USWNT stock watch: Trinity Rodman shines after impressing in final World Cup tune-up, Alana Cook struggles

The U.S. women’s national team and head coach Vlatko Andonovski are officially in New Zealand with little time remaining before the start of the World Cup. The 23 players recently closed out their send-off match against Wales, a 2-0 win, entering the tournament on a positive note. The team will now prepare for the group stage, competing in Group E alongside the Netherlands, Portugal, and Vietnam. Which players are heading into the Southern Hemisphere in strong form? And who needs these final days to impress?

Much has changed since our last USWNT stock watch and final roster prediction, so let’s see which players are trending up or down after the recent match against Wales:

Stock up: Trinity Rodman

Alyssa Thompson didn’t provide much to shift her status as trending up or down against Wales. The 18-year-old has massive talent, and quick thinking, and even quicker ability on the ball. Her energy worked against her at times in the game, overrunning the ball or miss judging passes, but she’s absolutely going to be an asset in wearing defenses down during the tournament. Alex Morgan had a quieter match against Wales, was on limited minutes due to some muscle tightness and ultimately subbed out at halftime for Trinity Rodman. The 21-year-old Rodman earned stellar marks against Wales, notching two goals and providing the spark out of the half. Her chemistry with Sophia Smith and Lynn Williams led to an opening goal and might make the coaching staff rethink their ideal attacking line. 

Stock up: Alyssa Naeher

Naeher was hardly tested against Wales as the Dragons failed to record a shot on target, but her place on the team isn’t one that the coaching staff believes needs testing. She’s the most experienced goalkeeper on the team, the de-facto No.1 starter, and a 2019 World Cup champion. The long-time keeper will continue to be the constant presence in the net for a backline that will move forward with two center backs participating in their first World Cup. 

Casey Muphy has carved her place as the team’s bonafide backup, while Aubrey Kingsbury is the third option after a resurgence in club form. Neither got any minutes in the send-off, so it’s a little unfair to claim they are trending down if not playing. But the group stage starts in ten days, and Andonovski has previously mentioned there will be some rotation between the games, so both will need to stay ready. 

Stock down: Alana Cook

The quartet of Crystal Dunn, Naomi Girma, Alana Cook and Emily Fox got their first start as a collective against Wales. Perhaps more than any other line on the pitch, the backline may have been the most ideal within the lineup likely being the preferred defensive unit moving forward. The truth is they didn’t exactly face excessive danger in the final third, but there was an early first-half moment where Cook’s judgment on a play forced Naeher’s involvement to snuff out the danger inside the six-yard box.

It was really the only moment of the game of uneasiness, and other than that Cook remained a steadfast back over her 79 minutes played. 

Stock up: Naomi Girma

Girma also took some time to build into the match, but showed off her vision and read of the game through her distribution. The absence of Becky Sauerbrunn has made the spotlight brighter on the center back position, but the duo of Girma and Cook will likely build over the course of the group stage moving forward.

Stock down: Ashley Sanchez

Rose Lavelle hasn’t featured in a competitive match since mid-April, and her omission during the send-off match wasn’t exactly shocking but was still concerning. Julie Ertz was also kept out as a precaution, though Andonovski said that Ertz would have played if it was a World Cup game and that Lavelle is medically cleared but still building.

In Lavelle’s absence, Sanchez was given another opportunity to be the team’s creative attacker but lacked the final pass during stretches of the first half. Andi Sullivan was also tabbed with the start against Wales. She plays well alongside Horan, but her runs on set pieces were just a bit off in her first USWNT game since April. Her role is as the team’s defensive midfielder but she might split that responsibility with Ertz throughout the tournament. 

Stock up: Savannah DeMelo

DeMelo finally earned her first national team appearance after coming into the match as a sub and immediately provided solutions for the group on set piece corners and attacking urgency. It might not be enough to convince the staff to make her a permanent starter but might force questions about where she places among role players.