Seattle Reign’s Merritt Mathias has been named to the United States women’s national team roster ahead of their two October friendlies against Switzerland coming later in the month. Even though she played midfielder and forward for head coach Laura Harvey, she is listed as a defender on Jill Ellis squad.
Lone Seattle player called upon
Normally anytime Ellis calls her roster in, you will the names of Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe. Well, this time, around Mathias was the lone Seattle player to be called in. We all know about Solo’s current suspension and Rapinoe recently recovered from an ACL injury. Rapinoe has also been the center of controversy as of late as she kneeled during the National Anthem in the USWNT’s last two matches.
In a press release issued by U.S. Soccer, Ellis explained why she left some veteran players off of her roster.
“Right now, we are in a phase where we want to try to expand the player pool, look at a number of players and start the long process to qualifying for the next World Cup. That means several of our more experienced players won’t be in for this camp while we get to evaluate some different personnel. In order to see if these players can contribute, we need to get them into a National Team training environment and in games.“
Ellis continued; “Our staff has been watching NWSL games this season and these are the ones that stood out. The league is vitally important to create a tremendous competitive environment for these players to show their talents as professionals and we are excited to give them a chance with the National Team.”
Mathias 2016 season
Mathias appeared in 19 games, 17 starts. She logged 1,420 minutes out of a possible 1,800. She scored one goal on the season and had zero assists. Mathias is a hard worker on the defensive side of the ball as is evident as she was part of a Seattle defense that finished tied for first in the league with eight clean sheets. She also helped set two defensive league records with five consecutive clean sheets and the defense went 531 minutes without conceding a goal.
What’s next?
The UWSNT will take the field against Switzerland on October 19th at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET and can be seen on ESPN2. The next match they take on Switzerland again but this time, it will be at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This will be the USWNT’s first ever visit to U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:45 pm ET and can be seen on FOX Sports 1.