Megan Rapinoe made the USWNT squad despite not playing much in the league. 2 minutes later. When the U.S. Soccer releases a press release, there are a few facts included. This bullet from the announcement of the 23 players for the World Cup qualification tournament sums up the state of the U.S. women's national team. Most of the players on the W Championship roster have never played in a World Cup or Olympics. 13 players will get the chance to make their senior debut in the qualification rounds. Over half of the USWNT roster has not had any qualification experience. My best guess is never, but our first World Cup qualification in Haiti before the 1991 Women's World Cup is the most recent example. There are 13 debutants who have 27 caps or fewer, including eight in single digits. What do you know about the roster coach Vlatko Andonovski chose? The youth transformation is official, and Andonovski didn't need to know the direction he will take the team to know it. Christen Press was not even on the final 23 player roster despite her recent injury. The younger group in the NWSL has been playing well this year and I would be confident in them as well. The US women's soccer team is playing Colombia on June 28th at 10 p.m. The time has not yet been determined.
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It was a big disappointment when Catarina Macario tore her knee and missed the rest of the season, as she was the team's leading scorer with 23 goals. Sophia Smith and Mal Pugh are both hot with their respective NWSL teams, and with Alex Morgan scoring seemingly at will for the San Diego Wave, that front trio of Smith, Morgan, and Pugh will be a handful for every single opponent.
If healthy, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, and Andi Sullivan should be in the middle of the field, as San Diego Wave fans are excited to see what Taylor Kornieck can do.
The back line is where the most questions fall. As they were in the previous USWNT games in April, the center-back pair of Alana Cook and Naomi Girma may be given the nod again.
Will Andonovski put the veteran captain into the starting 11 with the return ofBecky Sauerbrunn? I think he's going to use the same starting back-four he used in the last friendly, with Emily Fox on the left side.
There is a rare position battle where a veteran may hold onto a spot challenged by a young player before the qualification matches. His focus is clearly on the qualification tournament at the start of July, and his roster selection makes it clear his mind is made up in pushing the team younger.
Many fans were surprised that Megan Rapinoe made the final roster. Rapinoe hadn't played a lot with her team. She had played 154 minutes for the entire season after coming back from an injury.
It became clear that Megan Rapinoe was the reason for the call up when Andonovski insisted that all national team call ups must prove themselves at the club level.
Rapinoe is a player Andonovski likes because of his swagger. I don't think he is planning on giving her tons of minutes, but he wants her there as an option to come off the bench if they need a goal, if they need a lift, and most of all, to give this younger group confidence. He wants more from her than anything.
When it comes to that swagger, there is only one Megan Rapinoe who has that experience with players like Alex Morgan. With over half the team never having gone through a qualification, Rapinoe is more stable than anything. The brighter the lights, the better she glows. Confidence is spread.
The Olympic qualification tournament is double the size of the W Qualifiers.
Pick winners in the Women's European Championship for a chance to win $5,000.
Pick your favorites.
Thanks to the expanded World Cup field, the United States should be able to qualify for the World Cup. If the USWNT finishes in the top two of its group of Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico, it will qualify for the World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico. They don't have to win the semifinal to get to the World Cup.
To get to the Olympics, the U.S. must either win this tournament or finish second or third. Two teams from the region will compete in the Olympics.
When it comes to these qualifications, turbulence could or could not be a factor. You don't know how young this group is. That is a variable that I really like.
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