{
  "id": 11274262,
  "title": "USWNT rules out veteran Naomi Girma from Oct. friendlies vs. Spain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/uswnt-rules-out-veteran-naomi-girma-from-oct-friendlies-vs-spain",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T20:31:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/uswnt-rules-veteran-naomi-girma-203105367.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The U.S. women's national soccer team has excluded veteran defender Naomi Girma from upcoming friendlies against Spain in October due to a muscle injury. A replacement will be announced at a later date. Girma, who was initially named to the training camp roster on Tuesday, had not played for her club Chelsea since September 2 due to a \"small injury.\" USWNT coach Emma Hayes confirmed on Tuesday that Girma might not be part of the roster, but further decisions would be made accordingly. Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor backed Hayes' statement, stating that Girma would be sidelined for approximately a few weeks. Known for her experience and leadership, Girma has earned 54 caps for the USWNT, including playing in all of their matches during the 2023 World Cup. The friendlies against Spain, which are considered crucial as the team prepares for World Cup qualification through the Concacaf W Championship in November and December, are scheduled for October 10 in Washington, D.C., and October 13 in Philadelphia. The 2027 World Cup will take place in Brazil.",
  "summary": "The U.S. women’s national soccer team announced Thursday it had ruled out veteran defender Naomi Girma from friendlies against Spain this month due to an unspecified muscle injury. A replacement will be named later. Girma was named to the training camp roster Tuesday even though she had been dealing with what her Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor called “a small injury” and had not played for her…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}