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Macario, Mewis, Horan headline USWNT roster for Summer Series

The U.S. Women’s National Team has Olympic Gold on its mind this summer, and first will take part in a trio of friendlies as preparation.

Catarina Macario, Samantha Mewis, and Lindsey Horan headlines Vlatko Andonovski’s 23-player roster for the June Summer Series in the United States. Tobin Heath will be a part of the club’s training roster as she recovers from a knee injury while midfielder Julie Ertz has been ruled out with a knee injury.

“These games and the few training sessions we’ll have are just more tests, more challenges and more learning opportunities, for the players and coaches,” said Andonovski. “The three matches will certainly be important in the selection of the Olympic Team, but we are also focused on the big picture and the overall body of work the players have put together over the past year or so for the National Team and their clubs.”

“During these games we’ll also focus on preparing for the Olympic group matches, so we need to balance all of that, as well as manage the overall physical load on the players.”

The USWNT will begin play in the Summer Series on June 10th against Portugal (in Houston) before also facing off Jamaica (in Houston) on June 13th and Nigeria (in Austin) on June 16th.

Andonovski has selected 19 NWSL players and four from European clubs in Europe in final preparation before choosing his roster for the rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The USWNT will also play two Olympic send-off matches in early July before leaving for Japan. Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia have been paired with the USWNT in the Olympic group stage, as the Americans aim to earn a fifth gold medal in their history.

Here’s a closer look at the 23-player roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars).

DEFENDERS: Alana Cook (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City, ENG), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit).

MIDFIELDERS: Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit).

FORWARDS: Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Manchester United, ENG), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage).

Comments

  1. For these 3 games, this is as good a roster as they can put up there, what with the injuries. This will give everyone a chance to show what they have. I think that Andonovski pretty much has his mind made up who the 18 will be. But in case of injuries, he needs to prioritize at least 3 more players, one for each line. We definitely need Tobin Heath at right wing. She has moves which can beat a defender one on one, whereas no one who has been playing the position in her absence has shown the ability to do that, usually ending up passing off. If you get past the defender who in on the right wing, you can bring the ball into a position whereby you can shoot or pass off with good chances of scoring on either. Another move on the roster I would make would be to move
    Cat Macario from Midfield to Forward. With a midfield of Ertz-Mewis-Horan-Lavelle, no one else is going to get a lot of playing time on that line with only 3 subs. On the other hand, only Rapinoe & Morgan have shown World Class skills on the forward line. If Tobin Heath does not get back, we will need a certified goal scorer to move up on to that line. Carli Lloyd had been great in the past, but her ball-striking this year has left a lot to be desired.
    With a field like we have, every game could be jam up, so that we must have reliable goal-scorers on the front line. So these 3 games could be an excellent venue to find someone who can strike with authority. Another objective of these 3 matches is to attempt to complete them all without any serious injuries. If anyone ends up with a torn this or a sprained that, they can begin to think 2024 Olympics. This is one reason I would like to see a lot of the reserves spend a lot of time on the field, so that if an injury does occur, it could be someone who would not make the final roster anyway.

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    • Not sure about Purce on D but Dunn plays mostly as a wing-back or as a back with the US. Her speed allows her get forward and recover. She is excellent at recovering balls when the field is unbalanced.

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    • shake your damn head then 😉 Dunn has played left back for this team for many years, where have you been, or are you new to the party? BTW, she may well have been THE player of the last World Cup with what she did from that position. Many thought she earned it and was the player of the tournament, in fact (like me). What I wonder is if she can still close down those wingers like she has for these many years out there; unique player in that respect, but she’s on the other side of 30 now. If Tokyo happens, we’ll see, no matter what she does for her club

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  2. Cook or OHara @ RB? Adonovski has got some tough decisions. Smith & Macario are two dynamic players just waiting in the wings. I might be late, but I haven’t seen Andi Sullivan name with the national team in awhile. Then again I may be trippin?!

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