It's entirely possible—likely, even—that the USWNT will resemble its past editions for key qualifying games this summer, but nobody's place is guaranteed.
The U.S. women’s national team’s SheBelieves Cup squad is intentionally crafted to give more green players some experience, but that doesn’t mean the roles that have been essentially automatic to some of the program’s most storied players are guaranteed to be there after the competition.
That was the underlying message from manager Vlatko Andonovski on Thursday upon revealing his 23-player squad for games against Czech Republic, New Zealand and Iceland later this month. Andonovski wasn’t speaking in pointed or threatening terms by any means, but his matter-of-fact tone when addressing a squad that doesn’t include the likes of Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe is a bit of a departure from what has become customary for the USWNT.
"It doesn’t mean that all these players that have done in the past are just going to come back in the next camp because they’ve done well a year ago and two years ago," Andonovski said. "They need to perform, they need to play in their [NWSL] markets, they need to play well in their markets and show they can still be valuable for the national team."
Andonovski indicated that their omissions were by design and long thought-out, with the desire to give more opportunities to the likes of Sophia Smith, Mal Pugh, Ashley Hatch and Ashley Sanchez the priority. It’s entirely possible—likely, even—that the older guard returns in time for Concacaf’s tandem Women’s World Cup/Olympic qualifying tournament this July, but for the time being, there is headway to be made for the next generation.
"Right now in this camp I want to give a chance to players like Sophia Smith and Mal Pugh and Catarina Macario, Ashley Hatch, players who have earned their spots or earned their spots back on the national team," Andonovski said. "I want to give them maximum minutes so we can evaluate every aspect of their game."
Trinity Rodman, fresh off signing a record NWSL contract, is not part of the SheBelieves Cup squad for the competition, but she will be in camp as a training player. Andonovski cautioned against rushing her development while also expressing an intention to integrate the 19-year-old forward more into the team. She is definitely and firmly on the radar for the present and future, though.
"I’m excited for Trinity. I’m excited for her future," Andonovski said. "The thing with Trinity, she did well in [January] camp. She was very competitive. Her mindset fits well in it. ... The national team is a completely different animal. We don’t want to burn her out. We want to give her a chance to slowly adjust to the system, to the structure, to absorb information slowly step by step."
Beyond Press, Morgan and Rapinoe, there are a couple of notable omissions that impact the U.S. midfield greatly. Sam Mewis is recovering from an injury and will continue her physical therapy and fitness work with her new club, the Kansas City Current, Andonovski said. Meanwhile, Julie Ertz is also getting back to full fitness following an injury, but her situation is more of a mystery. Despite being traded from the Chicago Red Stars to Angel City this winter, she was not listed on the expansion club’s preseason roster. Andonovski would not be drawn in to comment on her club situation, but it’s certainly a situation that bears monitoring going forward given her stature in NWSL and her importance to the national team.
Here is the full U.S. SheBelieves squad:
GOALKEEPERS: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns)
MIDFIELDERS: Morgan Gautrat (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Lyon), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Catarina Macario (Lyon), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
FORWARDS: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Lynn Williams (Kansas City Current)
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