US Women’s National Team to Host Portugal at Subaru Park on Alex Morgan Celebration Night

The US Women’s Team will bring a mix of youth and experience to Subaru Park for a week of training in Chester, culminating with a friendly against Portugal on Thursday, October 23. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The game will also be televised on TNT, TruTV, HBO Max, and Peacock (Spanish).

The defending Olympic champions are back together for the first time since a summer friendly window that included convincing wins over Ireland, Jamaica, and China. The team earned split results against Brazil in April and also finished second in the She Believes Cup in February, defeating Colombia and Australia before falling to Japan 2-1. Still between major competitions, the upcoming friendly schedule provides coach Emma Hayes an opportunity to see many of the rising young talents before World Cup qualification begins with the Concacaf W qualifiers in November.

Alyssa Thompson, the youngest player to be drafted in the 2023 NWSL Draft when Angel City selected her with the number one pick, scored her first goal for Chelsea last week in a 4-0 win over Paris FC in Champions League action. The 20-year-old striker had 15 goals and 11 assists in her early career with Angel City before signing with the English champions this fall. Thompson has 3 goals for the USWNT in 22 appearances.

Lily Yohannes, the 18-year-old midfielder with OL Lyon, scored in her club debut on September 11th, a 3-1 win over Marseille. Yohannes had been with Ajax since she was 15 and became the youngest American to appear in a Champions League match last November, a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. With 8 caps for the USWNT, Yohannes scored her first international goal last June in a 3-0 win over South Korea, the third-youngest American goal scorer. She’s already appeared seven times for Lyon this season, all wins, including a 2-1 win over Arsenal two weeks ago in the UCL. Her goal last week against St. Pölten from just outside the center circle was named UCL Goal of Matchday 2.

Kansas City’s Claire Hutton is among the young players with single-digit appearances looking to improve her outlook in the national team picture. Capped six times, the 19-year-old jumped from high school to the Current in 2024 and has appeared in over 30 matches since.

“It’s been pretty amazing getting this opportunity,” she told the media on Tuesday about being involved in another camp and how it leads to the overall goal of World Cup qualification down the line. “Each camp we go into she [Hayes] shows us the gold print of what the next two years are going to look like.”

Hutton made her national team debut in February’s She Believes Cup against Australia and played a role in the game winner. This season, her Kansas City Current ran away with the NWSL Supporters’ Shield and are clear frontrunners to win the NWSL Cup.

When asked about how the team handles this friendly window, she said, “I feel like yes there’s a pressure to it but at the same time we’re staying present, staying focused on what we currently have. It keeps it consistent and it keeps everybody where their feet are at the
moment.”

Hutton has the opportunity to train alongside a number of experienced players, paying close attention to the senior players’ habits and mindset. “There’s a standard set, and as younger players coming in, we watch that, absorb it, and try to raise it more.”

One notable absence is Trinity Rodman. The Washington Spirit striker suffered a knee injury last week in Concacaf W Champions Cup action that will likely keep her out of the NWSL postseason. The star striker has battled through injuries for most of the 2025 season and was beginning to regain her form.

In addition to the handful of promising youngsters, the US will have regulars to balance out the squad. Arsenal’s Emily Fox (67 caps) and Gotham FC’s Emily Sonnett (110 caps) will provide stability in the back, Gotham FC’s Rose Lavelle (113 caps) and Portland’s Sam Coffey (38 apps), a Penn State grad from New York, will add tremendous skill and experience in the midfield, and Chelsea’s Catarina Macario (24 caps) will be even more valuable with the absence of Rodman. The two-time Herman Trophy winner and Champions league winner with Lyon in 2022 has 3 goals in 2025 for the US.

Captain Lindsey Heaps, who also plays for OL Lyon, enters camp as the most-experienced player in the current squad with 167 national team appearances. Heaps has been the best US player since the last World Cup-Olympics cycle and is now being counted on to lead the younger core back to the top. Heaps also spoke with the media on Tuesday, and when asked about how this camp affects the current cycle, she said,

“What Emma’s done, bringing in so many young players, less experienced players, the caps that we’re getting is crucial into what makes a winning team, especially in those tournaments knowing that you need everyone. And you might need a less-experienced player who doesn’t have more than ten caps.”

Heaps, a young player when she made her debut in 2013 at age 18, has progressed in both European and NWSL environments while learning alongside Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and the recently retired Alex Morgan. Now, she’s embraced her role as the mentor, offering support for the next wave of players.

“My number one thing I say to the players is you’re here for a reason, you’re here to make this team better. Go and do your thing.”

The USWNT last played at Subaru Park in April 2022, a 9-0 win over Uzbekistan, a game in which Rodman scored her first international goal. Their largest attendance in the Philadelphia area occurred at Lincoln Financial Field in August 2019 as part of the World Cup victory tour. 49,504fans attended their win. In the 1990s, the US hosted games at the United German Hungarian Club (October 1991 and April 1993) and Hatboro-Horsham High School (May 1996). Prior to the game, US Soccer will honor Morgan. The California native finished her illustrious career with 123 goals and 53 assists in 223 appearances. She ranks fifth all-time in goals for the USWNT. Morgan was named the Silver Ball winner at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after leading the US to her second world title (2015 and 2019). She also won the Olympic Gold in 2012. Morgan scored her first international goal at Subaru Park in October 2010 during a 1-1 draw with China. In May 2012, Morgan scored twice against China, a 4-1 US victory. She also scored against Japan in Chester during a World Cup tune up in February 2019.

As part of a week and a half of training and friendlies, the USWNT travel to East Hartford, Connecticut for another match against Portugal on Sunday, October 26 then round out the break on Wednesday October 29 against Australia in Kansas City.