Tag: Kealia Ohai:

Not That Bad: 5 Things the Dash Have Going For Them

Posted on by RJ Allen

We can all agree that the Houston Dash didn’t quite have things go their way this off-season. They lost some great international players to trade, ended up being shunned by Christen Press, and had their owner make some rather unfathomable choices for the club. It went so horribly that the women’s soccer media and NWSL fanbase seemed to give up on analyzing the decisions and defaulted to just pitying them. Yeah, it was that bad. And it still isn’t great by any means. But going into this international break, Houston can repeat this point of pride to themselves: “We are currently an undefeated team.” Sure, it’s only two draws, but that’s not nothing.

Everyone is still looking at them like winning a match will be a miracle. Analysts are plopping them at the bottom of their power rankings. Old southern women are practically ‘blessing their hearts.’ But this isn’t necessarily rock bottom for the club. And they shouldn’t be written off so easily. To paraphrase Monty Python, they’re not dead yet! So although things are bad, there are still some bright spots for the team looking forward into the season. Here are five of them:

1. Jane Campbell Is A Boss

One of the biggest takeaways from the first two games of the season is that Jane Campbell is a phenomenal goalkeeper. She has played on a new level for the start of this season, and brought a lot of stability for the Houston side. As a last line of defense, Houston can at least feel comfortable in the fact that they have Campbell. She comes up big when they need it. She is confident. And she is finding her rhythm in Houston, a fact that I am sure allows Vera Pauw to breathe a little easier. While a good keeper alone isn’t enough to make you the best team in the league, it sure is a start. If she can continue this trend, other US keepers are going to need to watch their backs.

2. Daly & Mewis Bring Creativity

When Rachel Daly was moved to fullback, I was seriously wondering what Houston was doing, especially since Kealia Ohai was still out on injury. But there has been  a certain level of magic created by the pairing of Daly and Kristie Mewis as Houston’s outside backs. They command the offense and set the pace for the team. They bring creativity up and down the pitch. And they are all over the field, aggressively going after the ball because they both have the speed to make it back on defense in time. The commentators of the Houston-Utah match called them two of the best in the league, provoking some snarky comments. But there’s something to it. Neither of them is a singularly phenomenal outside-back. But together—working as one unit, establishing a proper give and take for the team—they are a force to be reckoned with.

3. Pauw Has A Plan

It was clear from the first few games that Vera Pauw doesn’t particularly care what others may think of her team. She is coaching with purpose, and convincing her players to play with purpose. She understands that her team has weaknesses. She isn’t ignorant of that fact. But she is also able to see that this team has strengths. Every player brings a different skillset, and her job is to find how all those pieces fit. It’s still a work in progress, but one that she is working diligently at. She’s also been quite honest about where things stand, owning in her last post-match interview that her team wasn’t fully able to play to their strengths against Utah—that they still had some homework to do. But it looks as though Vera is willing to put in the work as long as the players are. No phoning it in from the Dutch leader.

4. The Return of Ohai

Houston hasn’t won a match yet this season. But they also haven’t had their greatest attacking threat on the pitch yet. Kealia Ohai, who is coming off of an injury, will be a welcomed sight. Although she only got to play 10 matches last season before tearing her ACL, in the 2016 season she recorded 11 goals and four assists in 20 matches. Even if her return to the pitch doesn’t immediately bring those kind of results, it will still be great news for the Dash, because even when Ohai isn’t on the ball, she is still going to pull the attention of defenders. That is something that Houston has been missing. With Ohai’s return, we’ll get a chance to see some new dynamics of the Houston team. They haven’t shown all of their cards just yet.

5. The Underestimation Factor

Everyone knows Houston is supposed to be bad this year. But in a funny way, that’s an advantage. When your opponents expect very little out of you, they tend to get complacent. And then they lose. Just ask the University of Virginia men’s basketball team—whose first game as the overall favorite in the NCAA March Madness Tournament against 16th seed University of Maryland, Baltimore County didn’t quite go to plan. When there isn’t a lot expected of you, opponents tend to sit back and allow things to happen. They allow the underdogs to set the pace—and then the underdogs have no choice but to seize opportunity when it comes. It is David and Goliath. It is the tortoise and the hare. It is USA vs Russia in the 1980 Olympics. Could it be Houston vs North Carolina or Portland? Maybe. The stage is surely set and primed to have it played out.

So in light of all this, I refuse to feel bad for Houston. And I will not do the team the disservice of pitying them. Instead I will root for them—to get better, to fight the good fight, to play to their strengths. Because this team isn’t a lost cause, and we should stop treating it like one. They have a lot of talent and a great coach in Vera Pauw to steer this team toward a season that could mean something for them. They have some positive aspects that they bring to the table. We need to stop only talking about the negative.

