W-League Feature
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Tom Sermanni named a 24-player squad to face China in a pair of games set for April 6 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. and April 10 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on Tuesday, with a number of current and former W-League players earning selection.
Leading the group is current LA Blues SC forward Katie Stengel, who became the seventh player from the U.S. U20 2012 World Cup-winning squad to earn a call-up to the full national team. Stengel, who helped the Blues claim the 2013 W-League Championship, is joined by Blues teammate Sam Mewis, who made her debut for the U.S. during the recent Algarve Cup.
Overall, 19 of the players selected to the squad have W-League experience, including a number of predecessors to Stengel and Mewis with the Blues. Former Blues standouts Christen Press, Kelley O’Hara, Tobin Heath and Lauren Holiday were all named to the squad that will look to bounce back from a disappointing performance in March’s Algarve Cup.
The Seattle Sounders Women are also well represented, with former goalkeeper Hope Solo leading a contingent of three goalkeepers with W-League experience. Should Solo appear in both games, she would become the 18th woman to appear 150 times for the national team. Former Sounders defender Stephanie Cox, midfielder Megan Rapinoe and forward Sydney Leroux – the 2011 W-League Rookie of the Year – also earned selection.
Other former W-League players to be named to the squad included 2013 NWSL Defender of the Year Becky Sauerbrunn, formerly of D.C. United Women, and the New Jersey Wildcats duo of Heather O’Reilly and Carli Lloyd. Former Rochester Ravens forward Abby Wambach, the all-time leading scorer in women’s international soccer, was also selected.