The United States women’s national team will miss one of its biggest stars for the upcoming annual SheBelieves Cup. Forward Sophia Smith, who became the youngest player ever to win NWSL MVP last fall and was recently voted U.S. Soccer Female Player of Year, is still nursing a foot injury and won’t play in the Americans’ upcoming three matches against Canada, Japan and Brazil.
The Portland Thorns striker, who helped lead her club to the 2022 NWSL championship, is not expected to be in jeopardy of missing out on what would be her first World Cup this summer. U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said Wednesday that Smith is in “return to play protocol,” has been back on the field running, and should be healthy for the team’s next camp in April.
“I think if we rushed it a little bit we could have gotten some minutes from her, but I didn’t feel like this was a situation where we rushed to get her back,” Andonovski said. “Our goal is not just to get her back, but to stay back and that’s why she’s not in this camp.”
The more immediate good news is that Vlatko Andonovski’s 23-player roster includes winger Megan Rapinoe (ankle), who is back after missing the team’s January trip to New Zealand. She will have a chance to hit 200 caps during the three-game tournament, as she’s currently sitting on 197.
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And while she’s not technically taking up a roster spot, defender Tierna Davidson will train with the team during the first SheBelieves stretch in Orlando as she continues to recover from a torn ACL that kept her out of the 2022 NWSL season. Her impending return to training is a positive sign for the USWNT’s back line. This will be Davidson’s first call up for the national team since last year’s SheBelieves Cup, where she played in all three games before her injury in March 2022.
The SheBelieves Cup runs from Feb. 16-22 in three different cities. The USWNT faces Canada at Exploria Stadium in Orlando on Feb. 16, Japan at GEODIS Park in Nashville on Feb. 19, and then Brazil at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Feb. 22.
All four nations have qualified for the World Cup and are ranked in FIFA’s top 11 world rankings, with the U.S. coming in at No. 1.
“All three of these matches are great opportunities for the players and coaches as we enter the final stretch to choose the World Cup roster,” Andonovski said in an earlier statement. “To get to play three top teams, all who are in the World Cup, over seven days, will test our team mentally and physically, and that’s exactly what we need at this point in our preparations. We still have a few players in the pool recovering from injuries, but we are confident that they will be ready for selection for our April matches.”
In addition to Smith, Andonovski listed quite a few familiar names that could be available in April. Kelley O’Hara (hip), Tobin Heath (knee), Christen Press (ACL) and Catarina Macario (ACL) are also in return to play protocol and could contend for World Cup roster spots.
Macario, who has 17 caps for the national team and was on the 2020 Olympics team, tore her ACL playing for French club Lyon last spring. She’s a rising star within the USWNT and became a regular starter before her injury. Andonovski said Tuesday that she’s close to returning to play, and he expects her to start training with Lyon sometime in March.
Big-name players who are unlikely to return in time for the World Cup this summer include Sam Mewis, who announced on social media this week that she has undergone a second knee surgery, and Julie Ertz, who had a baby in August. Andonovski noted that Ertz has yet to commit to a NWSL club team for this season and “the time is running out for her and she’s someone that we’re probably not going to be able to count on in the World Cup.”
“This is something that we have planned for,” Andonovski added. “And this is why we’ve tried different names and different players, and we’re going to continue trying in this camp until we’ve solidified the players that we believe will give us the best chance to be successful.”
With so many players who could legitimately play for the U.S. at the World Cup this summer still working back from injuries, Andonovski said that the SheBelieves Cup will not be a true indicator of what the team will look like in five months.
“I know we’re going to try different things and test different combinations of players and I’m sure the same thing will happen with the teams we’re going to face,” Andonovski said. “It will show the exact level of where the teams are at [now]. A simple thing could be players that are missing, where someone like Sophia Smith or Catarina Macario, those are big players. Obviously we would love to have them in camp but at the same time we’re excited that we can try other players in those positions and prepare for something [potential injuries during the World Cup] like this.”
The U.S. is coming off a successful trip to New Zealand last month, which featured two wins over the World Cup co-host Football Ferns. The Americans played those matches at Sky Stadium in Wellington and Eden Park in Auckland, two venues it will play in during the group stage of the World Cup.
This summer’s World Cup begins July 20 with the final slated for Aug. 20, and will be held across nine different cities in New Zealand and Australia. The USWNT was drawn into Group E with Vietnam, the Netherland, and the winner of a Cameroon-Thailand-Portugal playoff that will be determined this month.
The Americans play all three group games in New Zealand, with its first against Vietnam at Eden Park on July 22. It faces the Netherlands on July 27 and the playoff-winner on Aug. 1.
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch (Kansas City Current; 10), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 12), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 87)
DEFENDERS (7): Alana Cook (OL Reign; 21/0), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage; 24/0), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 128/24), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 12/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 27/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 212/0), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign; 70/1)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 123/26), Taylor Kornieck (San Diego Wave FC; 9/2), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 86/24), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 47/7), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 19/3), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 39/3)
FORWARDS (7): Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 15/5), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC; 201/120), Midge Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 22/4), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 197/63), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 12/2), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars; 84/28), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 49/15)
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