The U.S. Women's National Team released a 29 player roster for January camp Wednesday afternoon. The 11-day cap will be held at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California starting January 13. Coach Jill Ellis looks to use this time to evaluate players for the second SheBelieves Cup, which is to be held in March.
Notable names missing from the list are defender Meghan Klingenberg and forward Mallory Pugh who are out with back and knee injuries, respectively. Klingenberg has been battling the back injury since the end of the NWSL season, however Ellis says both players are available for selection for the SheBelieves Cup. Additionally, forward and recent Olympique Lyonnais signee Alex Morgan will only be available during the FIFA dates January 16-24. With Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations still going on, it is uncertain if there will be any January friendlies to accompany this camp.
New and returning faces
Of the 29 call ups, only 22 received caps under Ellis in 2016. The six uncapped players are goalkeepers Jane Campbell and Adrianna Franch and midfielders Kristen Edmonds, Christina Gibbons, Rose Lavelle and Taylor Smith. Of those six, Gibbons and Smith are the only ones with first-time call-ups. In addition to receiving multiple call-ups, college seniors Lavelle, Gibbons, and Campbell are predicted to place well in the 2017 NWSL draft on January 12 in Los Angeles.
Kealia Ohai, Lynn Williams, Casey Short, and Jessica McDonald all got their first caps in late 2016 and heavily contributed to the team’s success. A very notable return would be the one of talented, veteran forward Amy Rodriguez. After helping win the 2015 World Cup, Rodriguez was on absent due to pregnancy, and this camp will be her first since giving birth in July 2016.
Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (4): Jane Campbell (Stanford), Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS (7): Jaelene Hinkle (Western New York Flash), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)
MIDFIELDERS (11): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Kristen Edmonds (Orlando Pride), Christina Gibbons (Duke), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (Wisconsin), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Samantha Mewis (Western New York Flash), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC), Taylor Smith (Western New York Flash)
FORWARDS (7): Crystal Dunn (Chelsea Ladies FC, ENG), Jessica McDonald (Western New York Flash), Alex Morgan (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA), Kealia Ohai (Houston Dash), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez (FC Kansas City), Lynn Williams (Western New York Flash)