There may only be 4 spots on the 23 player roster in 2019 for Central Midfielders. Which 4 can rise up and take their spot on the roster? Carli Lloyd, Julie Ertz, Sam Mewis, Morgan Brian, Lindsey Horan, Andi Sullivan, Allie Long And what if Rose Lavelle gets shifted inside? Even if she makes the roster as a hybrid midfielder, it would certainly leave no more than 4 spots for the players above. Let the bloodbath competition begin in the midfield. Who's in your Top 4 ???
Saw McCaskill (and Sky Blue) play against Carolina: She didn't have a great game, IMO. She seemed to play as a forward-lying mid, operating mostly on the wing. Did some good things early in the game, when Sky Blue played fairly well, but Carolina dominated the second half and McCaskill was not very influential. She has good ball skills and reads the game well--but I'm not convinced that she has the quicks for midfield. I wouldn't pick her for one of four USNT midfield spots, that's for sure. She also took an obvious dive in the box the first half--she was a diver in college and got away with it far too much--and got scolded about it, first, by a Carolina player and then by the referee.
McCaskill is not a central midfielder at all. If Jill honestly thinks she is, then Jill needs to run up the hill with her Jack.
Ertz is the starter at DM. JE has tried Long, Brian, Sullivan, and Hanson there. Someone will back up Ertz and I think Brian is the current front runner. The 1-2 other starting central midfielders seem to be between Mewis, Horan, Lloyd, Long. I think it is Mewis and Horan as the starters if they are healthy. Long will be on the roster because she is that one player every coach has that isn't good but the coach loves for whatever reason. Lloyd will go because she is the kind of marketing tool that is never left off a USWNT WC Roster.