Changes are afoot for the U.S. women's national team. With a new coach set to take the helm between now and the 2020 Olympics, many players who had been shut out by outgoing coach Jill Ellis have a new lifeline into the USWNT pool.

We don't know who the new coach will be, but there's a high probability it'll be a National Women's Soccer League coach, which should bode well for players proving themselves in the league.

The new coach could just try to bring the World Cup-winning roster to the Olympics intact (minus some cuts due to the smaller roster size), but if the new coach plans to stick around for the long term, he or she may prefer to start building toward the 2023 World Cup immediately.

That's what Ellis did in 2016 – she used the Rio Olympics to build toward the 2019 World Cup – and while it may have cost her the USA's most embarrassing exit in a major tournament ever, three years later she won another World Cup. Maybe that's a trade-off worth making, considering the World Cup is the bigger event for soccer.

With that in mind, here are the NWSL players who have proven they can hold their own against the USWNT World Cup winners with whom they share the field. These are the new players that could break their way into the 2020 Tokyo roster, and into the USWNT's future.

View photos Portland Thorns forward Midge Purce could make the USWNT squad for the 2020 Olympics, but a position switch might be in her best interest. (Getty) More

Midge Purce, Portland Thorns

After a couple decent but not speculator seasons in the NWSL, Purce is enjoying a breakout year for the Portland Thorns. With eight goals in 17 games, she has taken to an unfamiliar No. 9 role and proven herself to be an adaptable utility player.

But if Purce wants to break into the USWNT, it will probably need to be in her former role as a wide player.

Purce got looks under Ellis as a potential wingback or fullback, but never managed to break through. But the USWNT remains thin at the position, even as Ellis settled on other options for depth at the World Cup that were makeshift at best. Purce has seemingly won the central striker spot in Portland, and it may be difficult to abandon that role – but she may need to if she wants to carve a niche for the USWNT. Luckily, Purce is only 23 years old and time is on her side.

Sofia Huerta, Houston Dash

Huerta hasn't had the breakout year many might have hoped for, but she also hasn't been playing in a wide role where she’s excelled in the past. That's the challenge for 26-year-old Huerta: Under Ellis, she got looks for the USWNT as a fullback. But she has struggled to find a club willing to consistently play her in that role so she can prove herself.

She requested a trade from the Chicago Red Stars in a bid to find more playing time at outside back, but she landed in Houston, where this season she’s been an attacking central midfielder. After filing a one-time switch and abandoning her Mexican eligibility, the USWNT remains the ultimate goal, but it may be a longshot if she can't find playing time at the USWNT’s biggest positional need.

Casey Short, Chicago Red Stars

How about another fullback option? (Like we said, the USWNT really needs depth there.) Short may have a better shot than most, because the 29-year-old made every roster she was eligible for over two years leading up to the World Cup until Ellis abruptly dropped her in favor of Ali Krieger, in a shock decision.

Short hadn't seemingly done anything to lose her spot – she offered a solid, stable defensive option at fullback as a balance to all the ultra-attacking options Ellis had. And although bombing forward wasn't her expertise, she found her moments to get forward and participate in the attack. Short would be able to reprise her role and slot right in.

View photos Chicago Red Stars defender Casey Short (6) and North Carolina Courage forward Lynn Williams both have a shot at joining the USWNT in Tokyo. (Getty) More

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