August 22, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Kansas City Current News Release
CHICAGO – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has named a 23-player roster for two September friendly matches against Nigeria, the first on Sept. 3 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas (Kickoff at 12:30 p.m. CT / 1:30 p.m. ET with coverage beginning at Noon CT / 1 p.m. ET on FOX) and the second on Sept. 6 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., presented by Allstate (6 p.m. ET on ESPN2). All 23 players will suit up for both matches.
The 23 players were, at some point, all a part of the roster that helped the USA win the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in Mexico, including midfielder Sam Coffey, who replaced injured forward Ashley Hatch after the group stage. Hatch is now healthy and returns for these friendlies. Defender Crystal Dunn, who gave birth to her son Marcel on May 20, will join camp for training as she continues her return to fitness but will not feature in the matches.
“All the players on the roster performed well in Mexico at qualifying and have carried that form for their clubs, so we’ll continue the process of growing as a team with this group in what will be two challenging games against Nigeria,” said Andonovski. “Preparing for the World Cup is a long process, and I’ve been very happy with how our team understands that process, is willing to do the work and is making positive strides every camp to get us to where we want to be next summer.”
The U.S. qualified for its ninth consecutive World Cup on July 7 following its second group stage match at the Concacaf W Championship. The Americans went on to defeat Canada in the championship game to earn a berth to the 2024 Paris Olympics. These September friendlies will be the first domestic matches for the USWNT since qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will kick off in less than a year in Australia and New Zealand. Nigeria also qualified for a ninth consecutive Women’s World Cup, earning its berth earlier this summer at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Several players on the roster have ties to the September’s game venues. Defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who attended the University of Virginia, and midfielder Kristie Mewis played at FC Kansas City in the NWSL under Andonovski. Three players hail from the DMV (Washington D.C.-Maryland-Virginia) area in Emily Fox (Ashburn, Va.), Andi Sullivan (Lorton, Va.) and Midge Purce (Silver Spring, Md.), while six of the 23…