Forward Mallory Swanson has been called up for the United States for the first time since giving birth in November. She will join the USWNT for a pair of away games against Brazil on June 6 and June 9.
Swanson's return, along with forward Sophia Wilson's recent return from maternity leave, reunites the self-proclaimed "Triple Espresso" forward line of Swanson, Wilson and Trinity Rodman for the first time since the 2024 Olympic gold medal match. Swanson scored the winning goal in that game against Brazil.
Hayes and U.S. Soccer announced the 26-player USWNT roster for the trip Wednesday. The pair of games against Brazil will take place just over a year before the 2027 World Cup kicks off there.
"That front three haven't been together since the Olympic gold medal match. That's a long time," USWNT coach Emma Hayes said in a news conference Wednesday following the roster announcement. "We cannot waste a single minute. We absolutely have to put the very best players together with every opportunity that we have."
Swanson's return follows that of Wilson, who earned her first USWNT minutes in April after giving birth in September. The pair of maternity leaves and Rodman's injuries have kept the trio from playing together since the Olympic final on Aug. 10, 2024.
The USWNT's upcoming matches in in São Paulo on June 6 and Fortaleza on June 9 will be the team's last games together until October. World Cup qualifying begins in November.
And Hayes stressed that they have to rebuild connections with the star forward trio now and not wait until the next camp.
"We have been able to develop the depth, but those three players, they've developed credit in the bank," Hayes said. "We won a gold medal with these players. They are top, top players. Together, we have to start recreating their connections again and I am very excited for that."
Swanson returned to the field for the first time with the Chicago Stars on May 16. On Sunday, in her second game since returning, Swanson came off the bench again and scored the game's lone goal to help Chicago defeat Bay FC 1-0.
If Swanson plays on June 6, it will mark 604 days between USWNT appearances. She last played for the USWNT in October 2024.
"She really feels that she's in a good place," Hayes said of Swanson. "She's been ready to play, ready to contribute to her team. She really feels she's in a good rhythm now with [daughter] Josie.
"And it's all the things that sometimes we don't really realize, like sleeping patterns, feeding patterns. You have to get all of those things right. She knows that she's got my full support, whatever she needs to do that.
"As much as I wanted to bring her in this camp, I fully respected that if she wasn't ready for that, then we wouldn't have done that either," Hayes continued. "But she was really ready and she's really excited about it."
The USWNT roster has been overhauled significantly since Swanson's last outing. Hayes dished out 32 first caps in her first 32 games as USWNT coach.
Hayes had said that she would bring a roster to Brazil of players that she expects to be at the World Cup, but she is without three potential starters because of injuries. Midfielder Sam Coffey just underwent minor knee surgery. Forward Catarina Macario and defender Naomi Girma remain sidelined without clear specifics regarding their injuries or return dates.
Hayes said on Wednesday that she saw Girma a few weeks ago at a Chelsea game "and I didn't think she was too far away" from being ready, but that the defender still isn't fit for the Brazil trip.
Hayes said she did not see Macario during her recent visit to San Diego, and that she does not have a timeline for the forward's return. The USWNT coach deferred to Macario's club, the San Diego Wave, who have declined to comment on the nature of Macario's injury or a timeline for her return beyond listing "heel" as the reason on the weekly NWSL injury report.
Macario is yet to debut for San Diego since transferring there in March. Her last competitive match was in December.
This camp in Brazil is without any first-time call-ups for the third straight time, but Hayes' roster does feature the returns of midfielders Croix Bethune and Riley Jackson, who have been standouts in the NWSL for the Kansas City Current and North Carolina Courage, respectively.
Defender Tara Rudd is also back with the USWNT after not getting called up for a trio of games in April against Japan.
Veteran midfielder and 2019 World Cup champion Rose Lavelle is on Hayes' roster despite not playing for Gotham FC since May 3 because of a hamstring injury.
Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn also returns to the roster after recovering from a hand injury and leading the Utah Royals to first place in the NWSL.
Brazil is ranked sixth in the world; the United States is ranked second behind Spain.
Full USWNT roster for June games vs. Brazil (Club; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign FC; 10), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 5), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 7)
DEFENDERS (8): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC; 69/3), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 76/1), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash; 12/1), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC; 9/0), Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit; 12/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 116/2), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 10/0), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave FC; 6/1)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Croix Bethune (Kansas City Current; 7/1), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 176/40), Claire Hutton (Bay FC; 18/1), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; 1/0), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC; 120/29), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 17/5), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC; 36/10), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes, FRA; 18/1)
FORWARDS (7): Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 12/1), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 55/13), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 19/6), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current; 21/7), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Stars; 103/38), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea FC, ENG; 31/4), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns FC; 61/24)