Sundhage names 28 players to training camp in advance of U.S. Women’s National Team match vs China on May 27

U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has named 28 players for a training camp being held in Princeton, N.J., from May 10-25. The U.S. team will then travel to Philadelphia to make final preparations for its match against China on May 27 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., in what will be the second-to-last domestic match for the U.S. team before it departs for the 2012 London Olympics.

On April 24, the USA found out its first-round opponents at the Olympics. The U.S. will open Group G play with two matches at the famed Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The U.S. first faces France (5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET) on July 25 – two days before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies – and then takes on Colombia on July 28 (5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET). The USA will finish group play against Korea DPR on July 31 (5:15 p.m. local / 12:15 p.m. ET) at the legendary Old Trafford in Manchester, home to Manchester United.

Sundhage will choose 18 players to suit up against China. More than 12,500 tickets have already been sold for the match, which kicks off at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets starting at $22 are on sale through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-298-4200 and at the PPL Park ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.

The roster includes 26 of the 27 players who trained during the camp in Bradenton, Fla., in April. Sundhage has added former Western New York Flash defender Gina Lewandowski, who plays for FFC Frankfurt in the German Women’s Bundesliga, and Oklahoma State goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who was the USA’s backup ’keeper on the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Team. Franch is a rising senior for the Cowgirls. Lewandowski will join the camp a week late due to her club commitments.

U.S. Women’s National Team Training Camp Roster by Position – Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (5): Nicole Barnhart, Adrianna Franch, Ashlyn Harris, Jill Loyden, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (10): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Whitney Engen, Meghan Klingenberg, Amy LePeilbet, Gina Lewandowski, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (9): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, Keelin Winters
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach

“We had a very productive camp in Florida, but now we get to look forward to a game,” said Sundhage. “The practices and scrimmages in Florida were physical and mentally taxing, and that was the plan. Now we can train hard in New Jersey but also prepare for a match against a very good team as we continue the roster selection process for the Olympics.”

This USA will be facing China at PPL Park for the second time as the two teams also met at the home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union in October of 2010 in what was the U.S. team’s first match at the soccer-specific venue. The match ended in a 1-1 draw as Alex Morgan equalized late in the game with her first full international goal.

U.S. Soccer also recently announced the final match for the U.S. Women before the Olympics as the Americans will face Canada on June 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. MT and the match will be broadcast live on NBC. Fans will also be able to follow the match on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and via Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.

Tickets starting at $22 are on sale to the public through ussoccer.com, by phone at 801-727-2700 (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT) and at the Rio Tinto Stadium ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages that include a premium ticket, a customized official U.S. National Team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available now exclusively through ussoccer.com.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster Notes:

• Five players on the U.S. roster will be training in their home state: Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge), Carli Lloyd (Delran), Jill Loyden (Vineland), Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick) and team captain Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant).
• Just 13 players on the U.S. training camp roster have Olympic Games experience.
• The U.S. WNT is 10-1-1 in 2012, having scored 55 goals and allowed five.
• Kristie Mewis and Adrianna Franch are the only players on the roster still in college. Mewis will be a senior at Boston College next fall and Franch is a senior at Oklahoma State.
• Rampone is by far the most capped player on the roster with 256 and she is firmly in fourth place on the all-time U.S. WNT caps list.
• With 22 career goals, Alex Morgan is inching her way up the all-time U.S. goal scoring chart. She will need to reach 30 to get into the top-15 all-time.