FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia — 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 between the two most recent World Cup champions.
The U.S. will be without Girma and defensive midfielder Sam Coffey, who Hayes said had a setback with an ankle issue while playing for Manchester City on Sunday.
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.
“She’s the last person who wants to be in this place, and she’s worked really hard to get herself back to a good level,” Hayes said.
Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor said last week that Girma would be out for a few weeks.
“Obviously I’m not in control of that,” Hayes said. “I’m not the club. But we are working closely with Chelsea to think differently about creating the right solutions because the player suffers. And I know she’s absolutely devastated.”
Hayes coached Chelsea for over a decade, winning seven league titles among other trophies. She was hired as USWNT head coach in November 2023 and transitioned to USWNT head coach two months ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
Girma arrived at Chelsea from the San Diego Wave in January 2025 in the world’s first $1 million transfer for a women’s soccer player.
Her calf issues began that month at USWNT training camp and have limited her time for club and country over the past two years.
Girma only played in 10 league matches for Chelsea last season and has not played in the league yet this season.
She missed the USWNT’s pair of away friendlies against Brazil in June.
Hayes called Girma “the best defender I’ve ever seen” during the team’s run to the 2024 Olympic gold medal. Coffey’s absence will also present challenges for the United States centrally against Spain.
Hayes said Coffey had “just the reoccurrence of a little bit of an ankle issue” during Sunday’s league match.
“Of course she’s devastated,” Hayes said. “Sam always wants to be involved in everything.
“But, like I said at the beginning, you just have to get used to these things. Like, sometimes I hear the conversation like, ‘Why is this player in? Why is that player in?’ Look, I can’t tell you what a World Cup qualifying squad will look like or a World Cup squad will look like, but I have to make sure we’ve got a playing pool that’s developed and these are great opportunities for the players who get the chance to play ahead of them.”
Midfielder Jaelin Howell replaced Coffey on this week’s roster. It is Howell’s first call-up in nearly a year.
Defender Kate Del Fava replaced Girma on the roster.
Del Fava was originally named to the U23 USWNT roster as an overage player. Her first international call-up at any level was in June for a U23 camp.
Hayes said she expects Spain to test the USWNT “in every way” because of their tactical sophistication.
Spain is the reigning World Cup champion after winning the title for the first time in 2023. Hayes views the friendly matches on Saturday in Washington, D.C., and Oct. 13 in Chester, Penn., as “essential” preparation ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Those lessons must be learned with the roster she has available.
“I always say, I haven’t, for one minute, ever had the best available squad available,” Hayes said.
“You’re never going to; that’s the reality of it. There are always going to be injuries. There’s always going to be form. There’s always going to be things that happen in between, which is why I’ve been so insistent on developing bigger numbers.”
