By CAITLIN MURRAY
U.S. Women’s National Team coach Jill Ellis has difficult decisions ahead of her.
It’s not so much the fact that the USWNT faces World Cup qualifiers next month. With more World Cup slots up for grabs in 2015, CONCACAF rival Canada bypassing qualifying and home field advantage, the Americans should easily coast through.
Rather, the difficult part is paring down the roster.
After calling in 28 players for the longest training camp Ellis has hosted since taking over as head coach, she has to cut her group to 20 for qualifiers, which begin for the USWNT on Oct. 15 in Kansas City against Trinidad & Tobago.
In some ways, the USWNT is playing some of best soccer it has played in a while and the bench remains exceptionally deep, meaning there are no easy cuts among the eight.
What makes the roster even harder to predict is Ellis’ newness — she has been in the job for little more than half a year. Her approach since being appointed in April has been to evaluate a wide range of players and consistency has not been the name of the game.
In the last World Cup cycle, then-coach Pia Sundhage rarely made changes, virtually guaranteeing some players their spots. But it feels very different this time around, Abby Wambach told reporters from Rochester, N.Y., where the USWNT played their final friendly before World Cup qualifiers.
“The team is more difficult to make right now,” Wambach said. “Pia had a set lineup that was in play for a couple of years and, because Jill is so new to the team in terms of being a head coach, some players have gotten a chance when maybe they wouldn’t have. The reality is, this is going to be one of the toughest rosters to make.”
Here is SBI’s 20-player roster prediction for Women’s World Cup qualifiers:
GOALKEEPERS (2)
In: Hope Solo, Ashlyn Harris
Out: Nicole Barnhart, Alyssa Naeher
One year ago, Ashlyn Harris seemed to be a goalkeeper on the outside looking in. Behind Nicole Barnhart and Jill Loyden in the battle to be Hope Solo’s backup, the place for Harris seemed to be slipping away. But for any numbers of reasons, which may or may not include Ellis replacing Tom Sermanni as head coach, Harris is back.
Harris, who has three caps with the USWNT, is buoyed by strong performances for the Washington Spirit and Sweden’s Tyreso over the last club season. Barnhart, 32, has done well too, even as she dealt with injuries throughout the year, but Barnhart has plenty of experience on the international level. A tournament like World Cup qualifying may be a chance to get some much-needed USWNT caps for Harris, who at 28 may have a longer career ahead of her than Barnhart, but more immediate utility than a work-in-progress like Alyssa Naeher.
DEFENDERS (7)
In: Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn, Whitney Engen, Ali Krieger, Meghan Klingenberg, Kelley O’Hara, Crystal Dunn
Out: Rachel Van Hollebeke, Julie Johnston, Stephanie Cox
Ellis has made it clear that finding a set back line is her top priority. As such, there shouldn’t be much deviation from her past lineups. But Ellis hasn’t figured things out quite yet. A player like Kelley O’Hara, who had done well under Sundhage but had fewer recent looks than Ellis’ other back line choices, should get the call to build chemistry with Ellis’ staple pieces, especially Christie Rampone and Becky Sauerbrunn.
Rachel Van Hollebeke hasn’t featured for Ellis since Ellis’ first match as interim head coach, back in April. It seems like a safe bet that she isn’t part of Ellis’ vision. Stephanie Cox seems to have fallen out of favor, too. But Johnston is a less cut and dry. Julie Johnston has played twice under Ellis, once as a defender and, in the USWNT’s last pre-qualifiers friendly, in the midfield. Ellis may still be figuring out what to do with Johnston, but if these qualifiers are about building chemistry among a core group of defenders, then Johnston won’t be there.
MIDFIELDERS (6)
In: Lauren Holiday, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Heather O’Reilly, Allie Long
Out: Shannon Boxx, Kristie Mewis, Morgan Brian
The bubble player here is Allie Long, who only came into the fold in May once Ellis took over. Ellis seems to like what she has seen from Long and sees her as a solution to the defensive midfielder question that has plagued the USWNT since Shannon Boxx was injured last year and then had a child. Boxx hasn’t featured for the USWNT since March 2013 and, at 37 years old, the biggest question is whether she has the Rampone-like ability to return to top form even as she reaches the top of the roster’s age chart.
A young player like Morgan Brian may be a better long-term solution for the USWNT’s central midfield than Boxx. Sermanni had seemed enthusiastic about Brian playing in the 2015 World Cup, but Ellis seems slightly more tepid. Either way, Ellis may opt to let Brian continue her senior year with the University of Virginia rather than pull her away for what should be a very easy qualifying tournament.
Kristie Mewis just doesn’t appear to be viewed by Ellis the way she was by Sermanni. Sermanni, who was fired in April, saw her as a potential convert to outside back, in addition to an option in the midfield. Ellis hasn’t capped her once and seems set on a back line without her. With the USWNT’s stacked midfield, that leaves little room for Mewis.
FORWARDS (5)
In: Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Sydney Leroux, Amy Rodriguez
Ellis has focused her efforts on figuring out a back line, an area that has had considerable disruption over the past year. That means, with a new three-striker system, there is still work to be done in finding the right attacking combination. Ellis has talked plenty about partnerships, with Wambach-Morgan being a tried-and-true duo that delivers goals. But what about the other forwards?
