The excitement among US Soccer fans is palpable for obvious reasons. Emma Hayes‘ USWNT will be making a return towards the end of this month, playing not one but three games. The New Zealand clash will follow a doubleheader clash against Portugal on October 23 and October 26 on October 29. While fans eagerly anticipate these games, few realize how the schedule affects the NWSL stars called up for international duty, at least according to American soccer veteran Sam Mewis.

On the Women’s Game podcast’s newest segment, Mewis Squared, Episode 3 saw the Mewis sisters, Kristie and Sam, reunite to catch up, with the USWNT’s hectic schedule being one of the main topics. While expressing her excitement to see the American ladies in action, Sam voiced a concern about how certain players called up for this window will manage international duty first, followed shortly by their crucial domestic commitments, as just a couple of days after the New Zealand clash, the NWSL’s final Matchday 26 takes place.

“I feel like it’s kind of weird timing,” began Sam on the show. “One, it’s been almost four months since their last camp. The way FIFA breaks were this year, it feels like it’s been so long. The last time they played was in July.” To be fair, Sam is right on this one. Considering the NWSL season, the timing of the USWNT camp is tricky. There’s a league game this weekend, followed by a week-and-a-half-long international camp, and then one more NWSL match before the playoffs.

On top of that, some teams will have played their final game until the next international break, without really training together in the meantime, while other players are simultaneously preparing for the playoff push. So, it’s only natural for Sam Mewis to sense what players might be feeling — that it’s one of those unusual moments when they enter camp and “everyone seems to be in a slightly different mindset.”

Agreeing with Sam was her elder sister, Kristie, who recalled her own misery she used to face during her playing days. “When you throw camp in the mix to anything, it obviously raises the stress levels. At least it did for me,” she said. The former West Ham United star admitted that during her time with the national team, she was constantly under stress, whether it was preparing to join camp or anxiously waiting for a call-up.

Kristie reflected that she was never one of those “locked-in” players, which only added to the pressure. “I was shaking in my boots every time a roster was going to be released. So I was anxious the whole time. It was awful,” added the former midfielder. Whenever FIFA scheduling overlapped with the NWSL season, it only fueled more doubts and worries about her club’s performance, making Kristie admit that it used to be “a difficult time of the year.”

Little does it remind us of Tobin Heath and Christen Press once stating how Europe holds a notable benefit over America’s domestic league in terms of fixtures and schedules. But guess what? This isn’t the first time we have heard such issues, with a rather familiar face of the US Women’s National Team also underlining the problems.

Here’s the fix that the NWSL can do for the USWNT’s schedule problems!

You’ll be surprised to know that a similar situation unfolded during the very same October window last year. The American ladies had reunited for a doubleheader against Iceland on October 24 at Texas-based Q2 Stadium and October 27 at Tennessee’s Geodis Park, before wrapping up their window with a final game against Argentina on October 30, 2024, at Kentucky’s Lynn Family Stadium.

Unfortunately, that Wednesday fixture against the La Albiceleste side came just two days before two crucial NWSL matches on Friday, November 1. Utah Royals were set to face NJ/NY Gotham FC, while the Portland Thorns met Angel City. And surprisingly, both games featured nine players from Emma Hayes’ 26-player roster.

Ironically, when Hayes was asked in the press conference about possible rotation concerns for her Europe-based players, the question seemed misplaced given the scheduling chaos within the NWSL itself. She clarified that the real issue lay in the league’s calendar, pointing out that four NWSL teams were set to play just two days after the international clash, unlike in Europe, where matches are held on Sundays, a situation she admitted was “far from ideal.”

“These are conversations I’ve had with NWSL and player welfare is critical,” said Hayes, who has never backed down when it comes to advocacy. While the situation had been frustrating for Hayes, she reassured that similar scheduling issues would be prevented in the future. The 47-year-old added that since FIFA windows are well established, the NWSL and the federation were already working together to avoid such close turnarounds between league and international games.