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The U.S. women's national team's rebuild continues this month at the SheBelieves Cup, where the best version of a new-look team might finally hit the pitch as a handful of players return from injury and another batch of young talents begin to make their case before July's Olympics.

This month's squad is headlined by Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario, who are back in the team after spells on the sideline with long-term knee injuries. The two are obvious candidates to bolster the team's attack, while 16-year-old Lily Yohannes and 21-year-old Eva Gaetino could be the latest to earn their first caps as the USWNT coaching staff continues to plan for the present and the future.

While the SheBelieves Cup will likely serve as another period of experimentation for interim head coach Twila Kilgore, the emergence of younger players puts pressure on some of the team's veterans. It is worth remembering that few invitees to this camp are actually out of the running at this point in time. Even if there's uncertainty around their spots on the roster or in the lineup, that could change in time for Emma Hayes to make her picks for Paris.

It merely means that the longtime players have just as much to prove as their less experienced counterparts, adding a rejuvenated feel to the perennially uber-competitive race for USWNT roster spots.

Here's a look at the players who are on the rise -- and those whose statuses are more uncertain -- ahead of the SheBelieves Cup, which could be a very important testing ground for individuals and the team alike.

Stock up: Mallory Swanson

Swanson was on track to be the focal point of the USWNT's attack at last year's Women's World Cup before she tore her patella tendon three months before the tournament, and the team seemed to miss her once the competition began. The U.S. infamously went 238 minutes without scoring a goal, which played a big part in their disappointing round of 16 exit, and Swanson still finished 2023 as the team's top goalscorer with seven goals.

The forward spent the early months of 2024 steadily mourning her comeback, joining the USWNT as a training player at the Concacaf W Gold Cup and then starting in each of the Chicago Red Stars' first three games of the NWSL season. She unofficially marked her return last Friday, scoring her first goal since her injury a year earlier. Time will tell if this is the case, but it seems like her fitness is exactly where it needs to be to compete for a spot on the Olympics roster and she now has the chance to pick up from where she left off in a national team jersey.

Stock down: Crystal Dunn

It seems unrealistic to suggest that Crystal Dunn will be left off the Olympics roster come July -- her versatility is her greatest strength, and it's all the more important when selecting an 18-player roster rather than the 23 who make the cut for a World Cup. That said, there's an air of uncertainty around her status on the USWNT for the first time in a long time.

The USWNT's longtime left back went from default starter to splitting her time in the spot with club and country teammate Jenna Nighswonger, who played nearly half the minutes available as the team's left back at the Gold Cup. That could be due to Kilgore's intent to experiment as much as possible before the Olympics, but the 2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year was one of the breakouts of the tournament. It now feels like there's a real battle for the position, as well as the potential for several different eventual outcomes that could include Dunn demonstrating her worth in a more advanced position, much as she does at the club level.

We will get an answer eventually, but as long as there are question marks, it means Dunn -- and Nighswonger -- will need to demonstrate what she means to the team in the rebuilding process.

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Stock up: Catarina Macario

Macario is back after nearly two years out with an ACL tear, though Hayes seems to be easing the player back into the fold as the head coach finishes out her responsibilities with Chelsea. Macario has yet to start a game since her early March return, playing 151 minutes across all competitions in the last month. She has scored twice in the last month, though, demonstrating a case that she could contribute to the USWNT immediately.

There also might be a natural spot on the pitch for the versatile Macario, who can play as an attacking midfielder and a forward. Rose Lavelle is out with a lower leg injury, which could allow Macario to fill in and showcase the role she could play in the future when she regains full fitness. With goals in her game, the re-introduction of Swanson and Macario could also help reestablish the USWNT's reputation as a high-scoring team.

Stock down: Abby Dahlkemper

Abby Dahlkemper is clearly fairly high on the list of USWNT center backs -- the 2019 World Cup winner made the cut this time around while her former partner in the back, Becky Sauerbrunn, did not. It's quite clear, though, that the team's first choices in the position are Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson, meaning that Dahlkemper is most likely in the race to be the first name off the bench.

It's a pretty crowded field to be Girma and Davidson's understudy. Gaetino is the newest addition to the center back contingent, but Alana Cook could be in the mix when she's able to return to the national team following a minor knee injury and Nighswonger has played alongside the first-choice duo when Kilgore opted for three in the back. Like Dunn, there are questions that Dahlkemper will have to answer to find out if her stock is just temporarily down. As long as these players keep earning invites, though, it feels like they have a chance.

Stock up: Lily Yohannes

The teenager is easily the USWNT most buzzy prospect in camp as she comes to the end of a record-setting season with Ajax. She became the youngest player, male or female, to start a group stage match in the UEFA Champions League and was a regular in Ajax's midfield through their run to the quarterfinals. The Virginia-born talent is also in the process of obtaining her Dutch citizenship after moving to the Netherlands at age 10 and seems intent on exploring her options in the meantime, adding a level of urgency to her integration with the USWNT.

It's unclear how much game time is in store for her at the SheBelieves Cup -- Kilgore has done a strong job of integrating new talents during her interim spell, but Yohannes' relative inexperience compared to some of the USWNT's other youngsters might result in a more patient approach. The hype around Yohannes is very real, to the point that Macario joked that she attempted to recruit her during Chelsea's quarterfinal tie with Ajax, and with the USWNT's midfield still somewhat unresolved, she's arguably the player to watch this month.

Stock down: Casey Krueger

Casey Krueger has long been on the USWNT's bubble, a well-respected right back who was on the USWNT's roster for the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics who has yet to be shut out in the era of experimentation. She has received an invite to each of the team's camps since Hayes' hire was announced, including the Gold Cup, but a steady run of game time has yet to come for Krueger, raising questions about her prospects for Paris.

She started this period of time off strongly by starting the USWNT's first game after the Hayes announcement, a 3-0 win over China in which Krueger played a more attack-minded role. It was a new task for the defensively sound fullback but she impressed in it, a positive sign since Hayes prefers wingers with attacking sensibilities. She did not play a big role at the Gold Cup, though, playing just 140 minutes over three games as Emily Fox strengthened her grip on the position. Krueger might still be the default backup, but whether or not her limited game time rules her out of a small Olympics squad is worth keeping an eye on.