Going for a more youthful roster, the U.S. women’s national team will not include longtime stars Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe for the SheBelieves Cup later this month.
Vlatko Andonovski, the USWNT’s coach since 2019, also omitted veterans like Tobin Heath and Christen Press.
The 23-woman roster does include familiar names who have played a part in one or more Women’s World Cup victories, like defenders Kelley O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn, midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Mallory Pugh.
“All these players are very good players — we know that they’ve done so much for this team,” Andonovski told ESPN in an interview. “But right now I want to give a chance to players like Sophia Smith and Mal Pugh and Catarina Macario, Ashley Hatch, players that have earned their spot on the national team or earn their spot back.”
The annual round-robin invitational tournament will feature the Czech Republic, New Zealand and Iceland. Matches will be played in Carson, Calif., and Frisco, Texas, with matches on Feb. 17, 20 and 23.
–Field Level Media