Amy Rodriguez was always the big question mark. While “A-Rod” took a break to start a family last year, the other USWNT strikers were amassing caps and goals. But upon her return, she seemed like a new player. Rodriguez had an incredible season with FC Kansas City, leading her club in goals all the way to a championship, but still struggled to break into the national team picture. Ellis finally started her in the USWNT’s final pre-qualifying friendly, but that should only the beginning of a serious evaluation of Rodriguez by Ellis.
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What do you think of SBI’s predicted roster? Would you swap any players out or swap anyone in? Who would you like to see Ellis call in?
Share your thoughts below.
Please make Solo go away…
Nope.
If she doesn’t call Abby, she’s fired. Why that oaf of a player has the influence that Landon doesn’t is puzzling, probably because Landon is about the game and the team and Abby is about herself
I think the picks are spot on, but I think they should carry a 3rd goalie. The only way they don’t qualify is if something really freaky happens like the 1st string gets hurt and the backup gets a red.
Like your picks except no way Long is better than than Brian. And I’m still not sure about Kling. , she was good in the Mexico games but how about teams like Germany, Sweden etc.
Of course you’re right about the picks, because it’s all so utterly predictable. Unless martians invade and take over the government, there’s no way O’Reilly or Heath will ever not be called up. In fact, I would bet it is a law of the universe that the younger you get called up to the USWNT, the longer you stay on the team. How can an up and coming player compete for a spot if they can’t even get a foot in the USWNT door. I don’t see what O’Reilly contributes to the team. I watched the Brazil-US WC 2011 match the other day and HAO either choked or was invisible for the entire game. Is it any wonder Boston occupies the cellar in the NWSL. Others are equally disappointing in the NWSL and the USWNT but continue to get the same support from US Soccer. Cheney, Rapinoe and Lloyd have all proved their worth at one time or another, the others should be given a pink-slip. Reward success, reward good play in the NWSL, give young players a chance.
Hmm I would take O’Reilly’s cross to Alex Morgan for the 123rd minute goal in the Olympics vs Canada as proving her worth at one time.
I would try O’Reilly at outside back actually. In midfield, she is okay to have on the WC roster for the weak opponents and with the 24 team tournament, there will be plenty of super weak teams. Sunhage barely used O’Reilly, saying that she is too predictable of a player for the modern game. However, in the back O’Reilly might be an asset – fast, tactically sound, plenty of experience. She could be like a Beas on the women’s side.
Ellis should definitely incorporate Julie Johnston and Morgan Brian. That’s what great teams do – find a way to incorporate their young players into the team. And Johnston and Brian aren’t even that young at 22 and 21. I would build my team around those two and not listen to the washed up players in their late 30’s just trying to hold on for the sake of holding on for one more chance to win the WC. Seems paradoxical in a way, eh.
Harris in my opinion has moved up because 1) it seems the new coaching staff has not delegated the the final decision regarding its GK pecking order to the GK coach as previous coaches have done and 2) she’s earned her shot and my guess is she’ll make the most of it.
Right now there is tremendous pressure coming from the sports media, (but not from fans,coaches,sponsors, and players) that the USWNT and US SOCCER should suspend Hope Solo or she should voluntarily take a leave of absence until her legal problems stemming from her domestic abuse arrest are settled.
I do not believe that the situations, like those of Ray Rice and Hope Solo are commensurate in nature, but there are those who want their pound of flesh.
Should Ellis make provisions for a third GK as a “just-in-case” or completely ignore the media?
Wouldn’t say there is “tremendous” pressure. Seems more like it’s just a public debate.
I think uve pretty much nailed it. The only real point of contention seems the last spot between Brian/Long/Johnston. I like leaving Brian in school for several reasons making it a two person race. it then comes down to who Ellis feels would gain more from CONCACAF. Also, u have to ask why Brian and Johnston played against Mexico but not Long. Did Long fall out of favor or were the two younger players simply given a chance to see if they could displace her?
Someone brought up on another board that there’s a bonus (maybe $10k) for winning the WCQs or at least qualifying. Morgan’s an amateur, so she couldn’t receive it or any pay for playing. When you are talking about the last player on the roster, maybe taking someone who can benefit from that makes sense. If she were closer to the first XI, I wouldn’t even think about it… but she does have a good setup at UVA and it may make sense to take a player who is less distracted about school and her other squad.
Perhaps it’s a cost issue for the qualifying tournament? You are talking about a group of countries that generally struggle to get budget (US, Canada & Mexico excluded).
Not to throw the gender card out but isn’t it weird it’s a 20 person squad? I assumed its 23 like the men…
The tournament is different than the hex though. Up until this cycle only 24 teams played in the Women’s World Cup. It’s a much newer tournament than the mens and is still going through changes and expansion.
20 players go to the WC qualies and 23 will be named to the final WC roster.
True, but 23 men CAN be on a WCQ roster (ex., look at Panama’s roster in their final WCQ vs. the US), and the article says that “she has to cut her group to 20 for qualifiers.” It is strange that they’d limit rosters to 20, or that the US would self-limit its roster when they’re trying to figure out who the 23 on the final WC roster will be.
As bostonred below mentions, it’s very likely a cost issue. A 23 player roster really is very large for qualifiers and benefits teams that can afford to pay. Airfare and lodging for 3 add’l players is several thousand bucks to many for many of the impoverished countries in our region.