Well, the annual USWNT crisis of faith is upon us after the month’s wobbly displays in Brazil. There have been promises of a bigger camp roster for January to try out some more faces before the Spring’s European friendlies and Algarve Cup. Whether they’ll be new faces or the crop of thirty-somethings that have fallen out of favor is up for debate.
Here are the twenty-four I’d pick. I’m keeping this down to players who haven’t gotten recent invites into camps.
GK – Bianca Henninger (Houston), Aubrey Bledsoe (SBFC), Jane Campbell (Stanford)
Weep for the future, I suppose. Every first-string American keeper in NWSL save Kelsey Wys with WNY last year has at least gotten a look, so it’s not like there’s much to choose from. Henninger and Bledsoe figure to start this season, and it’s clearly go time if either want to get the call to the USWNT proper. Jane Campbell’s the best collegiate keeper out there and is probably the best GK prospect since AD Franch. She’s also the only college player on this roster.
DEF – Kassey Kallman (Boston), Leigh Ann Robinson (FCKC), Stephanie Ochs (Houston), Lauren Barnes (Seattle), Kendall Fletcher (Seattle), Elli Reed (Seattle), Gina Lewandowski (FC Bayern)
This isn’t rocket science. Take the defenders from last year’s top two NWSL teams -> Profit. Add in Ochs as an upside longshot after playing at full-back last season, and Lewandowski, who should finally get a look after starting for one of the Frauen Bundesliga’s top teams.
MF – Vanessa DiBernardo (Chicago), Jen Buczkowski (FCKC), Jenna Richmond (FCKC), Erika Tymrak (FCKC), Becky Edwards (WNY), Keelin Winters (Seattle), Katy Freels (SBFC), Christine Nairn (Washington)
Here be defensive midfielders. Buczkowski, Edwards, Winters, and Richmond as a tweener. It’d be nice if Jill Ellis decided to play a defensive midfielder, but c’est la vie. Freels is the merit pick after a great 2014, while Tymrak and Nairn both have brief dalliances with the USWNT in the past, with DiBernardo potentially a breakout player in 2015.
FW – Sarah Hagen (FCKC), Jessica McDonald (Portland), Beverly Goebel (unattached), Lindsey Horan (PSG), Katie Stengel (FC Bayern), Kealia Ohai (Houston)
Hagen, Goebel, and Stengel are the target forwards, Horan and Ohai supply the pace, McDonald’s a little bit of both. Hagen and Horan obviously have a huge lead on a spot for the 2015 WWC roster, but only if injuries strike the main crew. Beverly Goebel’s next move after leaving Japan will be interesting. A return to Seattle could be a boon for both parties, but Goebel may have European suitors eager for her services.
Couldnt agree with you more on your selections! Unfortunately, I think it’ll be a cold day in heck before Jill Ellis and the USWNT coaching click will call some of these players into the mix. Personally I’ve succumb to the reality that we just simply do an awful job at player development and player scouting for many years now on the USWNT side. We accept the delusion that size, speed, and strength will continue to lead us back to our World Cup winning days of old. This delusion accompanied by subpar coaching ability as well as dismal tactical and technical proficiency of selected USWNT players has lead to other countries WNTs surpassing us in overall quality of play. And no, I don’t see it changing any time soon… Not until we completely wipe out (maybe not completely but it’s not far from a total cluster) the USWNT coaching staff and a good portion of the USWNT player pool (I guess in some instances the classification of “staff” and “player” are interchangeable bc you’d have to be a complete idiot if you didn’t think some of the current players have a STRONG influence on what occurs with the team… *cough* Tom *cough* Sermanni *cough*) will we begin to see some much needed change to USWNT. Heck just maybe if we do make such changes fans in America will finally be able to watch how real soccer is played. Continue the fight brother…
Very interesting. Thanks for doing this.
Personally, I might take Huerta over McDonald.
And I think Colaprico and Corboz probably will be better than Freels, but perhaps not by this camp.
No Brittany Taylor on D?
I really do like Ochs’ potential. It would be nice if she would latch on to a particular position, but I guess that’s not her call; she started at F on the right in the Australian final, left FB in Houston, MF in Washington — sometimes being a good athlete can be a hindrance in development.
I have read that the U-23 team will be involved in this camp, too. I would SO dearly love to be able to watch these scrimmages, to see how current college folks fare against NWSL players, etc.
Thanks again.
1. What exactly has Sofia Huerta done to even deserve consideration at USWNT level other than make a Mexican WNT roster?
2. Colaprico’s not the same kind of player as Freels, probably best as a winger at next level.
3. Nobody associated with the WNY Flash’s defense last year should be within a hundred miles of the USWNT.
Well, Huerta at the U-20 world cup in 2012, playing for Mexico, Huerta scored three goals in four games against Japan, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
That’s not too bad a performance.
Maybe I’m misremembering, but didn’t Huerta also score a couple of goals in Brazil with the senior Mexican team? She’s intriguing because she gets better and better. I don’t think she’s at the top of her game even yet. However, even with my bias for Huerta, I would like to see her get some pro experience before a senior team call up. My gut feeling is that she would then be great…
I think she did score a couple in the Brazil tournament. Plus, as I recall, when Mexico played the U.S. about a year ago Huerta, coming on as a substitute, was the only Mexican player who posed a threat to score.
There’s some sort of weird pro-Huerta campaign going on across the major woso blogs right now. I haven’t seen her play very much, but I still find it hard to believe she rates a senior national team call up at this point over many other candidates who have proven themselves at the pro level. I mean, she was third team all-American as a senior, and 17 goals as a senior is great but not astonishing. Not saying she can’t ever make it, but seems bizarre to say that she should be in the senior camp over Doniak, Horan, Hagen, Stengel, etc.
I dont want a team built out of players who’ve done stuff. I want a team built from the type players who fit the system I want to play. Huerta is a bit of a hybrid in that she fits the USSoccer profile for size, pace and physicality but she also makes good runs and can be technical on the ball. It isnt what she’s done but what the right coach can have her do that’s important.
“Jane Campbell’s the best collegiate keeper out there and is probably the best GK prospect since AD Franch. She’s also the only college player on this roster.”
Simply not true, except from a political standpoint that seems to find no fault in her play. She is not the top in any stats, has not lead her team to a Natty, and did not play during the U20 WC games. So how is she the best? Although a very good player, there are other keepers with better stats and presence in the goals who make the big saves when it counts. JC has had the benefit of a great defense in front of her which allow her pretty standard saves, and while she can make a great save and has some great hops, she tended to not move during many of the goals scored on her during NCAA tournament. There are a few other keepers, older and younger, who definitely deserve a look before her, or at least along with her.
So, how many national championships did Hope Solo lead her collegiate team to? Alyssa Naeher? Bianca Henninger? Aubrey Bledsoe?
And what exactly are the goalkeeping “stats” that delineate the great GKs from the not-so-great ones?
In terms of college players, Campbell’s probably not the best pure shot-blocker, but she may very well be the best with the ball at her feet and may have the best by-hand distribution. Those are great skills, if you want to possess and/or play out of the back.
I like the idea about giving Goebel a look. They need to recognize that quality teams arent built from all star selections but have a nice balance of stars and role players who do the little things. Goebel wont score enough goals to rate a look but she probably does every other thing a forward needs to do as well or better than the usual suspects.