THE USA WILL be without one of their most recognisable faces and names when they host Vera Pauw’s Republic Ireland in their World Cup warm-up friendly double-header.
Megan Rapinoe is absent for the back-to-back world champions due to injury.
But Vlatko Andonovski has a star-studded squad to choose from ahead of Saturday’s showdown in Austin, Texas [KO 7.30pm Irish time, live on RTÉ 2] and Tuesday’s rematch in St Louis, Missouri.
Countless World Cup winners and Olympic gold medallists will feature, some of the biggest names in the game. This is the most successful team in international women’s football, after all. An almost permanent fixture at number one in Fifa’s world rankings.
They’re four-time world champions — never finishing lower than third — hold the same amount of and Olympic honours and nine CONCACAF Gold Cups to boot.
The legendary Alex Morgan has been ever-present through the years. 204 caps, 121 goals. Currently playing her club football with San Diego Wave in the NWSL, the 33-year-old striker has been hugely influential on and off the pitch for the best part of two decades.
She’s one of six centurions and five mothers in the current 26-strong squad. Crystal Dunn and Julie Ertz join her in both brackets.
Ertz was a surprise inclusion this time around. She hasn’t played an official game in almost 600 days due to a combination of injuries and childbirth, her last the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The 30-year-old defensive midfielder doesn’t have a club team as of now, but appears to have done enough work off the field to earn a recall eight months after welcoming her first son.
Ertz has 116 caps to her name, and will belatedly be honoured for hitting the century in Austin. Ireland’s Denise O’Sullivan will also be recognised before kick-off as she joins the 100 Club and the Cork star, who is held in high regard Stateside for her exploits with North Carolina Courage, is expected to captain her country on the landmark occasion.
Becky Sauerbunn, Kelley O’Hara and Lindsey Horan are other long-serving US stalwarts, Rose Lavelle and Mallory Swanson are sensational, and there’s some exciting young talent in there too.
None more so than Trinity Rodman. Yes, daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis. Rodman is just 20-years-old, but already the highest-earning player in the NWSL: she pockets €250,000 annually at Washington Spirit, where she lines out alongside new Ireland recruit Marissa Sheva and former underage international Nicole Douglas.
She’ll be hoping to add to her two senior goals and 15 caps against the Girls In Green.
It’s been an interesting few months for the USA. They were almost at crisis point in November, a friendly defeat to Germany making it three losses in-a-row and ending their remarkable run on home soil.
An 89th-minute winner handed the all-conquering World Cup champions a first home defeat in more than five years. It brought the curtain down on a 71-match home unbeaten streak, which included 64 victories and seven draws, and stretched back to July 2017 when they lost to Australia.
After October defeats to England and Spain away, pressure piled on Andonovski and his players, a cohort of those also coming under-fire when they fell to a 1-0 semi-final loss to Canada at the Tokyo Olympics.
But they’ve turned it around with a 100% record in 2023 thus far: five victories — including a 2-0 win over Ireland’s World Cup group rivals and Olympic champions Canada — 14 goals, and a SheBelieves Cup success.
In their last 14 competitive games, they’ve conceded just twice and failed to score on only one occasion in their previous 20.
Ireland are on a decent run themselves having enjoyed an upward trajectory under Pauw, but their record against the US does not make for pleasant viewing.
They’ve played five times across the Atlantic since 2012, losing 18-0 on aggregate.
The last time the sides met was in 2019 at the Rose Bowl in California as the US began their World Cup victory tour. Tom O’Connor was in interim charge for the 3-0 defeat before Pauw succeeded Colin Bell, and little reminder is needed of what has happened since.
This is “the ultimate test,” according to Pauw and her players. “Beyond the best preparation” for their first-ever major tournament where they face Australia, Canada and Nigeria in Group B.
USA will be joined by the Netherlands, Vietnam and Portugal in Group E as they look to make it three in-a-row.
You’d imagine this star-studded squad will be looking to start their send-off in style — but Ireland will be seeking a shot in the arm against the best.
US squad
Goalkeepers: Adrianna Franch (Kansas City Current), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders: 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)
Midfielders: Julie Ertz (Unattached), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Taylor Kornieck (San Diego Wave FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
Forwards: 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).
Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Jessie Stapleton (Shelbourne), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Claire O’Riordan (Celtic), Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), Tara O’Hanlon (Peamount United), Áine O’Gorman (Shamrock Rovers)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Roma McLaughlin (Fortuna Hjorring)
Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers), Amber Barrett (Potsdam Turbine), Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Alannah McEvoy (Shamrock Rovers).
Sinead Farrelly and Éabha O’Mahony have also been training with the Irish team in Texas.
