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04/01 12:35 CDT Naomi Girma set to return home to San Jose for USWNT match against Japan Naomi Girma set to return home to San Jose for USWNT match against Japan By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Soccer Writer Naomi Girma is going to play at home in Northern California with the U.S. team this month for the first time since a send-off game for the 2023 Women's World Cup. Coach Emma Hayes announced Wednesday that Girma, who was born in San Jose and played at nearby Stanford, will be on the roster for the United States when they play a three-game series with Japan, starting on April 11 at San Jose's Pay Pal Park. Her last national team appearance in her hometown was in a 2-0 victory over Wales ahead of the 2023 World Cup. "Playing for the national team in the Bay always just feels like kind of surreal, and seeing a lot of people who come to support me, who were there when I was playing club soccer, just playing for fun, and being like, ?Wow, I can't believe that we're all here and we've made it this far.' So it always is really special for me," Girma said. Girma's Stanford teammate, Sophia Wilson, was named to her first roster in 15 months after taking last year off for the birth of her daughter. Defender Tierna Davidson, who tore her ACL last season, will also return. "I think it's a great test for us," Girma said about Japan. "They're a great side, just won the Asian Cup. And I think they're very organized in their defense, but then also in their attack and they bring something different to a lot of other opponents that we play. So I think it's always a good test for us to measure ourselves against them." Girma plays professionally in England for Chelsea. She joined the Women's Super League club in early 2025 on a $1.1 million transfer from the San Diego Wave. The defender scored her first WSL goal last weekend in a 4-3 victory over Aston Villa to move the Blues into second in the standings behind Manchester City. She made her debut for the national team in 2022. She has appeared in 52 games with the United States and played on the squad that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Wilson was left off the U.S. roster for the recent SheBelieves Cup as she worked her way back from maternity leave with her club team, the Portland Thorns. Wilson has played in 58 games for the national team, scoring 24 goals, including three at the Olympics in France. Davidson, a left-back, last played for the United States in February 2025 before she was injured playing for Gotham early in the NWSL season. She has played in 67 matches for the national team. Hayes said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters that she will be on limited minutes. The return of those experienced players, coupled with Hayes' integration of the under-23 player camps alongside the senior camps, has put the national team in a good place 15 months out from the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, Girma said. "Seeing a lot of younger players be able to come into a full team camp and not really miss a beat, and not seem like they don't know what's going on, or feel like it's a little bit too much, I think that transition has become really smooth. And I think with having some players come back in that weren't in last year, it's a really exciting time for our team," Girma said. "We have a big pool who now has experience, whether it's in the last year, in the last couple years, ready to fill any role that we need." After the match in San Jose, the series against Japan will move to Seattle's Lumen Field on April 14. The final game is set for April 17 at Dick's Sporting Good's Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The roster by position with club affiliation: Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United). Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Angel City), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave). Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Manchester City), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Bay FC), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes). Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns). ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer