MADRID — Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda on Friday left out of his squad the 15 players who have reportedly told the Spanish FA (RFEF) they would quit international duty while he is in charge.

According to sources close to the situation, the players are unhappy with the management of injuries, the atmosphere in the locker room, Vilda's team selection and training sessions.

United States women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski released the 24-women roster that will travel overseas to play England and Spain in a pair of friendlies. The latest USWNT roster had several interesting inclusions like the return of Crystal Dunn and a potential senior debut for 17-year-old Alyssa Thompson.

On Thursday night at 11 p.m. in Madrid, the Spanish women's national team — one of the favorites at the upcoming 2023 World Cup — was thrown into disarray after 15 players, in emails sent to the Spanish Federation (RFEF), reportedly made themselves unavailable for selection until the dismissal of longstanding manager Jorge Vilda. 

After recent friendlies against sides ranked 47th, 25th and 46th in the world, the USWNT is now preparing for an October that'll either certify its status as the 2023 World Cup favorite or potentially shift that tag to a European rival. 

The latest women’s FIFA rankings were released on Friday and, to no one’s surprise, the USWNT remains No. 1. The last time the Americans fell out of the top spot was for a few months in 2017. England and Germany surged up the Top 10, but coming in at No. 10 is yet another baffling appearance from a team that hasn’t played in three years.

The Top 9 of the women’s FIFA rankings include all the usual suspects: USA, Germany, Sweden, England, France, Netherlands, Canada, Spain and Brazil, respectively. 

It’s not often a fullback gets the hook for defending so poorly. It’s even rarer for such a move to completely flip the script in a major match.

Sarina Wiegman’s decision to replace the struggling Rachel Daly in the 82nd minute helped spark a remarkable comeback as England beat Spain 2-1 in extra time in the 2022 Women’s Euro quarterfinals on Wednesday in Brighton.