Even as the U.S. women's national team appropriately basked in the glow of their gold medal-winning performance at the summer Olympics, the just completed October camp amounted to a turning of the page. The camp went as expected: three games, three wins and a whole bunch of very good goals.
If it wasn't clear by their exploits this summer, it is now: the USWNT is incredibly talented. Even without injured superstar Trinity Rodman in attack, this group has a seemingly endless amount of players that can turn games on their head. For Ballon d'Or women's coach of the year Emma Hayes - still unbeaten in her first 13 games with the USWNT - the hardest part isn't finding game-changers to put on the field, it's figuring out which ones to even bring off the bench.
She'll have a lot to sort out over the next three years, but time does go quickly, and it doesn't take long to either play yourself into the mix, or play yourself right out. A new cycle is beginning, and there will be turnover. There will probably be players in big roles by the 2027 World Cup that we haven't even seen yet.
We got a glimpse at several newcomers this camp, as seven players got their first USWNT caps. We also got a closer look at familiar faces and established stars in a group filled with varying levels of international experience. Who stood out? Whose stock rose, and whose fell? GOAL takes a look.