USWNT roster named for 2022 Concacaf W Championship

The USWNT roster for July’s 2022 Concacaf W Championship — plus two June friendlies vs. Colombia — was announced on Monday. U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski named 23 players to the Concacaf W Championship roster, plus an addition three players who will be eligible to take part in the friendlies.

The squad is headlined by the return of veteran players Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe. Sauerbrunn returns after missing USWNT camps in January and April, while Morgan and Rapinoe haven’t played for the USWNT since October 2021.

Andonovski has long emphasized the importance of in-market performance, which makes Rapinoe’s inclusion surprising. Rapinoe, a two-time World Cup champion who plays for the OL Reign, hasn’t started a single NWSL game this season and has touched the field in just four of eight games. Still, Rapinoe leads this USWNT squad in qualifying event appearances, having played in 23 World Cup or Olympic qualifying games.

In a call with reporters on Monday, Andonovski said he and Rapinoe had a conversation in the fall, in which he told her that he would be calling up young players and giving them minutes this spring, but that if she was healthy and able to get minutes, she would be included on this roster.

“We know what Megan is capable of doing,” Andonovski said, also pointing to the leadership experience she will bring to the younger and less experienced players. “I think she’s going to be instrumental to help them go through these games, go through these qualifiers.”

Said newcomers include eight players have fewer than 10 international caps: Alana Cook (9), Ashley Hatch (8), Ashley Sanchez (7), Casey Murphy (4), Trinity Rodman (3), Naomi Girma (1), Aubrey Kingsbury (1) and Taylor Kornieck (0).

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