United States women’s national team interim coach Twila Kilgore has called up 27 players for the October training camp.
Kilgore kept things largely the same as last month’s roster, with 24 returning players from the September session. The U.S. will face Colombia in a pair of friendlies later this month in Utah on Oct. 26 and San Diego on Oct. 29.
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Center back Becky Sauerbrunn makes her return, having missed the 2023 World Cup with a foot injury. While she did not make the September roster, she attended training in Chicago ahead of Megan Rapinoe’s final USWNT match.
Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith also makes her return to the roster following a knee injury that kept her out of the tail end of the NWSL season — she still secured the league’s Golden Boot thanks to her 11 goals.
Keeping with the Thorns theme around the roster, Kilgore has called up 18-year-old midfielder Olivia Moultrie for the first time. Moultrie will have an opportunity to earn her first senior national team appearance this month, along with San Diego Wave’s Jaedyn Shaw, who earned her second USWNT call-up on this roster.
27 strong. 💪
Fall footy awaits. ⚽️Full Roster Details » https://t.co/lFEFV20Lyq https://t.co/MYhDkCCvz7 pic.twitter.com/hKRMeSvkRf
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 18, 2023
Full USWNT roster vs. Colombia
Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign), M.A. Vignola (Angel City FC)
Midfielders (6): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
Forwards (9): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Midge Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
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Is this more limbo for USWNT?
Yes and no — the coaching search is still in progress, led by U.S. Soccer’s sporting director Matt Crocker. And while September’s games felt strange, between the retirements of midfielder Julie Ertz and Rapinoe, who were stalwarts on the roster, October is a chance to leave some of that dissonance behind and have the team move forward as much as they can while still waiting for the exact vision to take shape under the new coach. That wait could be over by the end of the year.
“I am really happy with where we are with the search,” Crocker said in September. “We have an unbelievably diverse pool of exciting candidates. We are on track to be in a position to have the head coach in place ready to support the team from early December.”
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Colombia has been a familiar opponent for the USWNT over the years, but they can’t be overlooked as an easy win by any means. They’re one of the few other teams who have qualified for the 2024 Olympics, and their 2023 World Cup run was one for the history books. It’s good timing for a real test for the USWNT and for players to start making their case in earnest. Certainly, any prospective coach will be watching the film.
A different-looking midfield
It’s not just the now-retired Ertz’s being taken off the roster for October. Rose Lavelle was called up in September before eventually being replaced, as she continues to work back from a lower leg injury. OL Reign coach Laura Harvey addressed Lavelle’s status following the Reign’s Decision Day win that sent them into the playoffs.
She said Lavelle was on the bench “if we desperately needed her to be there, and thankfully we didn’t.” Harvey mentioned Lavelle was running on the field after the match in an effort to continue her preparation for the Reign’s quarterfinal match, though her status or ability to play significant minutes remains unknown.
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That leaves Lindsey Horan leading the group of six midfielders. Her 135 appearances for the USWNT is more than the other five combined (85 total). The October games should provide an interesting look at potential new combos on the field, though it feels a safe enough assumption that the starting three will be Andi Sullivan, Horan and Ashley Sanchez as the like-for-like replacement to Lavelle.
What they’re saying
“If we just look at the team right now, we know change is coming,” Kilgore said Wednesday when asked about the USWNT’s biggest challenge right now. “We know that we’re coming out of a moment at the World Cup that we’re not satisfied with … We know we have an amazing opportunity to play against Colombia and come back together and continue to improve our style of play and execution of the game plan.
“To continue (to) progress in the change on toward the Olympics, both individually and collectively with so much change on the horizon, is a task that we’re up for, but it’s definitely a challenge.”
Kilgore also said arrivals for this camp will be staggered, with some arriving three days before the first game, but everyone should be in by matchday minus two.
“There’s an opportunity to build on previous performances and make some changes, but there’s a lot of small steps that we can take to improve the performances, that are realistic within a short timeframe.”
When addressing Lavelle and Tierna Davidson’s injuries, Kilgore said they’re not ready for international minutes yet and she’s being “careful with protecting players.” Davidson is recovering after suffering a hit to the face in a Sept. 30 game with the Chicago Red Stars.
Required reading
(Photo: Jeff Curry / USA Today)