U23 WNT roster named for Nordic Tournament
The U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team will travel to England for the 2019 Nordic Tournament running from Aug. 28-Sept. 2, which is during the upcoming FIFA match window.
The timing of the tournament means that U.S. head coach B.J. Snow has named 21 professionals to the 23-player roster – 16 from the NWSL and five currently playing in Europe – in addition to two of the top college players in the country in defender Emily Fox from North Carolina and forward Sophia Smith from Stanford. The 19-year-old Smith, was the 2017 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year, is the youngest player on the roster.
Fox has three caps with the U.S. senior side while Smith has trained with the full team in the past and was one of the USA’s top players at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Four other players on this roster have been called up to the Women’s National Team in the past: goalkeeper Casey Murphy who started her pro career in France with Montpellier and now plays for Reign FC, midfielder Haley Hanson from the Houston Dash, midfielder Savannah McCaskill from the Chicago Red Stars and forward Hallie Mace, who is currently playing in Sweden with Rosengård. Hanson has one senior WNT cap, Mace has three and McCaskill has six.
Five of the NWSL players named have scored in the league this season.
The USA will face Norway on Aug. 28, England on Aug. 30 and finish with Sweden on Sept. 2. All the matches will be played at Loughborough University in Loughborough, England, which is in the center of the country about 45 miles northeast of Birmingham.
The tournament is allowing three overage players per team and Snow named two in forward Kristen Hamilton from the North Carolina Courage, who is currently tied for second in the NWSL in goals with eight, and Erin Simon, who is playing left back for West Ham United.
U.S. U-23 WNT Roster – 2019 Nordic Tournament - England
GOALKEEPERS (2): Emily Boyd (Chicago Red Stars; Seattle, Wash.), Casey Murphy (Reign FC; Bridgewater Township, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (8): Alana Cook (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA; Worcester, Mass.), Schuyler Debree (Reign FC; Fair Haven, N.J.), Brooke Denesik (Biike Kazygurt/KAZ; Anthem, Ariz.), Emily Fox (North Carolina; Ashburn, Va.), Madison Pogarch (Portland Thorns FC; Hartland, Mich.), Erin Simon (West Ham United/ENG; Oakhurst, N.J.), Samantha Staab (Washington, Spirit; San Diego, Calif.), Gabrielle Vincent (Utah Royals; Colombia, Md.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Carlyn Baldwin (Sporting CP/POR; Oakton, Va.), Jordan DiBiasi (Washington Spirit; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Julie James Doyle (Sky Blue FC/Fairview, Texas), Haley Hanson (Houston Dash; Overland Park, Kans.), CeCe Kizer (Houston Dash; Overland Park, Kans.), Savannah McCaskill (Chicago Red Stars; Chapin, S.C.), Marisa Viggiano (Orlando Pride; Troy, Mich.)
FORWARDS (6): Bethany Balcer (Reign FC; Hudsonville, Mich.), Imani Dorsey (Sky Blue FC; Elkridge, Md.), Kristen Hamilton (NC Courage; Littleton, Colo.), Hailie Mace (Rosengård FC/SWE; Ventura, Calif.), Paige Monaghan (Sky Blue FC; Roxbury Township, N.J.), Sophia Smith (Stanford; Windsor, Colo.)
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