One big question heading into the 2019 SheBelieves tournament was who would replace Lindsey Horan (out with a quad injury) in the central midfield. The answer seemed obvious to most – Sam Mewis – but instead, Jill Ellis spent most of the minutes experimenting with a central three of Julie Ertz, Mallory Pugh, and Rose Lavelle. The results didn’t provide any sort of good return on investment, and it opened up a whole slew of questions about the US midfield, particularly about a lack of depth (or a mismanagement thereof by the coaching staff).
Julie Ertz and the 6
On paper, defensive mid is easily the deepest position in the pool. McCall Zerboni, Allie Long, Morgan Brian, Andi Sullivan, and Danielle Colaprico have all typically plied their trade at the spot and have been on recent US rosters. However, Brian has been out of form, Long has struggled at the international level, and Colaprico was ruled out of this camp with an injury. Sullivan and Zerboni rode the bench.
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