On Thursday, U.S. Soccer announced the roster for the upcoming women’s national team friendlies against Paraguay.
Several members of the Olympic bronze medal-winning team will not play due to injury (Alyssa Naeher, Sam Mewis, Julie Ertz, and Megan Rapinoe) while Christen Press opted out to focus on her mental health.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to take some time away from the game to focus on my mental health, spiritual growth, and processing grief,” Press wrote on Instagram on Thursday. “I’m sad to miss the upcoming games and seeing all of our wonderful fans. I believe I will come back stronger than ever.”
In their absence, midfielder Andi Sullivan and forwards Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh were added to the USWNT training camp roster.
“We have a few players with injuries so we needed to add some depth to the roster and Andi, Sophia and Mal are not only having quality seasons for their NWSL teams, but they can also play multiple positions,” U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a U.S. Soccer press release.
USWNT Roster for Paraguay Friendlies:
GOALKEEPERS:
DEFENDERS:
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Abby Dahlkemper (Houston Dash)
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Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars)
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Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC)
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Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars)
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Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit)
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Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC)
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Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit)
MIDFIELDERS:
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Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC)
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Rose Lavelle (OL Reign)
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Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyon/FRA)
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Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash)
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Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
FORWARDS:
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Tobin Heath (Arsenal/ENG)
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Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
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Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride)
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Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars)
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Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC)
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Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage)
USWNT vs. Paraguay Game Schedule:
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September 16: USA vs. Paraguay at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2)
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September 21: USA vs. Paraguay at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 & TUDN)
In October, the USWNT will take on South Korea for two more friendlies to close out the 2021 season. Last month, Carli Lloyd announced that these games will be her last in a USWNT jersey.
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USWNT roster named for Paraguay friendlies originally appeared on NBCSports.com