Which USWNT players will be on the plane to Australia/New Zealand?

Now that the United States women’s national team’s remaining coaching camp earlier than the FIFA Women’s World Cup roster is launched is over, which players can we depend on seeing this summer season in New Zealand and Australia?

That’s the powerful name that coach Vlatko Andonovski goes to have to make very quickly. There are lower than 100 days to go earlier than the World Cup, which runs from July 20 via Aug. 20 throughout 10 completely different cities in Australia and New Zealand, and it is getting down to roster crunch time.

Andononovski can deliver 23 players with him, not like at the males’s World Cup the place that quantity was elevated to 26. He stated Tuesday after the USWNT’s 1-0 win over Ireland that there are someplace between 9 and 13 players vying for possibly six or seven spots. How will he proceed to consider them as they play for the membership groups over the subsequent few weeks, and the way can players separate themselves to clinch a roster spot?

“If they’re a goalkeeper, don’t get scored on. If you’re a forward, score goals,” Andonovski half-joked.

“There’s a group of players that we feel comfortable with and it will be communicated with them that all we’re going to need from them is to maintain decent form,” Andonovski continued. “We know there will be times where they’re not going to have a good game or a good two games, which is OK because we trust their abilities. We trust they’re a good fit for our team.

“Then there’s going to be a bunch of players who’re going to be evaluated slightly extra by particular person performances [and if they are] a great match for what we do as nicely. So that is in a nutshell what we’re taking a look at.”

Introducing “Plane to Australia/New Zealand”

Similarly to “Plane to Qatar,” our U.S. men’s national series from last year, this version will project which 23 players Andonovski could take with him to New Zealand. The USWNT’s home base for the tournament will be in Auckland given the three group stage matches take place between Auckland and Wellington. Should the Americans win the group, their first trip to Australia would be in the Round of 16.

The squad opens Group E play in opposition to Vietnam on July 22 at Eden Park in Auckland, faces the Netherlands on July 27 at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, and takes on Portugal on Aug. 1 back in Auckland. 

Andonovski’s roster will be named closer to the team’s departure date this summer, and while he called in 26 players for the final camp in April, he is open to including players who haven’t been called in recently if they can help the team win a third consecutive World Cup. 

The tournament is still roughly 3.5 months away, so it’s fair to expect some movement in and out of the starting lineup and the overall player pool. After all, it was a shock that Julie Ertz returned in April after what Andonovski said of her status in February, and no one could have anticipated Mallory Swanson tearing her patella tendon in a friendly.

So, every couple of weeks for the next 90 days or so, we’ll look at not just which players are likely to be on flights down under, but also how comfortable their seat is and which players could make a late push to get off the standby list.

FIRST CLASS

Goalkeepers

Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Naeher is a two-time World Cup champion: first as a backup for Hope Solo in 2015 and then an unexpected starter in 2019. This summer, the job is hers to lose. So far this year she has three clean sheets in four appearances.

Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)

Murphy will challenge Naeher, but can she do enough to overtake her as the starting keeper this summer? She got the starting nod in the second friendly against Ireland, which makes the competition here a bit more interesting. 

“Casey is a world-class goalkeeper,” Andonovski said. “We really feel very snug when she’s on the subject.”

Defenders

Alana Cook (OL Reign)

Cook has been a regular face on USWNT’s roster for the last year, playing the most minutes out of any player in 2022. Though she seems to have lost her starting spot at center back to Naomi Girma and Becky Sauerbrunn, she still has an inside track to making her first World Cup roster. And she scored a goal — nearly from midfield — against Ireland in the April window.

Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns)

Dunn had a baby last May and was back playing with the USWNT in October, precisely 240 days after giving birth. After slowly integrating herself back with the team, she’s become a regular starter at left back, where she is a lock to start at her second World Cup.

Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage)

Fox has become a regular starter at right back and if she wasn’t already a lock, she scored her first ever national team goal against Ireland on April 8. She’s played in 24 of the USWNT’s 30 games since the Tokyo Olympics.

Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave)

The 22-year-old Girma is one of the youngest players on this team, but her rise has been quick, starting in 12 of the last 16 games. In 2022, she was the first player ever to win both NWSL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year in a single season and was a previous No. 1 overall draft pick by the San Diego Wave. As Megan Rapinoe stated throughout the SheBelieves Cup, “She’s simply f—ing good. It’s powerful to step into this crew at this degree and instantly be a no brainer to begin. The affect was fast with Nay. She’s going to be the way forward for the crew for a very long time.”

Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns)

Perhaps the most secure spot on the back line. Sauerbrunn, who will turn 38 before the World Cup begins, is the oldest player on the squad. She’s also the team captain and the most capped player (216). 

Midfielders

Lindsey Horan (Lyon)

The heart of the USWNT midfield, Horan rarely comes off the field. She’s in top form and recently avenged a missed penalty kick in a Champions League match by converting from the spot to clinch a 2-0 friendly victory over Ireland.

Rose Lavelle (OL Reign)

One of the most unique and creative players on the team. The midfield was a mess during the SheBelieves Cup while Lavelle sat out with a minor injury. 

Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Andonovski’s preferred option at the No. 6 while Julie Ertz was away on maternity leave. While her starting spot may be challenged over the next couple months, she did start both friendlies against Ireland in the final camp before the roster release. 

Forwards

Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave)

Not only is Morgan the No. 1 lock on this team, she recently became the all-time leading scorer for moms in USWNT history with 14 goals. She brings her daughter Charlie to every game, proving that even when you are the best soccer player in the world, you can also be a mom.

Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)

The hero of the 2019 World Cup will have a different role this time around, coming off the bench and being that experienced leader who can help a younger team. Rapinoe, who will be 38 when the World Cup begins, is a two-time World Cup champion but needs to get healthy. She missed the April camp with a minor calf injury.

Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)

There’s always this overwhelming sense that something big is going to happen when Rodman is on the field. While Andonvski said the 20-year-old is still in the process of developing a necessary ruthlessness, she is poised to be a major player this summer. Especially after Swanson’s injury.

Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)

Smith, who was the youngest player to earn NWSL MVP in 2022, scored a hat trick in a recent Portland Thorns match. While everyone was congratulating her when she arrived at USWNT camp, Andonovski told her she should have had four goals. Smith, who wants to be the best player in the world some day, agreed.

ECONOMY

Goalkeepers

Adrianna Franch (Kansas City Current)

Andonovski is fairly set with goalkeepers. Franch, who begins for the Kansas City Current and played for a league title last season, was also a backup in 2019 behind Harris and Naeher.

Defenders

Tierna Davison (Chicago Red Stars)

Davidson was on the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympic rosters at center back but is versatile enough to play outside if needed. She tore her ACL last April, got her first call up during the SheBelieves Cup and played in her first match since injury against Ireland. She was rusty, but Andonovski said that was to be expected.

Sofia Huerta (OL Reign)

Huerta provides solid depth at right back behind Fox. A converted attacker, she’s one of the USWNT’s best at crossing the ball and is a very different player from Kelley O’Hara and Casey Krueger, players who are also competing for time on the back line.

Midfielders

Julie Ertz (Unattached)

At this point, it’s hard to imagine even an 80% version of Ertz doesn’t make this World Cup roster. After coming out guns blazing in the first April friendly — her first game back in 611 days — the overwhelming consensus was that she was “again like she by no means left” regardless of making just a few errors right here and there.

Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit)

An attacking midfielder who is getting more and more comfortable in this environment. A sub who can come in for Lavelle and keep the pressure on.

Forwards

Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham)

Williams made her valiant return to the USWNT in January (after recovering from a hamstring injury) with gusto, scoring in a match against New Zealand, and has been in every camp since then. With Mallory Swanson injured, Williams is fighting for a spot at the most competitive position.

STANDBY LIST

Defenders

Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars)

Krueger made the Tokyo Olympics roster and recently returned after giving birth to her son last summer. She’s back to playing 90 minutes with the Red Stars, but her recent USWNT experience is the second half of one game against Ireland. Has Andonovski seen what he needs from her?

Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham)

O’Hara has been a mainstay on the USWNT and is a two-time World Cup champion. Not being part of this summer’s roster seems inconceivable, but a nagging hip injury kept O’Hara out of recent camps. After not dressing in the first April match against Ireland, she played the first half in the second one. It was her first match since last July.

Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

The fight for the third center back spot is a real one. Andonovski seems to have settled on Girma and Sauerbrunn as starters, with Cook waiting in the wings. 

Midfielders

Taylor Kornieck (San Diego Wave)

At 6’1″, Kornieck is the tallest subject participant in USWNT historical past. While her place is sophisticated — the place precisely does Andonovski see her in the midfield? — she’s versatile and might play a number of spots. However, she did not see the subject in the April window. What does that imply for her World Cup inclusion? We’re unsure.

Catarina Macario (Lyon)

Macario is anticipated to rejoin Lyon quickly, however has been rehabbing a beforehand torn ACL for months in Qatar. If she comes again and performs significant minutes along with her membership in the subsequent few weeks, Andonovski might need a tricky determination to make. That’s as a result of a wholesome Macario, Andonovski has stated, has the potential to be certainly one of the greatest players in the world. 

Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham)

Mewis has performed the No. 6, No. 8 and No. 10 positions, however what does the return of Ertz imply for her roster spot? She bought some significant minutes in the second half of the USWNT’s second match in opposition to Ireland in April.

Forwards

Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit)

As Andonovski stated lately, “it’s not easy to be a forward” on this crew. This is very true for Hatch, who began getting common call-ups in 2022, coming in for Morgan off the bench. But an exclusion would possibly simply be a case of there being too many players in entrance of her.

Christen Press (Angel City FC)

Press hasn’t been referred to as into the nationwide crew since the Tokyo Olympics. She tore her ACL final spring enjoying for Angel City FC, however Andonovski stated at the time that she would not have made that camp’s roster anyway. While she continues to be in “return to play protocol,” she is working out of time to make a convincing case.

Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)

Thompson was referred to as in to substitute Swanson and earned her first USWNT begin on April 11. It might have simply been her third cap — and she or he grew to become the youngest participant to ever begin for the USWNT since Swanson in 2016 — however Thompson did not look misplaced. She was assured, fearless and cozy, and had just a few good scoring possibilities.

“She’s an exciting player,” Andonovski stated. “For an 18-year-old, it’s borderline arrogant the way she goes at you. She can eliminate players on the dribble and score some good goals as well.”

Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)

It’s nonetheless arduous to imagine that Swanson tore her patella tendon in a pleasant match proper earlier than the World Cup. This was supposed to be her summer season to dominate and make a reputation for herself on soccer’s largest stage. Everything was in place — in spite of everything, Andonovski was constructing this summer season’s assault round her and Smith. The 24-year-old stated Tuesday on Instagram that she underwent profitable surgical procedure, although there is no such thing as a timetable for her return.

“She’s in a good place — as good as she can be at this moment,” Andonovski stated. “We’re going to miss her but at the same time, Mal wants us to move on and be successful.”

Laken Litman covers faculty soccer, faculty basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She beforehand wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the creator of “Strong Like a Woman,” printed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

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