Krieger headlines surprise names on USWNT World Cup squad
Though many of the players on Jill Ellis’ 23-player roster were expected, there were a few that will go down as unlikely selections
U.S. women’s national team head coach Jill Ellis named her World Cup squad on Thursday, six weeks ahead of the team’s first game in France.
On one hand, the roster contained very few surprises, with Ellis having around 19 or 20 of her 23 players locked in for months now.
On the other hand, the announcement still featured a few unexpected names that will lead to plenty of debate.
Ali Krieger is chief among the roster surprises, with the right back earning a spot after only just returning from a two-year exile. Further up the field, Allie Long and Morgan Brian were late inclusions that turned some heads.
Any surprise inclusions will naturally lead to some head-turning exclusions as well, with Casey Short and McCall Zerboni headlining that unfortunate latter category.
Here are some key takeaways from the USWNT’s World Cup roster release.
Ali Krieger’s unexpected rebirth with the USWNT has culminated in a World Cup roster spot that would have seemed next to impossible six weeks ago.
Having failed to make a USWNT roster for nearly two years, Krieger was named to the team’s squad for its April friendlies against Australia and Belgium. The 34-year-old did not play against the Matildas, but impressed enough in training and in her start against Belgium to convince Ellis to bring her along to France.
“What I know about Ali Krieger is that no moment is ever going to be too big for her,” Ellis said on a conference call on Thursday. “As a coach when you get down to this point, the psychological piece is also a part of your consideration when you look at your players.”
Krieger’s place on the World Cup squad is a testament to her determination and willingness to continue fighting for an increasingly unlikely place on the USWNT, but it’s also an indication of the team’s concern over Kelley O’Hara.
O’Hara, the USWNT’s usual starting right back, underwent a major ankle operation in the fall and has struggled with its lingering effects, missing out on the team’s roster for the matches against Australia and Belgium.
She has returned with two substitute appearances for the Utah Royals, but it’s difficult to see O’Hara playing every game of the World Cup should the U.S. go on a deep run. Krieger, who played nearly every minute of the USWNT’s run to the 2015 World Cup, is on board for another World Cup – this time as an insurance policy and for her veteran leadership.
“I’ve spent a lot of time looking at depth in the back and with Kelley O’Hara in return-to-play mode, the importance of experience in that back line certainly in an event this big comes into play,” Ellis said.
In the fall it appeared as though Carli Lloyd would be going to France as Alex Morgan’s only true backup at the target forward position. But Lloyd now has a fight on her hands with the recent rise of Jessica McDonald.
McDonald did not make a USWNT appearance in 2018 until November but since then has been named to every roster, as her ability to hold up play and score the occasional goal has convinced Ellis to name her to the World Cup squad.
“When you pick a roster, you obviously have a starting 11, you have your core 13 or 14 but then beyond that you’re looking for players who can come in and change a game. I think Jessica is someone who can embody and embrace that role,” Ellis said.
“She’s obviously got physical qualities, she’s got a nose for goal, she’s fantastic in the air, she has a long throw-in, so there’s a lot of good things there in terms of what she brings to this roster.”
McDonald has done extremely well to break into the USWNT picture at a relatively late stage of her career, with the 31-year-old still having just seven caps. Lloyd, on the other hand, has 271 caps and has shown her ability to affect a game as a substitute striker, in contrast to the various midfield roles she has played for most of her career.
Will Ellis turn to McDonald or Lloyd first if she wants to put another striker in a game? The duo’s performances in May’s send-off series and in training over the next six weeks will go a long way toward answering that question. It’s also worth noting that Ellis has not been afraid to use Lloyd in an attacking midfield role should a game require.
Perhaps the most surprising names on the World Cup roster were Allie Long and Morgan Brian, who both appeared to be on the outside looking in ahead of the roster announcement.
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In hindsight, Long featuring off the bench against both Australia and Belgium was a good indication that Ellis was giving her real look ahead of naming her World Cup squad. Still, Long has to go down as a surprise inclusion given those two matches were her first appearances for the USWNT since last summer.
As for Brian, her fate seemed sealed when she was left off the roster for both the SheBelieves Cup and the April friendlies against Australia and Belgium. The 26-year-old did have some injury issues, but has been healthy recently and it appears her experience from the 2015 World Cup has earned her a spot.
But Long and Brian’s inclusion over McCall Zerboni is still an interesting one, given Zerboni appeared to be the clear choice as a like-for-like backup in the defensive midfield role behind starter Julie Ertz.
There are some real questions about the team’s depth at two vital positions: holding midfielder and fullback.
At the holding midfielder position, Ertz is entrenched as the team’s starter. The former center back is one of the USWNT’s most important players, providing the cover in a three-player midfield that allows the other two midfielders to get forward.
But what if Ertz gets injured or has to play center back should injuries strike at that position? Zerboni is the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement for Ertz in the player pool, but she was unexpectedly left off the roster. In Zerboni’s place come Long and Brian, accomplished players in their own right but not exactly true holding midfielders like Ertz and Zerboni.
Fullback is another position where the USWNT’s depth could be challenged after Ellis opted to leave Casey Short off the roster. Though Krieger is on board in Short’s place, the U.S. still only has two natural fullbacks on the roster – and only one of them will be starting.
Crystal Dunn will start out of position at left back, while the oft-injured Kelley O’Hara is at right back. Aside from O’Hara, Krieger is the only other natural fullback on the squad, with center backs Tierna Davidson and Emily Sonnett providing cover at left back and right back, respectively.
Ellis addressed her team’s fullback depth issues, saying: “We can play Tierna as a left back, I think Kelley has played left back probably more than Crystal in terms of the program and with her club team as well, so I think we have depth there.”