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Euro 2017

Monday Roundup: Sampson announces Lioness squad for EURO 2017

Steph Houghton, here against France, captained the first ever England side to beat the USWNT in the US

Also in today’s roundup, Reign sign defender Kristen McNabb, Scottish FA name Shelley Kerr to head coaching position, and USWNT fall to FC Dallas Academy U-15s in scrimmage

Lioness squad for EURO 2017 was announced three months prior to the start of the tournament (photo copyright EriMac Photo for The Equalizer)

Lioness squad for EURO 2017 was announced three months prior to the start of the tournament (photo copyright EriMac Photo for The Equalizer)

Today, head coach Mark Sampson named his 23-player roster for England ahead of the upcoming EURO 2017 championships this summer. England will kick off their EURO campaign on July 19 against Scotland. They will continue Group D play against Spain on July 23 and Portugal on July 27.

Nineteen of the spots feature players who were part of England’s historic bronze medal run at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. The remaining four, midfielders Millie Bright and Isobel Chriatiansen, forward Nikita Parris and defender Demi Stokes, will compete in their first major senior tournament as part of the Lionesses squad.

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Midfielder Fara Williams will be competing in her fourth EURO championship for England. She’s also the most capped player on the squad with 160 appearances. Alex Scott, Casey Stoney and Karen Carney all also have 100+ caps for their country.

This is the first federation competing in this summer’s EURO championships that has announced their roster, and the announcement comes more than three months before the tournament. Sampson believes that having a set roster this far in advance will only help the team grow and focus as they prepare for the tournament. “Having the next three months allows us to work together as a 23 and make sure that every day counts. The plans we have are really solid. We have a strong togetherness in this group and that will only grow as we get closer to the tournament,” he said in the FA’s official release.

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The Lionesses play their remaining two home games in preparation for the EUROs over the next week against Italy on Friday and later facing Austria on Monday April 10. Karen Bardsley, Jo Potter and Alex Scott, all part of the EURO roster, will miss this week’s friendlies and in their place, Birmingham City’s Jess Carter and Manchester City’s Mel Lawly have been added. Both players are receiving their first senior team call-ups.

Rachel Daly, embarking on her second season with the Houston Dash, was not named to the team.

See below for the full EURO 2017 England roster.

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Goalkeepers (3): Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Liverpool), Carly Telford (Notts County)
Defenders (8): Laura Bassett (Notts County), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Alex Greenwood (Liverpool), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Jo Potter (Notts County), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Casey Stoney (Liverpool)
Midfielders (6): Millie Bright (Chelsea), Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City), Jade Moore (Notts County), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Arsenal)
Forwards (6): Karen Carney (Chelsea), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Jodie Taylor (Arsenal), Ellen White (Birmingham City)

Seattle Reign sign defender Kristen McNabb

Reign sign Kristen McNabb less than two weeks ahead of the start of the NWSL season.

Reign sign Kristen McNabb less than two weeks ahead of the start of the NWSL season.

The Seattle Reign announced today the signing of defender Kristen McNabb who they selected with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft this past January.

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The New Jersey native appeared 89 times for the University of Virginia over four years, making 71 starts. She posted 13 goals and added three assists. McNabb also helped the Cavaliers secure a spot in the NCAA tournament in each season she played there, including an appearance in the National Championship game in 2014.

“I’m so excited to sign my first professional contract with the Reign,” she said in Seattle’s official release of the signing. “It’s truly a dream come true and I’m really looking forward to learning as much as I can from Laura, the coaching staff and all of the players.”

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McNabb has also spent time with the U.S. national teams at the youth level.

Shelley Kerr named head coach of the Scotland Women’s National Team

The Scottish FA announced that Shelley Kerr will become the new head coach of the Scotland Women’s national team this summer. She will be succeeding Anna Signeul who will step down after EURO 2017 this summer concluding a 12-year tenure at the helm of the team.

Kerr brings a wealth of experience to the position. She led the Scotland U-19 team to the UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship finals in 2010. From 2013 until 2014, she managed Arsenal Ladies and secured two consecutive FA Cups. She was also the first female manager in British men’s senior football as the head coach of Stirling University in 2014. Over a 20-year playing career, Kerr made 59 caps for Scotland and captained the squad on multiple occasions.

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Her first order of business will be the 2019 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which start only four weeks after the end of the EURO championships this summer. The qualifying draw will take place on April 25.

USWNT falls to FC Dallas U-15 academy in scrimmage

Jill Ellis listens to a question during her postgame conference at Red Bull Arena after the USWNT lost 1-0 to England. (MEG LINEHAN/Equalizer Soccer)

Jill Ellis and her team prepare for a pair of friendlies against Russia later this week (MEG LINEHAN/Equalizer Soccer)

The USWNT took on the FC Dallas U-15 academy team at SMU on Sunday night where they fell by a score of 5-2. Last year in preparation for Olympic qualifying, the USWNT found friendly competition in the FC Dallas Academy, too. Two players from the squad were invited to train with the USWNT on Saturday as they continue to prepare for a set of friendlies against Russia. The first match is set for Thursday in Frisco followed by a Sunday match in Houston.

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