The United States will face Spain without Naomi Girma or Emily Sonnett
U.S. Soccer added Utah Royals defender Kate Del Fava to the roster on Sunday for the two matches against Spain. Girma has not been on the field in any of Chelsea's seven matches since September 2. Emily Sonnett is hurt too, and one or both of them started at center back in seven of the United States' last eight matches.
Kate Del Fava was already due in Atlanta on Monday. She was going as an overage player with the United States under-23s, who are in camp at the national training center this week at the same time as the senior team. On Sunday, Emma Hayes called her up to the senior roster for the two matches against Spain, to replace the injured Naomi Girma. "She will now just switch hotels," U.S. Soccer's release said.
Del Fava is 28 and has never played for the United States. Her first call-up at any level was the under-23 trip to Brazil in June, also as an overage player. She plays in the middle of the Utah Royals defense, and the federation says she has played every minute of every game since the club rejoined the NWSL in 2024. She has two goals this season, both headers, and she is the first Illinois State player to be called into the senior team. She is the fifth uncapped player on a roster of 26.
The player she replaces#
Hayes named Girma on Tuesday, for the first time since April. By Thursday she was off the roster with a muscle injury, ESPN's Jeff Kassouf reported, with a replacement to be named later. Sunday's release calls her injured and gives no detail.
Her club coach had said a little more on Wednesday. "Naomi got a knock in training. So I think she will be unavailable for maybe a few weeks," Sonia Bompastor said, in remarks ESPN published.
Girma started both legs of Chelsea's Champions League qualifier against Real Sociedad, the second of them on September 2. Chelsea have since played five Women's Super League matches and two in the Champions League league phase, and she has not been on the field in any of the seven. She was an unused substitute in four and out of the squad for three, the latest of them Sunday's 3-0 win at West Ham. I said on September 19 that she would play for Chelsea by October 4, and I was wrong.
She has 54 caps, and her last match for the United States was against Japan on April 17. After Spain, the next United States matches are at the Concacaf W Championship in November, where World Cup qualification is decided.
What is left at center back#
Emily Sonnett is missing as well. She suffered a major knee injury after the June matches in Brazil, U.S. Soccer said last week. In the last eight United States matches, going back to March 1, Sonnett started five at center back and Girma started four. One or both of them started in seven of the eight.
The exception was Argentina on March 1, when Kennedy Wesley and Tara Rudd started together. Both are on this roster. Across the eight matches Wesley started three at center back, Tierna Davidson two and Rudd one. Davidson has 70 caps, Rudd 12 and Wesley seven.
The roster now lists nine defenders, up from eight on Tuesday. Girma came off, Del Fava went on, and Evelyn Shores, an uncapped Angel City player listed with the midfielders on Tuesday, is listed with the defenders now. Seven of the nine have 14 caps or fewer. The other two are Davidson and Emily Fox, who has 78.
Spain are ranked first in the world. They play the United States at Audi Field in Washington on October 10 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, and at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 13 at 7 p.m.
Sources: U.S. Soccer release on Kate Del Fava's call-up, October 4, 2026; U.S. Soccer roster release, September 29, 2026; U.S. Soccer, "Emma Hayes on October Roster," September 30, 2026; Jeff Kassouf, ESPN, "Naomi Girma off USWNT squad due to muscle injury," October 1, 2026; ESPN match lineups for Chelsea, August 26 to October 4, 2026, and for the United States, March to June 2026; ESPN player page for Kate Del Fava.
