USWNT to audition new faces
COLUMBUS, Ohio - U.S. women’s national soccer team coach Vlatko Andonovski has an emotional connection to Columbus. It was here in 2019 where he made his debut as USWNT coach in a 3-2 win over Sweden.
“Even though it was at a different stadium, I'm excited to be back,” he said.
Andonovski is no greenhorn, even if many of the players he called into camp for this international window are. With a fairly disappointing bronze medal finish at the Olympics last summer, Andonovski is transitioning to a new era of the USWNT ahead of this summer’s qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Fans who attend the USWNT’s friendly against Uzbekistan at Lower.com Field at 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday (FOX) will recognize the names of Rose Lavelle, Sam Mewis, Mallory Pugh, Alyssa Naeher, Abby Dahlkemper and 100-plus cap players Lindsey Horan and Kelley O’Hara from the 2019 World Cup championship roster.
But the other 16 players have limited to no experience with the national team and are looking to earn a spot on the qualifying roster, and hopefully a spot on the World Cup roster next summer.
“It would be very difficult to bring 25 players that have never been at international level or never been at world championship, Olympic tournament,” Andonovski said. “That's why players like Kelley O'Hara and Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Alyssa Naeher are extremely important for everything that's going on, on the field, but also off the field, preparing the players and helping them becoming true professionals.”
Carli Lloyd’s international career is over. Megan Rapinoe, at age 36, is nearing the end of her career. Alex Morgan, 32, still has years in her, but it’s never a bad time to get a look at the next group that could be adored by new generations of fans.
A couple of those players, forward Lynn Williams and defender Tierna Davidson, suffered season-ending injuries with their NWSL clubs. But 22-year-old midfielder Catarina Macario, 19-yearold forward Trinity Rodman and reigning NWSL scoring leader Ashley Hatch could be a part of a new era of the USWNT.
Thirteen players on the roster have fewer than 15 caps. Three players have yet to make their international debuts, including goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury who won two state championships with Cincinnati’s Saint Ursula Academy at
Crew Stadium.
Rodman, the daughter of former NBA player Dennis Rodman, is seen as a potential superstar and generational talent. Earlier this year, the reigning NWSL rookie of the year signed the biggest deal in league history.
"This camp is not any different than the previous camp that Trinity was in,” Andonovski said. “We want to integrate her slowly into the system, introduce her to the system and help her get better around the players she's surrounded with.”
Uzbekistan is ranked 48th in the FIFA women’s rankings. The top-ranked US was originally supposed to play a toptier Asian opponent — possibly Japan — but that team backed out in February due to government-mandated COVID-19 protocols requiring quarantines for players.