United States women's national team head coach Emma Hayes said she and her staff are working closely with Chelsea to change how defender Naomi Girma is managed after another setback due to a calf injury.
"This has happened too often and if we want her to be in a position to play games on a regular basis for club and country, I think we have to change some things," Hayes told reporters on Tuesday at the U.S. Soccer national training Center. The United States plays world No. 1 Spain twice in the coming week in two highly anticipated friendly matches.
Girma, the United States' top defender and one of the best centerbacks in the world, had to pull out of training camp after suffering an injury with Chelsea last week. Girma sustained another setback to a calf injury that has bothered her sporadically since joining Chelsea in January 2025 in the world's first $1 million transfer for a women's soccer player. She only played in 10 league matches for Chelsea last season and has not played in the league yet this season.
Defensive midfielder Sam Coffey also had a setback with an ankle issue while playing for Manchester City on Sunday. Midfielder Jaelin Howell replaced Coffey on this week's roster, and defender Kate Del Fava replaced Girma. Hayes said she expects Spain to test the USWNT "in every way" because of their tactical sophistication.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing