Jaelin Howell credited the impact made by teammates and the technical staff at Gotham FC for helping her return to the United States women’s national team picture.
“I think playing around world-class players — Rose [Lavelle], Tierna [Davidson], just a lot of players that push me and I can learn from and make me better,” Howell told reporters in the mixed zone following the United States’ 2-2 draw against reigning Women’s FIFA World Cup champions Spain on Tuesday.
“My coaching staff just believing in me and really just helping me through after an injury-ridden couple of years, the first couple of years of my career and just helping me come back and find my stride again. I think it’s a combination of a lot of things.”
Howell Makes First USWNT Appearance Since Last December
Howell played for 29 minutes in Tuesday’s international friendly at Subaru Park. It was her first appearance for the national team since a 2-0 friendly victory over Italy on December 1, 2025.
The 26-year-old midfielder was called into the USWNT after midfielder Sam Coffey suffered an injury in Manchester City’s 4-2 win over Arsenal on October 4.
Howell likely made a positive impression on USWNT head coach Emma Hayes with her industrious play in midfield.
“You can count on me bringing energy and some tackles,” Howell said. “Going into a game like this, that’s what I wanted to do, get the ball forward. I think that we came in and brought a lot of energy and tough not to get a third goal. But it was a good competition for us.”
Howell’s ability to disrupt opponents’ attacking sequences, knack for winning duels and intelligent positioning were instrumental in helping Gotham capture a trophy double last season.
Howell Ready for Final Push in Gotham FC’s NWSL Shield Chase
This season, Gotham is targeting a treble after winning June’s NWSL Challenge Cup. The first-place Bats are four points ahead of second-place San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL Shield race with three regular-season matches remaining and have their eyes set on repeating as NWSL champions.
Howell’s 59 tackles rank third among all NWSL players. Her 51 interceptions and 51 fouls drawn are both tied for third most in the league.
Now that the international break is over, she will refocus her efforts on ensuring that Gotham finishes the regular season as NWSL Shield winners and enters the NWSL playoffs in top form.
The final three matches of the regular season start with a road meeting against the perennial rival Washington Spirit on Saturday.
“Just going back and continuing to do what we were doing before the break,” Howell said. “I think carrying that same intensity and training, going back into our training environment. Hopefully on the road against Spirit, it’ll be a good game and be able to get a win.”
Saturday’s match at Audi Field is scheduled to kick off at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
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