Jeff CarlisleUSA Football Correspondent11:30 AM ET3 Minute Read
Julie Ertz last played for the USA in 2021. Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images
The return of Julie Ertz and NWSL MVP Sophia Smith highlights the US women’s 26-player squad for two upcoming friendlies against Ireland.
Ertz last played for the USA in the postponed 2020 Olympics and gave birth to her first child in August 2022. She is without a club. Smith is returning after dealing with a foot injury that kept her out of the first two camps of the year.
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Defense attorney Casey Krueger is also returning after giving birth to her first child in July 2022. The camp is her first since October 2021.
Veteran defenseman Kelley O’Hara also returns to the US team after a lengthy absence. OL Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe has been left out of the squad due to a lower leg injury.
The USA meet a team from Ireland who have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history. The first game will take place on April 8th at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, followed by a second clash three days later at CityPark in St. Louis, Missouri. The games are the final preparations ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which begins in July. Andonovski is expected to name his World Cup squad later in the spring.
“It’s exciting to get the group back together and we’re getting closer to what we want to envision this summer,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a statement. “The team is gelling and bringing these players back to camp, everyone who knows the environment very well, will only make it more competitive and up the intensity by a notch. I know there’s a lot of pressure on the players The competition for World Cup places is increasing, but we’re not afraid of that. We talk about it and embrace it because we all know these players improve each other.”
Defense attorney Tierna Davidson will be aiming for her first game action since tearing her cruciate ligament in March 2022. She attended training camp ahead of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup.
Also included in the roster is San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan, whose 121 goals for the USA lead the roster and is the fifth-highest all-time. Mallory Swanson, who leads USA in 2023 with seven goals and has been on a scoring streak for six games, is also included.
According to unofficial records, USWNT will have five mothers at camp: Krueger, Ertz, Crystal Dunn, Adrianna Franch and Morgan.
United States Squad:
Goalkeeper: Adrianna Franch (Kansas City Current), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars).
Defender: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger ( Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign).
Midfield player: Julie Ertz (Untied), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais), Taylor Kornieck (San Diego Wave FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit).
Forward: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC).