World Cup and continental competitions.

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For the 2021 Games in Tokyo, the IOC and FIFA yielded to pandemic pragmatism and let all 22 players be eligible for 18-woman game day squads. But the governing bodies have returned to their rigid old ways this year despite protests from across the game.

Between that, Hayes’ arrival, and the eternally deep U.S. player pool, it’s been difficult to project who might head to France in July. So Tuesday’s announcement of the 23-player squad headed to suburban Denver next week brings some clarity to the race.

But it brings only some clarity, because one huge name is missing: No. 1 goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. She’s been sidelined with a thigh injury suffered on May 12 with her club team, the Chicago Red Stars. Casey Murphy, the No. 2 for a while, likely will play vs. South Korea, with Aubrey Kingsbury and Jane Campbell as backups.

The squad has many familiar faces, including a heap of other U.S. veterans who’ve dealt with injuries lately: centerbacks Tierna Davidson and Naomi Girma, midfielder Rose Lavelle, and forwards Alex Morgan and Jaedyn Shaw. The first three have returned to action, but the last two haven’t.

Shaw missed her last club game with the San Diego Wave because of a lower-leg knock. Morgan, also of the Wave, hasn’t played since April 19 because of her lower-leg problem. San Diego’s last game before the pair departs is Thursday at California rival Angel City (10:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

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Lynn Williams appears to be the odd forward out, with unfortunate timing. Tuesday was her 31st birthday, and on Saturday, she broke the NWSL’s all-time scoring record. But the forward competition is ferocious and became even more so when U.S. Soccer listed Crystal Dunn as a forward.

Dunn has long played left back for the national team even though she plays attacking roles at club level. Positions mean only so much on paper, but we’ll see what Hayes does with a player she coached at England’s Chelsea from 2017 to 2018. Former manager Vlatko Andonovski played Dunn at forward in a January 2021 game, and it ended up not mattering for the long term.

Though Hayes is still new in the job, she’s quickly learned an old tradition: throwing some curveballs with roster picks.

One name that jumps out this time is Sam Staab, a 27-year-old centerback who’s long been an NWSL stalwart but has never made a U.S. squad. She moved from Washington to Chicago in January and has played every minute of the campaign.

It looks like Staab earned the nod over Abby Dahlkemper, who just returned from a monthlong injury absence. Dahlkemper is 31, and though she has played well for San Diego, there have been questions about whether Hayes would go with someone younger for the Olympics — and how many centerbacks she can take in the first place.

Also of note is Hal Hershfelt, a dynamic rookie midfielder with the Washington Spirit. The 21-year-old has played in every game this year, with two goals and a 78.8% pass completion rate.

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Hayes brought back 16-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes, who has yet to decide whether she’ll commit to the U.S. or the Netherlands. She hadn’t when she got her first call-up for last month’s SheBelieves Cup, and she confirmed it earlier this month to the Men in Blazers’ Women’s Game podcast.

If Yohannes plays in either game against South Korea, she would not be tied to the U.S. because they’re friendlies. But if she plays at the Olympics — which feels like a long shot, but who knows — that would settle it.

Finally, Hayes invited three players to training camp who won’t play in the games: Washington Spirit playmaker Croix Bethune, Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie, and Washington left back Kate Wiesner.

Bethune is the leading rookie of the year candidate, with some electric plays among her four goals and eight assists in 10 games. Moultrie is a U.S. veteran by now, even though she’s still just 18, and her not making the full squad signals she’s fallen behind in the Olympics race. Wiesner, a Penn State graduate from suburban Los Angeles, was the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft and has played seven games.

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Hayes consulted with interim manager Twila Kilgore, who now returns to an assistant role, while finishing the last of her 12 seasons leading English club Chelsea. The Blues capped it by winning Hayes’ seventh Women’s Super League title. She will fly to the United States on Wednesday, meet with the media on Thursday, then head on to Denver to prepare for players’ arrivals on Monday.

“I’m really looking forward to getting started,” Hayes said in a statement. “We know it’s a short turnaround and we have a lot of work to do, but I’m fully focused on making sure that the performances are at the levels that are required to compete. … I know they are a highly coachable group. and I’m looking forward to challenging them. It’s time to go to work.”

Update: On May 25, Washington Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan was invited to camp as a fourth practice player.

Goalkeepers (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)

Defenders (7): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal, England), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Sam Staab (Chicago Red Stars)

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 (7): Crystal Dunn (Gotham FC), Catarina Macario (Chelsea, England), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)

Practice players (4): D Kate Wiesner (Washington Spirit), M Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), M Olivia Moultrie, M Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

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All times listed are Philadelphia time. NBC hasn’t announced its Olympics broadcast schedule yet, but every game will air in some form.