Changes to USWNT Roster Prior to October Friendlies

By Jené Baclawski
​Prior to the roster announcement on October 6th, current USWNT Head Coach Jill Ellis hinted that there would be some big changes to the team’s roster for a pair of October friendlies against Switzerland. When the list was announced, fans of the team realized that Ellis definitely wasn’t kidding around. To see the full list visit: http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team/latest-roster#tab-1
 
Since these two matches do not have any bearing on World Cup Qualifications for 2019 this is the time in the training cycle to experiment with players and see if (and where) any new personnel may contribute to team. For the games on October 19th in Sandy, Utah and October 23rd in Minneapolis her staff is bringing in eleven uncapped players which includes eight from the National Women’s Soccer League and three current collegiate players. “Right now we are in a phase where we want to expand the number of players... that means several of our more experienced players won’t be in camp while we get to evaluate some different personnel,” said Ellis. “In order to see if these players can contribute, we need to get them into a national team training environment and in games.”
 
After reviewing Ellis’ revitalized roster, here are a few of the players I am excited about seeing play on Wednesday night as well as a few notable exceptions I’ll miss from the list.
 
Ready to make an impact:

1. Jane Campbell GK – The USWNT roster is missing something in its goalkeeper core and with the current absence of Hope Solo the race for a replacement is wide open. Jane Campbell a current senior at Stanford, is the reigning Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year. She has logged the most minutes of any Stanford goalkeeper, is third in shutouts (32) and saves (196), and fifth in goals-against average (0.63). In high school, Campbell became the youngest goalkeeper ever to be called into a full U.S. National Team camp at the age of 17 and also competed on the U.S. National Team in the 2012 FIFA U17 World Cup.
2. Kealia Ohai F – Living in South Texas and supporting the Houston Dash means that I have the opportunity to witness Ohai’s attacking speed and presence.  She almost effortlessly has the ability to get in behind her NWSL opponents backline which often results in a 1v1s to goal. She has an impressive resume with the U.S. National Youth Team, she was on the same roster with current USWNT player Crystal Dunn. In 2012, she famously scored the game-winning goal against Germany in the Under-20 Women’s World Cup final. She was injury plagued with ankle issues the first couple of seasons in NWSL but with her health returning she lit it up this year and scored 11 goals during the NWSL regular season. She missed out on Golden Boot Award to NY Flash Lynn Williams only in a tiebreaker. 
3. Lynn Williams F – The former Pepperdine player and current Western New York Flash forward took home this year’s NWSL Golden Boot as well as the league’s Most Valuable Player Award. She recorded 11 regular season goals and 3 goals in post-season play including the critical header which tied the championship game 2-2 sending it into extra time and eventually PKs. It is clear that Williams has established herself as one of the NWSL’s top players and is earning a well-deserved call-up to the National Team.
4. Abby Dahlkemper D – Dahlkemper has played all but 16 minutes in her professional career with the Western New York Flash. Over the course of two years with the Flash that is over 3,600 minutes which reflects the consistency and leadership the 2015 1st round draft pick has demonstrated at the center back position. The USWNT roster is deficient at quality outside backs and lacks depth at the center back position. The inclusion of the former U17 and U23 National team player could allow for considerations to be made for the outside back position or as perhaps additional support to Becky Sauerbrunn.

 
A few players I’ll miss watching

1. Julie Johnston D – To me this is the most obvious player left of the roster because she simply needs a break. Johnson was outstanding at the 2015 World Cup and while her impact wasn’t as great at the Olympics she is still one of the most consistent players in the National team pool. She’ll likely to return and is just being rested to make way for new players getting a look. 
2. Meghan Klingenberg D/M – Klingenberg was a surprise star on the 2015 world cup roster and continues to provide significant attack from flanks and typically has pretty decent pace to recover or get forward. She might be best known for her standout play in World Cup clearing ball from the line with her tiny head a la Kristie Lilly in the 1999 World Cup final. Unfortunately, Klingenberg’s willingness to attack means that can get out of position and isn’t able to recover well all the time. She could be in danger of retaining her role with the top team if young players show well. 
3. Ali Krieger M/D – Krieger continues to be one of my favorite players but Ellis has struggled to find a way to fit her into her national team system. Krieger has been asked to play outside back, center mid, and wing in various moments throughout her career. I believe that she is most dangerous in a central midfield role but it might be increasingly difficult for her to earn time against Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Morgan Brian and Lindsey Horan so her exception to the full roster might indicate that her time on the national team is coming to a close.
4. Megan Rapinoe M – Of the former World Cup and Olympic players not called into camp, Rapinoe’s omission is the one that intrigues me the most. She wasn't in good form at Olympics. She was a very controversial choice for small roster considering she had not fully recovered from the knee injury. Despite not having a significant impact in Rio, she still played remarkably well during August in post -Olympic play finishing out the NWSL season with the Seattle Reign. Perhaps Ellis is giving her more time to recover but I can’t help but wonder if her protests during the playing of the National Anthem could be tied into this decision. Would Ellis and US Soccer consider her too much of a "distraction" and something they just don’t want to deal with right now in light of the negative media surrounding USWNT players lately. Seems to me that if she was good enough to be in Rio, she would benefit the most from attending camp to get back to full form.
5. Alex Morgan F – I'm sure leaving Morgan off the roster is purely for recovery purposes. Alex has really hit her stride again after her recent injuries so this is a preventative measure. With several young forwards being pulled into this camp I am certain that her omission simply allows the young kids to have a chance to perform. The next step for Ellis will include determining which of these new call-ups can complement the likes of Morgan, Press and Dunn as we get ready for World Cup Qualifying next year.