A year from now we will be getting down to the wire for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. So what better time to make our initial roster predictions for the group Emma Hayes will call up? The U.S. womens national team won its eighth SheBelieves Cup title over the weekend, and didnt even have some of its most recognizable players available for various reasons. For example, Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson are coming back from maternity leave while Tierna Davidson and Catarina Macario are recovering from injuries. Those four players if healthy figure to play large roles at the tournament next summer. One thing weve learned from Hayes time as manager so far is that shes committed to developing and growing this player pool. Not just for the 2027 World Cup, but the 2028 Olympics and the 2031 World Cup as well. And were seeing her do the things shes set out to do in real time. Hayes has given 32 players caps in 32 games. Shes further established the youth programs and the U23 squad as the premier pipeline to the senior team. Weve seen players Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Lilly Reale, Jameese Joseph, Gisele Thompson and more who were called into the Futures Camp in January 2025 and have since worked their way to getting regular call-ups. They are competing for spots on the roster for World Cup qualifying later this year and for the big show next summer. This past training camp was a peak inside who Hayes has identified as part of a "core group." These are players who Hayes believes are ready or nearly ready to make a difference ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Using that as a guide, as well as noting players who havent been available but will be soon, here is our first edition of who we think Hayes is seriously looking at for the 2027 World Cup roster: Goalkeepers (3):Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals) Its clear at this point that Tullis-Joyce is Hayes No. 1 option in goal. She started two of the three SheBelieves Cup matches wins over Canada and Colombia and kept clean sheets. Shes a budding star for her Womens Super League club, where she won a share of the Golden Glove award last season and was named Manchester Uniteds Player of the Year. Its a tall order to replace Alyssa Naeher, but Tullis-Joyce is getting more and more comfortable in each USWNT appearance. Defenders (7): Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash) The back line is pretty much set. Fox at right back, Girma at center back alongside Davidson or Sonnett, depending on health and opponent and then most likely Reale on the left. Davidson hasnt been with the team since tearing her ACL in March 2025, but shes back with her club ahead of this NWSL season, which means a return to the USWNT in April seems probable. Reale left the SheBelieves camp with a foot injury, but Hayes is high on U.S. Soccers 2025 Young Female Player of the Year. Rudd, Patterson and Gisele Thompson (who is not listed here) have all seen their respective stocks rise over the past year and would be strong options to showcase the squads depth at a major tournament. Midfielders (7): Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Sam Coffey (Manchester City), Claire Hutton (Bay FC), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns) Hayes has so many options tactically in the midfield. Theres always the Heaps-Lavelle-Coffey formation, which relies on experience and familiarity. But off that theres a web of different combinations Hayes can play. Coffey could be a single holding midfielder, or play in a double pivot. Shaw can come in effectively at the No. 10 position, and Hutton and Yohannes are young stars in the making who will be part of this team for a long time. This is an incredibly tight-knit unit and one that Hayes will be able to adjust when needed. Forwards (6):Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Stars), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Catarina Macario (Chelsea), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current) This is where things get the most interesting. The world saw how dynamic and dangerous a full-strength Triple Espresso can be when it led the team to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Since then, Swanson and Wilson have had babies and been out on maternity leave. In their absences, opportunities have come to Thompson, Sentnor and Macario, who could and should all be starters. This might be the most fun position group for Hayes because if you start the Triple Espresso, for example, and need to switch things up in the second half, a tired opponent isnt going to want to see Thompson or Macario coming off the bench.