W-League Feature
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Women’s National Team coach Tom Sermanni announced a 29-player squad on Tuesday as the side prepares for its first two games of 2013 against Scotland. Among the players selected were a number of first-time call-ups, with 22 players with W-League experience included in the group.
A number of players will have the opportunity to make their debut for the USWNT in the two games against Scotland, set to take place on February 9 in Jacksonville, Fla. and January 13 in Nashville, Tenn. Among that group are recent MAC Hermann Trophy Award winner and Long Island Rough Riders standout Crystal Dunn, who this past fall led both the U.S. U20 National Team to victory at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup and the University of North Carolina to another NCAA Division I National Championship .
Also in the group are former Pali Blues standouts Ashlyn Harris and Christen Press, who are among seven former Blues players selected in the squad. Other former Pali standouts include Whitney Engen, Kelley O’Hara, Tobin Heath, Lauren Cheney and Alex Morgan, with the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year finalist also being joined by her former Seattle Sounders Women teammates Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Sydney Leroux and Keelin Winters.
FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Abby Wambach, formerly of the Rochester Ravens, is also included in the roster, as are former New Jersey Wildcats standouts Heather O’Reilly, Carli Lloyd and Yael Averbuch.
The squad, which is Sermanni’s first as head coach since taking over from Pia Sunhage, will serve as a platform from which the team that will represent the U.S. at the Algarve Cup from March 6-13 in Portugal could be built.