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USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Has Kate Del Fava Earned a Call-Up?

One defender rises, while another falls. Meanwhile, could a NWSL rookie be a surprise contributor to Emma Hayes’s U.S. squad?
Theo Lloyd-Hughes|
After finishing in the bottom three last year, the Utah Royals are currently sitting in third place.
After finishing in the bottom three last year, the Utah Royals are currently sitting in third place. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Welcome back to your weekly feature from Sports Illustrated that analyzes the women’s soccer weekend from a U.S. women’s national team perspective.

This was yet another weekend that was lacking in big moments from established USWNT stars. Instead, it was another great chance to see who the players rising up to contention are. Of course, with the next international window not until October, there is still a lot of time for players to build their case.

For your fun fact of the week, Sophia Wilson scored the fastest goal of the NWSL season, putting the Portland Thorns up 1–0 on the Utah Royals after just 35 seconds. However, that was as good as it got for Portland and Wilson, because the Royals stormed back to win 5–1.

Let’s take a look at who saw their stocks rise and fall this past weekend.

Stock Up

Kate Del Fava

It’s not Kate Del Fava’s first time appearing in this series; she was an outsider pick on the midseason MVP rankings. But now it is clear that the Utah Royals co-captain is going from a very good NWSL center back to possibly a USWNT center back, especially with the recent injury news that Emily Sonnett has ruptured her patellar tendon.

In last weekend’s 5–1 win over the Portland Thorns, Del Fava extended her streak of not missing a single minute of action for the third-place Royals. She also scored her second goal of the season with a perfectly placed header that had an expected goals on target score of 0.90. Del Fava also was perfect on a big slide tackle that stopped Wilson in her tracks.

Jordynn Dudley

It’s not easy to break into the wide forward positions on the USWNT, but Gotham rookie Jordynn Dudley is building a strong case. Even though she’s only scored two goals and notched two assists, her wing play on and off the ball is at an elite level.

Dudley is a problem for opponents when she is dribbling with the ball. Opponents often have to foul her to stop her from charging into the box. Despite only starting 12 matches, she is tied for the most fouls drawn in the NWSL with 40. In Gotham’s tight 1–0 win over the Houston Dash last weekend, she won a penalty, had the most touches in the box (seven) and the most successful dribbles (three) of any player in the match.

Ashley Sanchez

The North Carolina Courage forward is now up to 10 goals for the season after scoring and picking up an assist in a 5–0 win over the Orlando Pride last Friday night. At this point, Ashley Sanchez has done everything she possibly can to get back into the USWNT picture, and, in about seven weeks’ time, the answer will come as to whether she has done enough.

The goal Sanchez scored in the dying moments of the Courage’s 5–0 win was particularly impressive. The 27-year-old showed off slick close control to spin in the box and eventually work the angle to score on her left foot.

Stock Down

Jameese Joseph

The 24-year-old forward has yet to score a single goal all season. While a lot of that can be attributed to playing for a poor Chicago Stars team that sits at the bottom of the standings, it’s conceivable to ask for more from Jameese Joseph.

In a clash between the league’s two bottom sides, the Stars lost 2–1 to Racing Louisville on a day that sunk home the reality of their situation. Even after losing Jordyn Huitema to an ACL injury, Joseph remains mostly a wide forward option for Chicago. USWNT manager Emma Hayes has enjoyed playing her through the center, a move that could perhaps help turn the fortunes of the Stars.

Sam Meza

Usually one of the best tacklers and markers in the middle of the pitch, Sam Meza was not at her best in the Seattle Reign’s messy 3–2 win over Bay FC. She won just 4 of 13 duels and picked up a yellow card after committing four fouls.

With Seattle up 2–0 early, the Reign midfielder let Hannah Bebar slide by her and smash in Bay’s first goal on the edge of the box. Even though Bebar’s strike was outstanding, Meza could have given her more pressure on the effort. When Bay leveled things at 2–2 on a well-worked set piece, there was plenty of blame to go around for not picking up the move.

Emily Sams

With Sonnett’s injury opening up a spot in the center of the defense, there is an opportunity for Emily Sams to stake a claim as more than just a bubble player for the USWNT. The Angel City defender was unable to take that opportunity in her team’s 1–1 tie with the KC Current this past weekend.

On the surface level, it wasn’t all bad for Sams. She led her team in completed passes (40), was a nice tempo starter at the back and won 5 of 7 ground duels. But Sams completely lost Haley Hopkins for the Current’s equalizer. Somehow, she lost the most dangerous attacker in the air at a crucial moment. She also went 0-for-7 on long passes, showing that she struggled to spring forward a teammate quickly out of the back in Kansas City.

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Theo Lloyd-Hughes
THEO LLOYD-HUGHES

Theo Lloyd-Hughes is a writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer based in the Southern United States. Originally from England, he can often be found in a press box across the NWSL or at international matches featuring the USWNT and other Concacaf nations.

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