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Becky Sauerbrunn, Rose Lavelle and Catarina Macario were named in coach Vlatko Andonovski’s 22-player United States women’s national team (USWNT) who head to Australia for two matches to end the 2021 schedule.
The USWNT roster features 10 players from the 2020 Olympic squad and 12 players with 10 caps or less — including five uncapped players. The average age of the squad is 26.3 years.
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The roster will be trimmed to 18 in time for the two matches. The USWNT play Australia in Sydney on Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. local time (Friday, Nov. 26 at 11 p.m. ET on FS2) and again in Newcastle on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 8:05 p.m. local time (4:05 a.m. ET on ESPN).
Alyssa Naeher, Sam Mewis and Julie Ertz missed out on September friendlies due to injuries, which Andonovski said opened the door for the younger players.
“We still have a few players out with injuries, so this roster is a mixture of players with a lot of experience in World Cups and Olympics, some who have been a part of the program for a while but who are looking to make their mark in international soccer and a few who are getting a first chance with the national team in an event like this,” Andonovski said.
All but one of the players on the roster compete in the National Women’s Soccer League. Midfielder Macario, who has scored eight goals in her past nine games with Olympique Lyon in France, is the only player on the roster not playing domestically.
A total of 17 of those on the USWNT roster are on teams that have made the NWSL playoffs.
“We’ve turned the page towards 2023 World Cup qualifying and rarely do we get the chance to test young players in environments filled with adversity, so we need to take advantage of what these two games will offer us,” he said.
Roster by Position (Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Bella Bixby (Portland Thorns FC; 0), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 7), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 0)
DEFENDERS (7): Alana Cook (OL Reign; 2/0), Abby Dahlkemper (Houston Dash; 77/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 43/1), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville FC; 6/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 7/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 197/0), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit; 61/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 106/24), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 66/17), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 12/3), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 31/4), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 20/2)
FORWARDS (6): Bethany Balcer (OL Reign; 0/0), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 7/2), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 10/1), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 43/13), Morgan Weaver (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0)