U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis has named the final 23-player roster for the 2018 Tournament of Nations, which begins Thursday when the U.S. faces Japan at world-class Children's Mercy Park in the second game of a high-profile doubleheader.
The U.S. WNT and Japan will square off at 6 p.m. CT on the opening matchday of an elite tournament that showcases four of the best women's national teams in the world. The first match at Children’s Mercy Park will see Brazil battle Australia at 3:15 p.m. CT. Tickets for the doubleheader are now on sale through ussoccer.com, ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
2018 Tournament of Nations
U.S. WNT Roster by Position; Caps/Goals
GOALKEEPERS (3): 21-Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0), 24-Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 16/0), 1-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 29/0)
DEFENDERS (6): 7-Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 19/0), 12-Tierna Davidson (Stanford; 8/0), 11-Merritt Mathias (NC Courage; 1/0), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 139/0), 14-Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 21/0), 22-Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 17/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): 6-Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars; 75/6), 2-Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 61/15), 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 51/5), 16-Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit; 8/2), 10-Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 254/100), 3-Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 36/7), 20-Allie Long (Seattle Reign FC; 39/6), 5-McCall Zerboni (NC Courage; 2/0)
FORWARDS (6): 19-Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 64/23), 17-Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC; 133/19), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 142/86), 23-Christen Press (Utah Royals FC; 100/44), 15-Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 137/37), 8-Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC; 131/30)
Ellis named a preliminary 25-player training squad for the Tournament of Nations last week. The two players released from the final roster are Houston Dash forward Kealia Ohai and North Carolina Courage defender Jaelene Hinkle.
The USA squad features several superstars from the team that won the 2015 FIFA World Cup — namely two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Carli Lloyd, prolific goal scorer Alex Morgan (pictured above), winger Megan Rapinoe and midfielder Tobin Heath. Also included in the roster is 27-year-old goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, a native of Salina, Kansas, who played four years of college soccer at Oklahoma State University before turning professional in 2013.
The 2018 Tournament of Nations will feature four of the top eight women’s teams in the latest FIFA rankings, with No. 1 USA followed by No. 6 Japan, No. 7 Brazil and No. 8 Australia. The tournament will provide stern competition as the U.S. WNT prepares for the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship, running from Oct. 4-17, which will determine the region’s three representatives at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup next summer in France.
2018 Tournament of Nations Schedule
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Matches</strong> |
<strong>Stadium</strong> |
<strong>City</strong> |
<strong>Kickoff (CT)</strong> |
<strong>TV</strong> |
July 26 |
Brazil vs. Australia |
Children's Mercy Park |
Kansas City, KS |
3:15 p.m. |
|
July 26 |
USA vs. Japan |
Children's Mercy Park |
Kansas City, KS |
6 p.m. |
FS1 |
July 29 |
Japan vs. Brazil |
Pratt & Whitney Stadium |
East Hartford, CT |
3:15 p.m. |
|
July 29 |
USA vs. Australia |
Pratt & Whitney Stadium |
East Hartford, CT |
6 p.m. |
FS1 |
Aug. 2 |
Australia vs. Japan |
Toyota Park |
Bridgeview, IL |
4:45 p.m. |
|
Aug. 2 |
USA vs. Brazil |
Toyota Park |
Bridgeview, IL |
7:30 p.m. |
FS1 |
The U.S. WNT and Japan notably met in the 2011 and 2015 FIFA World Cup Finals as well as the gold medal match at the 2012 Olympics. Japan edged the Americans in a penalty shootout to hoist their first World Cup title seven years ago, but the U.S. exacted revenge the following summer with a 2-1 win to secure Olympic gold and prevailed 5-2 to take the 2015 World Cup crown.
Each of the USA’s opponents in the 2018 Tournament of Nations has already qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Australia and Japan punched their tickets by finishing first and second, respectively, in Group B at the 2018 AFC Asian Cup in Jordan. Brazil secured its berth by taking first place in the final stage of the 2018 Copa América Femenina in Chile.
The U.S. WNT has played in Kansas City seven times since its inaugural visit in 1999, winning four and drawing three. Children’s Mercy Park will play host to its fourth U.S WNT contest, having welcomed crowds for a 1-1 friendly draw against Canada in 2011, a 1-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, and a 4-0 friendly victory over Costa Rica in 2016. The U.S. Women's and Men's National Teams are 10-0-4 in 14 combined visits to Kansas City, including a 6-0-2 mark at world-class Children's Mercy Park.
U.S. Women's National Team in Kansas City
- Oct. 7, 1999 vs. Finland: W 6-0 at Arrowhead Stadium
- Aug. 20, 2000 vs. Canada: T 1-1 at Arrowhead Stadium
- Oct. 22, 2003 vs. Italy: T 2-2 at Arrowhead Stadium
- Oct. 16, 2004 vs. Mexico: W 1-0 at Arrowhead Stadium
- Sept. 17, 2011 vs. Canada: T 1-1 at Children’s Mercy Park
- Oct. 15, 2014 vs. Trinidad and Tobago: W 1-0 at Children’s Mercy Park
- July 22, 2016 vs. Costa Rica: W 4-0 at Children’s Mercy Park
The U.S. WNT's arrival in Kansas City comes during a momentous time for soccer in the metropolitan area. The 2026 FIFA World Cup was awarded to North America last month, with Kansas City in contention as one of 23 Candidate Host Cities across the United States, Mexico and Canada. In addition to welcoming fans for next Thursday's Tournament of Nations doubleheader, Children's Mercy Park will also host a 2019 Concacaf Golf Cup men's doubleheader next summer.
