Welcome back to your weekly feature from Sports Illustrated that analyzes the women’s soccer weekend from a U.S. women’s national team perspective.We’re one month away from the next international window (and probably three weeks away from the next USWNT roster drop). The heat is on, and the battle for places is only getting more exciting.With the English Women’s Super League returning last weekend, all of Europe is now in action, joining the NWSL. It’s a great time to look around the world and see American talent thriving, and a tough time for U.S. manager Emma Hayes to narrow down her selection.Let’s take a look at who saw their stocks rise and fall this past weekend.Stock UpAshley SanchezAnother week, another record broken by Ashley Sanchez. With her first NWSL hat trick in a 6–0 win for the North Carolina Courage over the Chicago Stars, Sanchez has become the first American player to score 18 goals in a single NWSL season. She is now two behind the league’s all-time single-season record of 20 goals, which Temwa Chawinga hit in 2024.All season, as Sanchez has led the Golden Boot race and rocketed into MVP contention, the narrative has been brewing that she is due a recall to the USWNT. There really is nowhere for Emma Hayes to hide now. It feels like a done deal; Sanchez has to be in the next roster and earn her first call-up since January 2025.No player is finishing chances as consistently and as emphatically as Sanchez is in the NWSL right now. The only question is whether she can maintain it. The 27-year-old is outperforming her expected goals by 6.28, more than any other player in the NWSL. She’s either going to have a record-breaking year for precision in front of goal, or there will be a correction to the mean on the horizon.ASHLEY SANCHEZ HAT TRICK 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AyNFIl6blA— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 6, 2026Yazmeen RyanQuietly, Yazmeen Ryan has been making a real case for her recall to the USWNT since the summer break. After a goal and an assist in Denver Summit’s decisive 3–0 win over league-leaders Gotham FC last weekend, Ryan is up to four goals and an assist since the NWSL returned to action in July.Hayes will love the way Ryan ghosted into the open space on the edge of the box, beat the player and hit a sensible low shot into the corner. It wasn’t flashy; it was on the mark. Ryan is accurate and effective, and her free role to pop in different positions for Denver has made her a valuable all-around playmaker.Yazmeen Ryan finds the net to make it 3-0 against the league leaders! pic.twitter.com/F7MssRwlHm— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 6, 2026Izzy RodriguezIf you hit an Olimpico, scoring directly from a corner kick, your stock goes up. I don’t make the rules; these are just the facts. Izzy Rodriguez’s goal of the season contender in the KC Current’s 2–1 win over Bay FC was extraordinary and a reminder of how good her left-footed delivery is from wide areas.Rodriguez provides a crucial vertical outlet to go forward down the left wing for the Current, and she also held up the defensive side of the bargain, winning six of nine duels last weekend. With the fullback position, outside of Emily Fox, feeling quite open on the USWNT, there’s something to be said for Rodriguez getting another look due to her ability to send in crosses and hit shots. — National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2026Stock DownReilyn TurnerIt’s been a funny season for Reilyn Turner. At the start of the year, she looked primed for a breakout campaign with her aerial prowess and playmaking ability in the final third, in full flow. But a knee injury in the first game back after the summer break stunted some of that momentum.Turner is back with the Portland Thorns now and started in their recent 2–1 home defeat to the Washington Spirit. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get things going and was subbed off after 63 minutes, taking zero shots and creating zero chances.Jordan SilkowitzJordan Silkowitz is another player who has made huge strides in 2026 but was caught out in a tough performance over the weekend. The Bay FC goalkeeper faced just three shots in the club’s 2–1 defeat to the Current, and two of those hit the back of the net. Neither shot was from a particularly threatening place. The first was Rodriguez’s Olimpico, which, while incredible, is a goalkeeper’s nightmare to see that swirling shot sail over your fingertips. The second goal conceded effectively won the game for Kansas City in the 89th minute. Rocky Rodríguez hit a rocket from outside the box, and it looked like Silkowitz predicted it a bit late, or didn’t expect it to be hit to her left post, and wasn’t able to take off to make the diving save as quickly as she would have liked.ROCKY RODRÍGUEZ ROCKET 🚀 pic.twitter.com/qTewSJRqUg— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2026Naomi GirmaAfter a great showing in the Champions League for Chelsea, Naomi Girma was an unused substitute on the opening weekend of the new WSL season. Chelsea assistant manager Camille Abily said Girma’s calf issues, which plagued her over the last two seasons, are something the club is actively managing at the moment. Chelsea were held to a 1–1 draw at home to Aston Villa. With Chelsea pushing hard to win, bringing Girma, a defender, off the bench wasn’t necessary as they chased three points.“It’s more fitness,” Abily said about Girma’s limited minutes. “And also a decision, because we have many good players on the bench, and we know with her calf, we need to be careful. So for that, we didn’t want to take any risks.”Chelsea continues to experiment with a three-back formation, with three center backs flanked by wing backs. Girma could suit this formation, but it certainly isn’t her most natural fit. Hopefully, her fitness and tactical flexibility improve. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow