USWNT set to kickoff two-game set vs. Chile tonight in Los Angeles

(Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. will face a country it has never played before as Chile comes to California for two matches. These games against Chile, on Aug. 31 in Los Angeles (8 p.m. PT on ESPN2) Presented by Volpi Foods, and Sept. 4 in San Jose (7 p.m. PT on ESPN2 & UDN), will be the final ones before the USA enters World Cup qualifying. Chile will be a Women’s World Cup debutante next summer after qualifying for the tournament for the first time by finishing second in the 2018 Copa América Femenina.

The USA has not lost since the 2017 Tournament of Nations last summer, a 1-0 setback to Australia, and has gone 16-0-3 over the past 13 months, which includes an 9-0-2 mark in 2018. The USA’s 2018 has so far featured wins over Denmark, Germany, England, Mexico (twice), China PR (twice), Japan and Brazil, along with ties vs. France and Australia.

Follow all the #USWNT and tournament action on Twitter using #USAvCHI on @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp, and also on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (ussoccer_wnt).

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster By Position (Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): 21- Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0), 24- Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 16/0), 1- Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 32/0)
DEFENDERS (7): 7- Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 22/0), 12- Tierna Davidson (Stanford; 10/0), 26- Hailie Mace (UCLA; 1/0), 5- Kelly O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 107/2), 4- Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 141/0), 14- Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 24/0), 22- Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 20/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): 6- Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars; 77/6), 2- Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 64/16); 9- Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 54/6), 16- Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit; 11/3), 10- Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 257/100); 3- Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 37/7); 25- McCall Zerboni (NC Courage; 5/0)
FORWARDS (6): 19- Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 67/23), 17- Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns; 136/20), 13- Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 145/90), 23- Christen Press(Utah Royals FC; 103/44), 11-Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 35/11), 8- Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC; 131/30)

STORYLINES

Back Home in Southern California: The U.S. roster features two players who grew up in the Los Angeles area in forward Christen Press from Palos Verdes Estates and forward Alex Morgan from Diamond Bar. Press grew up just over 20 miles from the StubHub Center. The roster also includes several UCLA alums in midfielder Samantha Mewis, midfielder McCall Zerboni and defender Abby Dahlkemper, as well as current Bruin Hailie Mace, who is from Ventura, Calif, just an 80-mile drive up the 405 Freeway from StubHub Center. Mallory Pugh also briefly attended UCLA before turning professional. Forward Amy Rodriguez grew up in Orange County, just over 40 miles from the SHC. Of course, U.S. head coach Jill Ellis was head coach for the UCLA Women’s Soccer program from 1999-2010.

Press Honored Pre-Game for 100th Cap: Against China PR on June 12, Christen Press became the 37th player to earn 100 caps for the U.S. WNT. Press, who grew up 21 miles from the StubHub Center, will be honored in a pre-game ceremony in front of her friends and family. She earned her first cap on Feb. 9, 2013 vs. Scotland, making a dazzling debut while scoring twice, and then it took her a bit more than five years to hit the century mark.

Return to the Bay Area: The match at Avaya Stadium will be the fourth for the USA at the venue where it ended its 2017 schedule with a 3-1 victory against Canada on Nov. 12. The U.S. roster features numerous players with ties to the Bay Area. Defenders Abby Dahlkemper and Tierna Davidson both grew up in Menlo Park and attended the same high school – Sacred Heart Preparatory – but not at the same time. Julie Ertz was a star at Santa Clara University and Alex Morgan was a star at UC Berkeley across the bay. Kelley O’Hara and Press both won the MAC Hermann Trophy at Stanford while Davidson is currently staring for the Cardinal after leading them to the NCAA championship last season.

U.S. Soccer Partners With Megan Rapinoe to Raise Funds For Victims of Carr Fire: U.S. Soccer is partnering with U.S. Women’s National Team forward Megan Rapinoe and the Shasta Regional Community Foundation to raise awareness and funds for relief efforts to aid the victims of the Carr Fire that severely affected a large swath of Northern California. Rapinoe, who has 140 caps and 38 goals for the USA, is a native of Redding, California, a town located 250 miles north of San Jose in an area heavily impacted by the Carr Fire. The Carr Fire, which is 90 percent contained, began west of the Redding area on July 23, 2018. At the peak of evacuations, more than 35,000 people were displaced (nearly 20 percent of Shasta County’s population). U.S. Soccer will support the Shasta Regional Community Foundation on www.ussoccer.com, U.S. Soccer social media channels, in-stadium public address announcements and LED field boards for both games against Chile in California. Fans are encouraged to donate at www.ussoccer.com/CarrFund. One hundred percent of the donations (excluding online credit card processing fees) will go to the Carr Community Fund for the Carr Fire recovery efforts. In addition, at the U.S. Women’s National Team match in San Jose on Sept. 4, U.S. Soccer will host a group from the Redding area who were impacted by the fire, and honor a first responder, representing all those who battled the blaze that was the seventh largest in California history and most destructive in Shasta County history.

10 More for Morgan: After scoring in the opening match of the year against Denmark, twice each in both April games against Mexico, scoring the game-winner against China PR on June 7, getting a hat trick against Japan on July 26, and then tallying a crucial goal against Brazil on Aug. 2 in the ToN, Alex Morgan has 90 goals and at age 29 sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA’s all-time goal scoring list. She has scored 17 goals over her last 18 WNT matches through the end of 2017 and start deep into 2018. With her hat trick against Japan on July 26, the fourth of her career, Morgan is now fourth all-time in multi-goal games (23) behind Abby Wambach (45), Mia Hamm (38) and Michelle Akers (25). Morgan has scored three goals at both the StubHub Center and Avaya Stadium during her career.

Home Sweet, West Coast: The U.S. WNT program started in 1985, but the team did not play a full international match in California until 1996. Since then, the U.S. Women have played 42 total games in California – 30 in Southern California, one in Central California and 11 in Northern California. The match at StubHub Center at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center will mark the USA’s 14th match at the venue, marking the most games ever at one stadium for the U.S. Women. The USA last played at StubHub Center in August of 2017 during a 3-0 victory against Japan to conclude the Tournament of Nations. The 14th match at the StubHub Center moves the venue past the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., where the U.S. Women have played 13 times, as the most frequent venue in U.S. WNT history.