SAN JOSE, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: Carli Lloyd of the United States celebrates her first goal of the night against Chile during their match at Avaya Stadium on September 4, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The 23-member roster of the United States side which will be seeking its fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 has been revealed.
In a Twitter thread on Thursday, May 2, the names of the seven defenders, seven forwards, three keepers and six midfielders were announced. The roster represents a solid mix of World Cup experience and new faces. The roster laid out alphabetically by last name is as follows:
Morgan Brian, midfielder
Abby Dahlkemper, defender
Tierna Davidson, defender
Crystal Dunn, defender
Julie Ertz, midfielder
Adrianna French, goalkeeper
Ashlyn Harris, goalkeeper
Tobin Heath, forward
Lindsey Horan, midfielder
Ali Krieger, defender
Rose Lavelle, midfielder
Carli Lloyd, forward
Allie Long, midfielder
Jessica McDonald, forward
Samantha Mewis, midfielder
Alex Morgan, forward
Alyssa Naeher, goalkeeper
Kelley O’Hara, defender
Christen Press, forward
Mallory Pugh, forward
Megan Rapinoe, forward
Becky Sauerbrunn, defender
Emily Sonnett, defender
Lloyd is the oldest player on the roster at 36 years old. The youngest is Davidson, who is currently 20 years old. Brian, Ertz, Harris, Heath, Krieger, Lloyd, Morgan, Naeher, O’Hara, Press, Rapinoe and Sauerbrunn were all also part of the 2015 World Cup championship side. Heath, Lloyd, Morgan, O’Hara, Rapinoe and Sauerbrunn appeared on the team which won gold at the 2012 London Olympics. Heath, Krieger, Lloyd, Morgan, O’Hara, Rapinoe and Sauerbrunn played for the team that won the 2011 World Cup.
Playing in their first World Cup tournaments are Dahlkemper, Davidson, Dunn, French, Horan, Lavelle, Long, McDonald, Mewis, Pugh and Sonnett. While those athletes are short on World Cup experience, there is no shortage of representation on the roster for the best clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League. All 23 members of the roster are also employed by an NWSL club, which will suspend games for the duration of the USWNT’s run in the World Cup.
The Chicago Red Stars, NC Courage and Portland Thorns FC each have four representatives on the roster. The Orlando Pride and Utah Royals FC have three teammates appearing. There are two members of the Seattle Reign FC, two members of the Washington Spirit and Lloyd is from Sky Blue FC.
The tournament officially opens on Friday, June 7, but the USWNT doesn’t play its first match until Tuesday, June 11 in Reims, France. The US is part of Group F, in which it will face Chile, Sweden and Thailand to try to advance to the knockout round. After playing Thailand to open up the tournament, the USWNT will face Chile on Sunday, June 16 in Paris then finish up group play against Sweden on Thursday, June 20 in Le Havre. The USWNT has qualified for the final in four of the seven World Cup tournaments, winning three of them. If the USWNT reaches the final in 2019, it will be the third consecutive time doing so.
No other national team in the field of 24 for 2019 can boast a roster with as much experience or track record of winning. If the USWNT wins its fourth World Cup in 2019, it will have cemented that the program for developing female talent in “The Beautiful Game” in the United States is unrivaled. These are the 23 women with the opportunity to make that mark.