In this week’s women’s soccer news, the USWNT announced the roster for January Camp; Sam Coffey might be on the move; Kailen Sheridan signs with the North Carolina Courage; and more!
High of the Week
This week, Emma Hayes announced her first USWNT roster for 2026. The roster will train in Carson, California, and finish the camp off playing two matches. The first match will be against Paraguay on January 24 and the second against Chile on January 27.
Trinity Rodman will make her return for the USWNT for the first time since April last year. Four players also earned their first senior team call-up: Riley Jackson, Sally Menti, Maddie Dahlien, and Reilyn Turner. Players who are currently playing in Europe are not part of the camp because it interferes with their season, so the roster is made entirely of NWSL players. Rodman is the most experienced player on the roster with 47 caps; nobody else has more than 20 appearances.
Since taking over the head coaching job, Emma Hayes has put an emphasis on giving different players opportunities, with 27 players so far earning their first cap under Hayes. With the Women’s World Cup coming up in 2027, Hayes is taking the time to evaluate the pool and see who fits into her tactics.
Low of the Week
The talk of the NWSL offseason has been the salary cap on teams and what kind of consequences it can bring when it comes to losing top talent to Europe. The conversation has been amplified because of the Trinity Rodman contract situation; the league has limited what the teams can do to keep their top talent.
There’s still no news on what Rodman will decide to do, but another USWNT star is likely on the move. It was reported by The Guardian and ESPN that Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey is set for a move to Manchester City on a deal worth around $800,000.
Coffey was drafted by the Portland Thorns during the 2021 NWSL Draft but didn’t report to the team until 2022 after finishing her college career with Penn State. Since joining the Thorns, she’s appeared in 90 games for the club and was a key player in the midfield. She was a leader on the team, so losing her will be a big blow to Portland.
While the move hasn’t been officially announced, Coffey appears to be in Manchester, so the announcement should come soon.
Manchester City is finalizing a transfer w/ #NWSL‘s Portland Thorns for #USWNT midfielder Sam Coffey. Sources: Fee is at least $800K, possibly higher when final. Coffey’s flying to England, terms agreed, wants to experience Europe.@TomJGarry 1st w/talkshttps://t.co/Dl6y6MsjwX
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) January 8, 2026
News of the Week
The Kansas City Current announced that they’ve hired their next head coach, Chris Armas. At the end of the 2025 season, Vlatko Andonovski stepped down as head coach to shift into the role of global sporting director, leaving the Current looking for a new coach.
Armas is an experienced head coach but not in the women’s game; he joins the Current from the Colorado Rapids in the MLS. With the Rapids, he had a 30-17-35 record. He’s also a former player, having played professionally from 1994 to 2007, where he spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Fire.
It’s hard to tell if Armas will bring the same sort of success with the Current, but the club has grown accustomed to winning, so they will expect a lot from Armas. With his experience, it could be a great hire for Kansas City.
Signing of the Week
There was shocking news last week when the San Diego Wave announced that they would be parting ways with their captain and starting goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
Sheridan was with the Wave from the beginning, joining them via trade from Gotham ahead of the expansion draft in 2022. With San Diego, she made 86 appearances and was a huge part of the team. She joins the North Carolina Courage on a two-year contract ahead of the 2026 season. Getting Sheridan is a huge pickup for the Courage, who lost their former starting goalkeeper, Casey Murphy, to the expansion team Boston Legacy. Sheridan will likely step into the starting spot and be a key piece for the Courage.
Win of the Week
Stanford midfielder Jasmine Aikey was named the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy winner. Aikey had a truly amazing season, scoring 21 goals in 25 games while also registering 11 assists. She helped lead Stanford to a 21-2-2 season where they won the 2025 ACC Championship. The Cardinals also made it to the National Championship game but ultimately dropped it to Florida State 1-0.
NWSL fans will get to see Aikey take the field for Denver Summit as it was announced this week that the midfielder signed a two-year contract with the expansion club.
Trade of the Week
In a bit of a surprise move, the Orlando Pride traded defender Emily Sams to Angel City. Sams was an instrumental part of the Orlando Pride’s 2024 NWSL Championship and Shield wins. She was named 2024 Defender of the Year, and she followed that up with another strong season in 2025. It’s a huge signing for Angel City, who are looking to improve the team that finished in 11th place last season. In exchange for Sams the Pride received $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds.
Goal of the Week
Kerolin showed some individual skill when she scored her first goal of 2026 for Manchester City. On the flank, she was able to use her skills to get around a defender, cut to the goal, and slide the ball into the net from a tough angle.
Assist of the Week
Lucia Kendall took a free kick from outside the right corner of the box and served the ball on a platter to Rachel Daly. All Daly had to do was redirect it to get the goal for Aston Villa.