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The United States Women’s National Team will be back in action later this month, and we now have the roster of players who we will see back on the field. Yesterday, head coach Vlatko Andonovski released the 20-player roster that will see action twice against Paraguay, on September 16th in Cleveland and September 21st in Cincinnati.
The roster is mostly comprised of players that were on the USWNT roster that brought home the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics. There are a couple new additions to that roster due to injuries suffered since the end of the Olympics by a few players, but fans in Ohio should expect to see each of these players hit the field at some point over the two matches.
The 20-player roster for the USWNT:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Adrianna Franch (Kansas City NWSL)
DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (Houston Dash), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
FORWARDS (6): Tobin Heath (Arsenal FC), Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage)
Sophia Smith and Andi Sullivan are the two new additions to this roster from the one that competed at the Olympics. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, midfielders Julie Ertz and Samantha Mewis and forward Megan Rapinoe are not on the roster due to injuries they have. Naeher and Mewis will still joining the training camp during the international window for evaluation by USWNT doctors and training staff.
Forward Christen Press opted out of the September matches due to personal reasons. Later, she confirmed that she will opt out of the remaining USWNT matches in 2021 to focus on her mental health.
We hope Christen finds the mental stability and balance she’s seeking and wish her all the best as she takes a much needed break. For the rest of the USWNT, they will report to camp after this weekend’s club schedule is complete for the two matches against Paraguay.
Hit the comments to discuss this USWNT roster for the September friendlies.