USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Morgan Weaver Returns After 621 Days Away

An underrated attacker made a long-awaited return in Portland, while a contender for the starting goalkeeper position had a big day in San Diego.

Morgan Weaver returned to the pitch in the Thorns' match against Gotham FC. | 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.

Injuries are always painful to talk about in soccer, especially with a World Cup on the horizon. This past weekend was partly overshadowed by a non-contact injury that Emily Sonnett sustained during Gotham FC’s 2–2 draw with the Portland Thorns on Friday night.

No further information has been shared by Gotham or the USWNT since Friday, and evaluations have been taking place since Sonnett returned to New Jersey from the West Coast. She has been ruled out of Gotham FC’s match against Bay FC on Wednesday night.

In some ways, this was a quiet weekend in the NWSL for USWNT players. Only one recent USWNT call-up, Jordyn Bugg, got on the score sheet, while only one player from the most recent USWNT roster had an assist (Trinity Rodman). Let’s take a look at who saw their stock rise and fall this past weekend.

Stock Up

Morgan Weaver

Morgan Weaver is not, and has never been, a USWNT regular. Not for a while has she even been on the bubble for the U.S. But after 621 days away from soccer with chronic knee injuries, the 28-year-old’s return with the Thorns in Friday’s 2–2 draw against Gotham FC deserves a mention.

Since the end of 2024, Weaver’s career has been in doubt due to the severity of her knee issues. She required a meniscus transplant and a cartilage transplant in the same knee. In addition to all of that, Weaver underwent an operation where her femur was intentionally broken and then repaired.

“I had a meniscus transplant and a cartilage transplant from a cadaver. And then they broke my femur and put it back together with, I think it’s seven screws and a plate,” Weaver told the media on Friday night. “So that’s why my scar is so big. I have seven screws and a plate in there.”

Weaver picked up two caps for the USWNT back in 2021. But her form in ’23 and ’24, before the beginning of her knee issues, warranted more appearances. Weaver notched 21 goal involvements in 41 matches across two seasons for the Thorns in those years.

With less than a year to go until the 2027 World Cup, Weaver’s a long shot to get into the USWNT squad. But this is a player who has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

621 days since her last match.
There is no one like Morgan.

Welcome back to the pitch, Weavs ❤️ pic.twitter.com/agBlc8C4VE

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) July 25, 2026

Kate Wiesner

Washington Spirit left back Kate Wiesner has been a sneaky hit, with a lot of good things happening when she is on the pitch. Her +/-, a statistic that looks at goal difference while players are on the pitch, is the highest of any Spirit player at +13.

Wiesner played 76 minutes and got a clean sheet in the Spirit’s tightly contested 1–0 win over the Denver Summit on Sunday night. It was her second consecutive start for Washington, after a 2–1 win over the Boston Legacy last weekend.

It is her ability on the ball that will continue to catch the eye of the USWNT. The way the Spirit and Wiesner passed the ball out of the defense in the build-up to the only goal of the game will definitely stand out to Emma Hayes and her team.

Claudia Dickey

After injury issues kept Claudia Dickey off the pitch since the summer break, the Seattle Reign goalkeeper crashed back down to reality when she helped let a 2–0 lead slip in last week’s shocking 3–2 defeat to Gotham FC.

Dickey’s second week back between the posts went much better. On the road in San Diego, the Reign won 2–0 over the Wave. After scoring two goals in the opening 20 minutes, it is fair to say that Seattle employed tactics to absorb pressure. Dickey finished the game with eight saves and 2.40 goals prevented. Huge numbers for a shot-stopper and a step in the right direction to taking over as the USWNT starter once again.

Claudia Dickey makes a HUGE stop for Seattle!#NWSL pic.twitter.com/u6eAZ91Ltt

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 26, 2026

Stock Down

Emma Sears

With reports of a transfer request hanging in the air and her form in decline, Emma Sears was limited this weekend due to illness. Without Sears in the starting XI, Racing Louisville picked up a huge 2–1 win on the road at Angel City. Louisville went into Sunday’s game on a six-match winless streak.

Sears’s last goal for Louisville was in the team’s previous victory before Sunday, a 3–1 home win over the Thorns on May 8. The 25-year-old winger did manage a 31-minute cameo off the bench in Los Angeles. Racing was already up 2–0 when she entered the game, with Sears logging 19 touches, completing three passes and registering one shot (for 0.02 expected goals on target). That’s now seven games without getting on the box score for a player who looks like she needs a refresh.

Ally Sentnor

So, remember last week when Ally Sentnor took eight shots, and it was considered a step in the right direction in terms of production but also emblematic of her struggles? Well, in ACFC’s 2–1 defeat to Racing, Sentnor went one better, firing off a personal record of nine shots in a single game without scoring. Just two shots forced saves, one requiring a decent save from goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer.

With 0.66 expected goals (xG) from those nine shots on Sunday, the positions Sentnor is shooting from are, in fact, getting worse, after she registered 0.70 xG from eight shots the week before. Sentnor has no goals from her last 28 shots in the NWSL, with just four of those on target. The 22-year-old also went 0-for-3 on dribbles. Her place in the USWNT is under threat.

Emily Sams

It’s hard to know where exactly to place the blame for Angel City’s conceded goals, but Emily Sams should be a more vocal leader in the center of the defense. For the opening goal in Racing’s 2–1 win over ACFC, Sams stepped forward while her teammates dropped in to play opponents onside. There was also very little reaction to the shot that was spilled by ACFC goalkeeper Angelina Anderson.

Then, for Louisville’s second goal, Sams misjudged the flight of the ball, missing the key header in front of goal and allowing Maja Lardner to head it home from close range. Sams is a former NWSL Defender of the Year and is viewed as one of the best leaders and communicators in the USWNT pool. This was not her finest weekend.

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