The U.S. women's national team will begin 2025 with a roster short on Olympic stars but long on opportunity.

Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson, the vaunted "Triple Espresso," will all miss the SheBelieves Cup due to fitness or, in Swanson's case, "personal commitments."

Naomi Girma, the first $1 million player in women's soccer, will also miss the round-robin tournament with a minor injury. Rose Lavelle is recovering from ankle surgery. Alyssa Naeher has retired. All in all, roughly half the lineup that head coach Emma Hayes rode to gold at Paris 2024 will be absent as the USWNT begins to build toward the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

But all of that is counterbalanced by the return of Catarina Macario.

It has been nearly three years since Macario scored a national team goal. Back then, in 2022, she was already a bona fide star at age 22. Then, that June, she tore her ACL. She hasn't been the same player since. But, after a few unimaginably difficult years, there are finally signs that Macario is rediscovering herself.

There were Champions League goals in December. More recently, at Chelsea, there were three consecutive league starts for the best team in England.

Now, there is another chance to reintegrate with the USWNT. Macario returned last spring, started Hayes' first game and made the Olympic roster — only to withdraw due to what U.S. Soccer called "persistent knee irritation." At the start of a calendar year without a major tournament, she now has a longer runway to build fitness and win back a place in the team's long-term plans.

And with fellow attackers absent, she could play a key role at the SheBelieves Cup, a U.S. Soccer-run invitational that, in 2025, will feature Australia, Colombia and Japan.

The USWNT opens against Colombia on Feb. 20.

The team's full roster is below.

USWNT roster for 2025 SheBelieves Cup

Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals)

Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (Arsenal), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City)

Midfielders: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Lindsey Heaps (née Horan | Olympique Lyon), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)

Forwards: Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Catarina Macario (Chelsea), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City)

Two types of opportunity

With the first-choice front three absent — Rodman is rehabbing a back injury, and Wilson is "not physically ready for national team competition," according to U.S. Soccer — Hayes will turn to a blend of NWSL veterans and youngsters.

A few of the youngsters have promise. Ally Sentnor is a menacing forward who tore through youth levels. Alyssa Thompson, who rode the roller coaster of teen stardom, is now finding her feet as a pro at age 20.

But even they, for now, are fighting for reserve roles. The real opportunity is at goalkeeper. After Naeher retired from international duty at the end of 2024, the position is wide open for the 2027 cycle.

“From now until the end of June, I suspect there will be a fair bit of experimenting with the available players I can select,” Hayes said during a Tuesday media availability. “What an opportunity it is for everyone else to develop.”

Hayes indicated in January that her goalkeeper pool was six-deep, and she hoped to whittle it down to three, give those three game action and eventually pick a starter. On Tuesday, she named a roster with only two keepers — 29-year-old Houston Dash stalwart Jane Campbell and 2023 NWSL champion Mandy McGlynn.

"But," as Hayes said last month, "always keeping the door ajar for players."

That door, for the first time in years, is ajar for anyone to come in and seize Naeher's former starting spot.