Jill Ellis names 23-player USWNT roster for Tournament of Nations

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis has named the 23-player roster for the 2017 Tournament of Nations that will feature the USA, Japan, Australia and Brazil playing in three doubleheader events at three different venues over an eight-day period.

For the second time this year, after the staging of the SheBelieves Cup in March, U.S. Soccer will host four of the best women’s soccer teams in the world over six games among opponents who are familiar with each other and have exciting soccer histories. The USA is currently ranked first in the world, Japan is sixth, Australia is seventh and Brazil is eighth. All six tournament matches will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.

The U.S. team will come together in Seattle on July 23 for three days of training before opening the tournament against Australia on July 27 at CenturyLink Field (7 p.m. PT on ESPN) in the first meeting between the two sides since the opening match of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Brazil and Japan will play the first game of the doubleheader at 4:15 p.m. PT (ESPN3)

All the teams will then travel to down to San Diego, where Japan will face Australia on Sunday, July 30 (2:15 p.m. PT on ESPN3) followed by the USA taking on Brazil (5 p.m. PT on ESPN2) at Qualcomm Stadium. The tournament will finish on Thursday, August 3, at StubHub Center in Carson, California, as Australia takes on Brazil (4:15 p.m. PT on ESPN3) and the USA faces Japan (7 p.m. PT on ESPN2).

The winner of the tournament will be based on total points (three for a win, one for a tie), with the first tie-breaker being overall goal difference, followed by most total tournament goals scored, then head-to-head result and lastly, FIFA Ranking if necessary.

U.S. Women’s National Team 2017 Tournament of Nations Roster by Position – Caps/Goals
GOALKEEPERS (3): Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 15/0), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 1/0), Abby Smith (Boston Breakers; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 4/0), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 49/8), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride; 98/1), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC; 96/2), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City; 126/0), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 10/0), Taylor Smith (NC Courage; 0/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash; 66/6), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash; 239/97), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC; 27/5), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 25/4), Margaret Purce (Boston Breakers; 0/0), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 121/31)

FORWARDS (7): Crystal Dunn (Chelsea FC; 52/22), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 35/3), Sydney Leroux (FC Kansas City; 75/35), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 125/73), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars; 87/42), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 23/4), Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 8/2)

Chicago Red Stars forward Sofia Huerta will train with the U.S. team for the entire tournament. Huerta, who played for Mexico at the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and has five caps for the senior team, is not currently eligible to play for the United States, but U.S. Soccer is pursuing a change of association with FIFA on her behalf which, if approved, would make her eligible to play for the USA in the future. Huerta was born in Boise, grew up in Idaho, and attended Santa Clara University with U.S. defender Julie Ertz.

Tickets for all three doubleheaders are on sale through ussoccer.com. Fans looking to purchase by phone should dial 1-800-745-3000 for the events in Seattle and San Diego and 1-888-929-7849 for the doubleheader in the Los Angeles area. Tickets are also available at the CenturyLink Field Northwest Box Office (open Monday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and at the StubHub Center ticket office (open Monday–Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.). [Note: Tickets are not sold at Qualcomm Stadium except on the day of the event.] To receive notifications directly and for early ticket access, join U.S. Soccer’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat.

2017 TOURNAMENT OF NATIONS SCHEDULE

Additional Notes:

• Twenty-two of the 23 players are in the midst of their NWSL seasons, and all 10 NWSL clubs are represented on the roster.
• Seventeen of the players who were on the roster for the early June trip to Scandinavia that produced wins against Sweden and Norway are on the Tournament of Nations roster.
• Nine players on the roster have 25 caps or fewer.
• There are three uncapped players on the roster in Boston Breakers goalkeeper Abby Smith, who will be attending her third WNT camp, North Carolina defender Taylor Smith, who will be attending her second WNT event (after participating in the 2017 January Camp) and Breakers midfielder Margaret Purce, a member of the USA’s 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup Team, who gets her first call-up to the senior side. Purce is the first player from Harvard University to get a full National Team call-up.
• Abby Smith, who was the back-up for the games in Scandinavia, and Jane Campbell join Alyssa Naeher to make up the trio of goalkeepers on the roster. Campbell earned her first cap earlier this year against Russia on April 9 at BBVA Stadium in Houston, where she plays for the Dash.
• The camp marks the return of Morgan Brian to the roster, who was unavailable for two events with injuries, and Alex Morgan, who missed the trip to Norway and Sweden with a hamstring injury, as well as Krieger, who was not selected for the trip to Scandinavia in early June.
• U.S. captain Carli Lloyd is the most capped player on the roster with 239 games played and is three goals away from becoming the sixth player in U.S. history to score 100 international goals.
• Three other players have more than 100 caps in Becky Sauerbrunn (126), Alex Morgan (125), and Megan Rapinoe (121).
• Two players are closing in on 100 caps in defenders Ali Krieger (98) and Kelley O’Hara (96). The next player to earn 100 caps would be the 36th in U.S. WNT history to reach that milestone.
• Sydney Leroux, who was in Norway and Sweden but did not play, was selected for her second roster since returning from the birth of her first child.
• Veterans Tobin Heath (back) and Ashlyn Harris (quad), as well as Rose Lavelle (hamstring), were unavailable for selection due to injuries.