Andonovsky names 23-man squad for friendlies against Uzbekistan in April

Chicago (March 29, 2022) US women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovsky has named a 23-player roster for two friendlies in April against Uzbekistan. Twenty-one of these players currently play in women’s national soccer and two in Europe.

In the first-ever matches between the USA and Uzbekistan, the teams will meet on Saturday, April 9 at Lower.com Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (5:30 p.m. ET on FOX and Univision Networks) and then again on Tuesday, April 12 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania (7pm ET on ESPN2 and Univision Networks).

Andonovsky will select 18 players to match each of the two matches. 17 of the 23 players on this list helped the United States win the 2022 SheBelieves Cup in February.

“We have four matches left before the World Cup and Olympics qualifiers and it’s up to the players and staff to increase every minute we meet together on the field and in the boardroom,” Andonovsky said. “We have quite a few injuries in the pool of players we’re dealing with, but that also means more opportunities for other players and a chance to continue to deepen our roster as we continue to work to find the best pool of players to cash in for Mexico in July.”

List of US women’s national team friendlies in April by position (club, matches / goals):

Goalkeepers (3): Bella Bixby (Portland Thorns FC; 0), Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit; 0), Alyssa Neher (Chicago Red Stars; 79)

Defenders (7): Alana Cook (OL Reign; 7/0), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC; 77/0), Imani Dorsey (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 1/0), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville FC; 11/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 10/0), Naomi Germa (San Diego Wave FC; 0/0), Kelly O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 150/2)

Brokers (8): Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA; 108/25), Jaelin Howell (Racing Louisville FC; 4/0), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 69/18), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA; 15/5), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 36/5), Samantha Mewis (Kansas City Current; 83/24), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 5/0), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 25/2)

Attackers (5): Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 6/3), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars; 70/21), Margaret Pierce (NJ/New York Gotham FC; 12/2), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 13/1)

the tickets

Tickets for both games are on sale at https://www.ussoccer.com/schedule-tickets. Members of the Coaches Circle and Chiefs Circle who support the Football Development Fund can receive individual customer support and concierge services to meet their ticketing needs. click here or call [email protected] for more information.

Additional notes:

• The list includes only two players with 100 or more caps – defender Kelly O’Hara and midfielder Lindsey Horan – while five other players have played 69 or more caps.

• On the contrary, the roster includes 14 players with 15 caps or less including nine in the single digits.

• There are no first-time call-ups on the roster, but three players will be looking for their first international game: goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury (formerly Bledsoe), goalkeeper Bella Bixby and defender Naomi Germa, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft by San Diego Wave.

• Midfielder Lindsey Horan leads the scorers list with 25 international goals, followed by midfielder Samantha Mewes (24), striker Mallory Pugh (21) and midfielder Rose Lavelle (18).

• Striker Ashley Hatch has scored three times in her six matches, while midfielder/forward Catarina Macario has scored five goals in her 15 caps.

• On the list are five players born after the historic 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

• Uzbekistan, which gained its independence and became a country in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, will be the 55th different country to be played by the United States as women’s football continues to grow around the world.

• Uzbekistan ranks 48th in the world and 10th in Asia. Uzbekistan played in the Turkey Women’s Cup during the FIFA window in February, defeating Lithuania 1-0, falling to Ukraine 2-0 and drawing Venezuela, 0-0.

• The USWNT played nine games all the time in Columbus, Ohio, but all were at MAPFRE Stadium, the historic former home of the Columbus Crew team. This will be the USA’s first visit to the new, state-of-the-art Crew Stadium in downtown which recently hosted the US men’s national team World Cup qualifiers on January 27.

• This will be the eighth US visit to Subaru Park, the home of the Philadelphia Association of the Major League Soccer. USWNT’s last game came in Chester, Pennsylvania during the 2019 Shipleaves Cup.