USWNT U-23 will pull pros from their clubs for Nordic Tournament

U-23 US women’s national team head coach B.J. Snow has named a 23-player roster for the Nordic Tournament taking place from August 29 - September 3 in Norway.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Courtney Brosnan (Le Havre AC; Madison, N.J.), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; Kennesaw, Ga.), Casey Murphy (Montpellier HSC; Bridgewater, N.J.)

DEFENDERS (7): Maddie Bauer (Djurgårdens IF; Newport Beach, Calif.), Rachel Bloznalis (Umeå IK; Upton, Mass.), Megan Buckingham (Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar; Novi, Mich.), Deja David (Le Havre AC; Montclair, N.J.), Schuyler DeBree (AC Sparta Prague; Fair Haven, N.J.), Mallory Eubanks (Washington Spirit; Lexington, Ky.), Samantha Staab (Clemson; San Diego, Calif.)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Andrews (Seattle Reign FC; Milford, N.H.), Carlyn Baldwin (Sporting Clube de Portugal; Oakton, Va.), Haley Hanson (Houston Dash; Overland Park, Kan.), Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC; Chapin, S.C.), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; Lorton, Va.), Bri Visalli (West Ham United W.F.C.; San Jose, Calif.)

FORWARDS (7): Imani Dorsey (Sky Blue FC; Elkridge, Md.), Summer Green (Chicago Red Stars; Brighton, Mich.), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; Gilbert, Ariz.), Rachel Hill (Orlando Pride; Rollinsford, N.H.), Darian Jenkins (NC Courage; Heber City, Utah), Jaycie Johnson (Seattle Reign FC; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Toni Payne (Sevilla FC; Birmingham, Ala.)

“Throughout the process of selecting this roster, the NWSL clubs and coaches have been nothing short of fantastic to work with,” Snow said via US Soccer press release. “We feel it’s absolutely critical to nurture our relationships with each other so we can continue to mutually facilitate the development of our top young players.”

For NWSL, at least, the tournament will only disrupt one game, Washington Spirit vs Sky Blue FC. Some NWSL teams chose to schedule games within FIFA windows, based on multiple factors including stadium availability and the imbalance of having an odd number of teams in the league, which requires the schedule to have bye weeks for some teams but still ensure that everyone plays the same number of games.

Losing both Imani Dorsey and Savannah McCaskill is a severe blow for Sky Blue, who had a much greater probability of scoring their first ever win this season (yes, it’s been a rough 2018 season) at full strength against the Spirit, who have been similarly struggling to put together wins. Dorsey and McCaskill are part of the core of their attacking unit and Dorsey is their second-leading scorer while McCaskill leads the team in assists. The Spirit may similarly miss Sullivan and Hatch, but they also have a slightly deeper bench than Sky Blue.

However, U-23 attention could help keep many of these players on the radar for the senior WNT. Several of these players, like McCaskill, Sullivan, and Hatch were all earmarked by Jill Ellis for their potential but haven’t made training camps of late, while other promising players have a chance to increase their profiles.

Schedule

August 29
USA vs. Sweden

August 31
USA vs. England

September 3
USA vs. Norway