U.S. woman national soccer team will enter the final round of qualifications for 2019 World Cup in France with an experienced veteran team. USWNT head coach Jill Ellis announced the final 20-player roster for CONCACAF Women’s Championship on Wednesday, which was trimmed down from 35 names that were seen on the preliminary list.
Ellis was forced to improvise at certain positions due to several players being unable to respond the call because of injuries including midfielder McCall Zerboniand defender Tierna Davidson.
“We feel really good about the process that has gotten us to this point, and the final selection of this group,” – Ellis said in a press release. “We’ve had a couple of injuries recently, but the depth of our pool is excellent, and I have confidence that each of the 20 players will perform at their highest level when called upon in these games. Our group is prepared and highly motivated to earn the right to be a part of France 2019.“
USWNT will open the CONCACAF Women’s Championship, which acts as the final round of qualifications for World Cup, next month in Group A alongside Mexico, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago. First and second teams from groups A and B will advance to the semi-finals, with the winners of those duels getting a direct ticket to 2019 World Cup. They will be joined by the third-place game winner as well.
You can check out the full USWNT roster below.
Goalkeepers: Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders: Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage), Crystal Dunn (NC Courage), Hailie Mace (UCLA), Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)
Midfielders: Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage)
Forwards: Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Utah Royals FC), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC)
