Also in today’s roundup, the USA U-20’s name final roster for World Cup Qualifying, the NC Courage’s Sam Witteman goes abroad, and Sam Kerr continues collecting awards.
We're off to Spain! ✈️
Full squad and details of our upcoming trip to La Manga ?https://t.co/QwrWpHq7Om pic.twitter.com/1qtxjQARa6
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) January 10, 2018
The English FA announced today the full women’s 30-player roster in anticipation of a 10-day training camp in La Manga, Spain, starting this weekend. The squad, headed by interim coach Mo Marley, sees the return of the Houston Dash’s Rachel Daly, as well as Chelsea players Gilly Flaherty and Drew Spence.
In the FA’s press release, Marley iterated the importance of training early in the calendar year, especially for players on the bubble, saying “The camp will give us extra time to do some concentrated work on specific areas we have prioritised. After a well-earned break and time off in December, players will be ready to push on and prepare for the SheBelieves Cup, a tournament with outstanding teams where we will need to be at our best, and everyone will want to be a part of this. La Manga is crucial for our preparation and an ideal opportunity for players to compete for selection.”
Full roster below:
Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Liverpool), Mary Earps (Reading), Carly Telford (Chelsea).
Defenders: Gemma Bonner (Liverpool), Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Lyon), Jess Carter (Birmingham City), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Gilly Flaherty (Chelsea), Gabby George (Everton), Alex Greenwood (Liverpool), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jo Potter (Reading), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Drew Spence (Chelsea), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Reading), Leah Williamson (Arsenal).
Forwards: Karen Carney (Chelsea), Danielle Carter (Arsenal), Toni Duggan (Barcelona), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Melissa Lawley (Manchester City), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Jodie Taylor (Melbourne City), Ellen White (Birmingham City).
The USA U-20’s name CONCACAF Championship roster
The road to France and the 2018 U-20 @FIFAWWC goes through #CU20W.
Meet the squad » https://t.co/FzPkQOcx5W pic.twitter.com/XVUzBXTxuZ
— U.S. Soccer YNT (@ussoccer_ynt) January 10, 2018
The USWNT U-20 squad finalized their 20-player roster going into the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship tournament, to be held Jan 18-28 in Trinidad & Tobago. The Tournament will function as the world cup qualifying round for CONCACAF teams, with the top 3 squads in the tourney earning berths at the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup in France.
Head coach Jitka Klimkova highlighted the experience in the roster, saying “It’s a real positive that so many players have experience in qualifiers. That can help us a lot. They know what to expect, they know how difficult it is to travel to these CONCACAF countries and they know how challenging all these games will be. We know that CONCACAF teams are improving every year, we know that every game, every goal we score, every goal we allow and every yellow card we get will be important. These players are experienced in being prepared for every situation and that can help us qualify and win the tournament. Focusing on all those details will be really important.” The USA has won the last four CONCACAF Championships.
Full Roster:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Laurel Ivory (Virginia; Surfside, Fla.; 5/0), Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech; Jacksonville, Fla.; 2/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Tierna Davidson (Stanford; Menlo Park, Calif.; 6/0), Naomi Girma (California Thorns FC; 6/0; San Jose, Calif.), Tara McKeown (USC; Mission Viejo, Calif.; 11/0), Zoe Morse (Virginia; East Lansing, Mich.; 9/0), Kiara Pickett (Stanford; Santa Barbara, Calif.; 2/0), Isabel Rodriguez (Ohio State; Canton, Mich.; 8/0), Karina Rodriguez (UCLA; Torrance, Calif.; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Samantha Coffey (Boston College; Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; 7/1), Savannah DeMelo (USC; Bellflower, Calif.; 23/4), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.; 12/0), Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat; Durham, N.C.; 9/0), Viviana Villacorta (UCLA; Lawndale, Calif.; 10/1)
FORWARDS (6): Abigail Kim (California; Vashon, Wash.; 11/3), Civana Kuhlmann (Stanford; Littleton, Colo.; 12/8), Ashley Sanchez (UCLA; Monrovia, Calif.; 20/6), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.; 11/8), Taryn Torres (Virginia; Frisco, Texas; 3/1), Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara; Scottsdale, Ariz.; 8/2)
Sam Witteman signs 18 month contract with Dutch club PSV
Welkom bij de club Samantha Witteman!https://t.co/TAh9n12Dpk
— PSV (@PSV) January 10, 2018
It was announced today that North Carolina Courage defender Sam Witteman would be departing from the NWSL, and taking her game to the Netherlands where she would be joining Dutch side PSV. She’s the second American to join the squad, after Kim DeCesare, formerly of Sky Blue FC.
In PSV’s release, Witteman points towards wanting to improve her technical game as the main impetus for the move, saying “I am looking forward to playing here, football in the Netherlands is much more tactical and technical than in America. (…) In America football is very athletic and more focused on speed. That fits my explosive game. Here in the Netherlands I hope to improve on a technical and tactical level.”
Witteman was the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL draft, originally by the Orlando Pride before making her way to North Carolina.
Sam Kerr named December W-League Player of the Month
New Year, new award!
Congratulations to our very own @samkerr1! ???https://t.co/Nbg7uMqlzb#CREATEDESTINY— Perth Glory FC (@PerthGloryFC) January 10, 2018
Unsurprisingly, Sam Kerr’s strong run of form for both club and country has continued through the turn of the year, with the W-League naming her Player of the Month for December for her contributions to the Perth Glory. Kerr beat out the Newcastle Jet’s (and Chicago Red Stars’) Arin Gilliland for the honor, after scoring the winning goal against Western Sydney, and a second half hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Newcastle.
Kerr took the award in stride, saying “It’s obviously an honour to win this award with so many great players in the league and so many great performances throughout the month. I can’t thank my teammates at Glory enough. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this great team and am very proud to play for Glory.”
