Longtime U.S. women’s national team star Alex Morgan will miss two upcoming friendlies due to a knee injury.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski released the 24-player roster on Thursday for games against England on Oct. 7 in London and Spain on Oct. 11 in Pamplona without the 33-year-old Morgan listed as one of the team’s six forwards.
Morgan also plays for the San Diego Wave of the National Women’s Soccer League and sat out Sunday’s game against the Orlando Pride.
Morgan is two appearances shy of reaching 200 caps for her stellar career. She has 119 goals for the national team and started on both the 2015 and 2019 World Cup title teams.
Defender Crystal Dunn is on the roster for the first time since giving birth to her son in mid-May.
Among the players on the roster are forward Megan Rapinoe, midfielder Rose Lavelle, defender Becky Sauerbrunn and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
“These are big tests for our team in front of crowds cheering against us and after long travel, but our players absolutely love games like these,” Andonovski said in a statement. “The group we are bringing to Europe includes players who have a lot of experience against top European teams and some that don’t, so these games are even more critical for our growth as our team. Our whole squad needs to get a clear picture of what these games are like as we continue to prepare for the World Cup.”
The Women’s World Cup is slated for July 20-Aug. 20, 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
–Field Level Media