Gotham FC Sends Five Players to U.S. Women's National Team for Upcoming Friendlies
NWSL NJ/NY Gotham FC

Gotham FC Sends Five Players to U.S. Women's National Team for Upcoming Friendlies

Published on November 19, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
NJ/NY Gotham FC News Release


JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Five Gotham FC players have been named to the 26-player U.S. Women's National Team roster for its upcoming international friendlies against Italy.

Defenders Lilly Reale and Emily Sonnett and midfielders Jaelin Howell, Rose Lavelle and Jaedyn Shaw have all earned call-ups to represent the United States.

The 25-year-old Howell returns to the U.S. squad for the first time since April 9, 2022, when she scored her first and only international goal in a win over Uzbekistan. She was on the roster for the U.S. trip to Europe in October 2022 but did not see action. Howell made her USWNT debut on Nov. 27, 2020, against the Netherlands, becoming one of the first players born after the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup to earn a cap.

Lavelle and Sonnett are two of three players in their 30s called into the team this international window, joining Lindsey Heaps. Lavelle (115 caps) and Sonnett (112) hold the second and third-most caps on the roster behind Heaps (167). In the last window, Lavelle scored the seventh-fastest goal in USWNT history, finding the net just 33 seconds into the Oct. 23 match against Portugal. She recorded two goals during the window.

Shaw earns her second consecutive call-up after spending earlier FIFA windows this year with the U.S. U-23s. She has 29 caps and eight goals for the United States and became the first USWNT player to score in her first five starts.

Reale, a nominee for 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year, returns to the senior U.S. roster, where she has made four appearances this year. She has played in every NWSL match for Gotham FC this season, including the semifinal win over Orlando in which she helped secure a clean sheet to send Gotham to the 2025 NWSL Championship.

The U.S. will face Italy in Florida twice in this window, first on Friday, Nov. 28, at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando. The second match will take place Monday, Dec. 1, at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Both matches will air on TNT and HBO Max in English and on Peacock in Spanish.

Before joining the U.S., all five players will feature in the 2025 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, when Gotham faces the Washington Spirit on Saturday at PayPal Park.

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