China friendlies Roster U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position; Caps/Goals GOALKEEPERS (4): Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 15/0), Casey Murphy (Montpellier HSC, FRA; 0/0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 28/0), Abby Smith (Utah Royals FC; 0/0) DEFENDERS (6): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 18/0), Tierna Davidson (Stanford; 6/0), Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars; 5/0), Merritt Mathias (NC Courage; 0/0), Margaret Purce (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 137/0) MIDFIELDERS (7): Morgan Brian (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 74/6), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 59/15), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 49/5), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 252/100), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 34/7), Allie Long (Seattle Reign FC; 37/6), McCall Zerboni (NC Courage; 1/0) FORWARDS (7): Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 62/23), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC; 132/18), Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC; 5/0), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 140/85), Christen Press (Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC, SWE; 98/44), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 135/36), Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC; 130/30)
So, lot of options for starter line-up. Forward - Who gets Pugh's spot...Heath, Dunn, Press. My guess is Heath. Midfield - Does Mewis get her spot back? I would think so tho it could be Lloyd. Defender - Is Dunn still an OB? Huerta, Mathias & Purce have 5 caps between them. Id be surprised if Ellis is willing to start two rookie OBs. And what about Dahlkemper, Sauerbrunn & Davidson? Maybe u get all three CBs with Dunn in a quasi 3 back. My bet is Heath.................Morgan................Rapinoe ...................Horan................Mewis ..............................Ertz ...................................................................................Dunn .......Davidson............Sauerbrunn...........Dahlkemper ...............................Naeher
What you've said looks good to me -- although if China has a very speedy right forward, I might counter that with a speedy left OB -- either Purce of Huerta -- and leave Davidson on the bench. Huerta and/or Purce can come in during the second half as Heath and/or Rapinoe depart and Dunn moves to forward.
Assuming Im right u might see some adjustments for the second match when she gets to see how her three OBs play against China and in practice but both throwing two OBs with little or know international experience seems out of character for the coach.
Thanks! I didn't watch the game but watched the highlights and they never said anything about it. A Google search also found no mention of the injury. I assumed that's what it was, but sometimes it's something else, like a wedding. Any idea how bad the injury was? Seems like we've had an extraordinarily high amount of players out with injuries over the past 1.5 years and it's taking some of them a very long time to recover. Really excited to see Ertz and Mewis back.
The NWSL player injury report for this weekend's games says that Pugh is not available due to right knee swelling. That doesn't sound too bad to me, but ....
I've felt the same way. It seems like there's a higher number of injuries, but maybe its just my perception and a forgetful memory. But if true, its a bit concerning to me, and I wonder why. Is it an increase in overall matches with less breaks? Is it something in the USNT training? Or is it just bad luck?
Observations on the roster Please Jill, give Smith and Murphy some minutes in goal. Naeher will be just fine if she doesn't play 180 minutes here. Very little experience at fullback. Again, Jill shows her penchant for using attacking players as fullbacks-- all 3 of her selections here (Huerta, Mathias, Purce; 4 if you include Dunn) are former or current forwards/mids. I'm glad to see Mathias. She has a rocky history with reckless fouling but her play with NCC this year has been top notch. Purce I'm not sold on-- she is quite hot or cold. Many of the young contingent are missing-- Lavelle, Pugh, Sullivan, Williams, Hatch. Experience reigns in the forward selections. Three are over 30, and another two are approaching it. Four (almost five) have over 100 caps. Really did not expect to see Amy Rodriguez again.
So Lavelle has been added to the US roster based on...well, no idea. If she somehow ends up hurt again Im expect Gamarra v. Ellis in a cage match. Jill Ellis says: "There's been a measured process in place to bring Rose back to fitness, and based on her performance in training with her club and her status after her most recent Spirit match, it gives us an opportunity to integrate her back into the team"— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) June 3, 2018
Lavelle has entered last three games in the second half, and I assume Ellis will give her a little 2H action in one of the games against China, if she trains well in camp. She played 30 minutes last night ('61 minute sub) in a steady rain, which suggests she and the club are confident about health. She hasn't shown much of her old form yet for the Spirit, but then the Spirt don't seem to have much chemistry in attack. Look forward to seeing her play again for the NT, as she can be exciting.
Does anyone know the status of Casey Short? I know she has been injured, just did not think it would take this long to recover, did she have surgery? Thank you in advance.
I hope this is an opportunity for Huerta to see significant pt. I think she’s been solid in the little time she’s played.
I hope so also. There are now only 2 outside backs on the roster: Huerta and Mathias. Plus Dunn can play there -- but I imagine she's hoping to start as right forward.
Well, yes, or at least the best left-footed fullback. I think Huerta has played a little on the left. Have Mathias or Dunn ever played on the left side of the field?
Mathias has a pretty good left foot, which she has displayed after cutting inward from the right side. She can take a defender to the right or to the left, which puts her ahead of many right FBs who are basically one-trick ponies who bump the ball ahead and chase it to get past a defender.
I think its very likely that we see Dunn at fullback. She's started there the last three games. Mathias and Huerta are fighting for the other spot.
I believe when HCJE is quietly reflecting at the end of the day, kicked back with her feet up, inside her secret laboratory, contained within the underground bunker, behind the fortified entrance, beyond the electrified fence, surrounded by the moat.......she envisions Crystal and Kelley as starting fullbacks flying up and down the touchlines creating havoc. (I'd love it)
Seems to say volumes about whatever happened between Ellis and Taylor Smith. Smith is on a federation contract so ud think even if she wasn't Ellis first choice for whatever reason with O'Hara out she would have been brought in. Instead they decided to pay 3 floaters at her position.
seems a particularly jaundiced way of viewing it. an equally, maybe more logical way of looking at it would be to say that smith has not done well for her club. since she had to be pulled before half time in her last wnt game. so the coaching team has decided to keep trying out new players for that unsettled position, and they are calling in people who are doing well for their clubs who can resonably be solutions in that spot - huerta, matthias, and purce. they may not be callling in my favorite players who are doing well at their clubs, but they certainly are calling in players who are doing well at their clubs.