The next time United States women’s national team coach Jill Ellis convenes with her team, she will more than likely be down to the 23 players that will go to France for the World Cup. There won’t be too many surprises, and changes are allowed right up until the eve of a team’s opening match. But after nearly three years of tinkering, it is getting to be time for Ellis to make the toughest of decisions.
In doing my personal sweep of the roster, I came up with 16 locks, three who just need to be healthy, and a bunch of bubble players. Injury was only taken into account for players currently carrying a known injury. Below is how I see it. (Players are listed alphabetically within each section.) How do you see the U.S. roster shaking out before France? Tweet us @EqualizerSoccer or me @TheDanLauletta.
Stone cold locks (16)
Abby Dahlkemper: Her rise from 2015 rookie to national-team starter bordered meteoric. Even as her form has taken some dips over the last year or more, there has been little doubt for some time now that Dahlkemper would be on the World Cup team. And she looks to be the frontrunner to partner Sauerbrunn in central defense.
Tierna Davidson: The Chicago Red Stars rookie-to-be has become something of a jack-of-all-trades on the back line recently. Before getting hurt playing for Stanford last fall, it looked like Davidson was on her way to being a starter. That seems less likely now, but she’ll have a French stamp on her passport come June.
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