6 Takeaways from NWSL: Week 10

Posted on by RJ Allen

This week in the NWSL, we saw two teams start to pull away at the top, and a shakeup at the bottom of the table. There were comebacks, a rare straight red card, and a few (maybe unexpected) shutouts. With four midweek games to look forward to this week, here are our takeaways from Week Ten

Nadia Nadim Meets with TAPS Family after Washington vs. Portland – Jordan Small

After Saturday night’s loss to the Washington Spirit, Portland Thorns forward Nadia Nadim walked over to the side of the field to meet with a group of fans that had been escorted down onto the field. The group was from an organization called TAPS. The Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors, or TAPS for short, is a program that offers resources and services to those who have lost a loved one while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

A young lady who lost her father in Afghanistan presented Nadim with a bracelet following the match. Nadim, whose father was also killed in Afghanistan, took the time to talk with the family and take a few pictures. This was just another reminder that life is so much bigger than sport and that win or lose, a simple gesture such as a bracelet or a small conversation can have a greater impact on someone’s life.

Does Portland Have Too Much Star Power? – Jordan Small

Looking at the Portland Thorns roster, it is incredible to see the amount of talent that they have. As a team, they have combined for over 625 caps for six different national teams. Against the Washington Spirit, they had 62.7 percent of possession. What do they have to show for all of that? Getting shutout on the road for their second straight loss. Against a team that’s only just barely broken away from the bottom of the table over the past few weeks.

In 10 games this season, the Thorns have scored 12 goals while only giving up nine. Not bad all things considering. But when you look at the goals, three have come via the penalty spot and two were own goals. Sure they are scoring, but they aren’t creating many opportunities for themselves. Against Washington, Lindsey Horan, Allie Long, and Christine Sinclair were nonexistent on the field. Amandine Henry was subbed out at the half and won’t be around for much longer because of the upcoming EUROs. Is Tobin Heath coming back from injury the answer to this struggling Portland attack? I’m not so sure. But I do know that they are going to have to figure some things out if they want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot come September.

Dash Put it Together (at Least for One Week) – Luis Hernandez

As unlikely as it seemed, the Houston Dash bounced back from the four-goal drubbing at home to enact payback against the Orlando Pride this weekend, taking home three points on the road for their effort.  Head Coach Omar Morales made several key adjustments while taking advantage of the lackluster performance from Orlando. Perhaps the post-match comments from Carli Lloyd last week also lit something under her teammates as she took the field in just her second game back from the UK.

The Dash rolled out a new combination on the backline, the sixth different version of the season, to clamp down on the Orlando attack. Limiting the Pride to three shots on goal allowed Jane Campbell to bounce back for her second start of the season, a much better showing from the rookie even with the few shaky moments she had in the beginning of the match. As the Lifetime game of the week, Houston proved to the national audience which team wanted to win more. The result moves the Dash out of last place on the table and puts them in ninth, sitting just above the Boston Breakers, who they’ll host in their midweek game on Wednesday. Houston is positioned to give themselves some separation from the Boston while gaining confidence for the weekend showdown at FC Kansas City.

Missed Opportunity for FC Kansas City on the Road – Luis Hernandez

If you had told Vlatko Andonovski on Friday that his team was going to leave Seattle with a point on the road, he would have been happy. A point would have been a great result in the first of two road games for the Blues after already drawing against the Reign the week before. However, Seattle were left with just ten players on the field after Lauren Barnes was issued a straight red card in the 4’ for an armbar of striker Shea Groom. Kansas City took advantage of the imbalance early on, making Seattle pay in the sixteenth minute with a goal from Brittany Ratcliffe. However, FCKC couldn’t hold on to the lead, and the Blues leave the Emerald City dropping two points.

The draw keeps Kansas City one point behind Seattle, and barely keeps Orlando at bay. As FCKC go into the midweek match at Portland, they will have a challenge getting a result at Providence Park. If FCKC fail to make the playoffs, will they look back at this game as one of the reasons they miss the postseason, dropping two points when they had the clear advantage from almost the very start.

Sportsmanship – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

Living just over an hour outside of Chicago has its benefits, and one of those is the ability to schedule a trip down to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL, to catch matchups between the Chicago Red Stars (my “geographical” faves) and Sky Blue FC (my “absolute” faves). Last year’s trip down was actually my first live, in-person, soccer game ever, and it was an event to remember (and one that ended with a selfie with one of the greatest players of the game, Christie Pearce). This year I was looking forward to another good matchup, and the chance to see Kelley O’Hara play with her club team. She’d been on NT duty in 2016, and though I’d seen her play with them in Chicago and again in Minnesota late last year, club play is different, and brings out different sides of a player’s game.

Unfortunately, O’Hara didn’t play on Sunday, either suffering from a slight injury or being rested in anticipation of a midweek match-up against the Orlando Pride. But them’s the breaks and with any luck, I’ll get to see her play with Sky Blue at Toyota Park next summer.

The thing I noticed, though, that I want to call attention to, is just how much of a leader O’Hara is on and off the field. Sitting on the bench in trainers, she was coaching and offering tips to the younger members of the backline who were out there on the field. Before the game, during the slight break when Chicago’s GK Alyssa Naeher was down on the field and the Sky Blue players came to the sideline for some water, at the half, and so on, O’Hara was demonstrating how to defend against Chicago’s attack, reassuring her teammates, helping them out.

With the news that this year is almost certainly Christie Pearce’s final season with Sky Blue FC, it’s good to see that the backline and the team will have someone as focused on teaching and leading as playing. And most of all, for all the little girls and boys in the stands, for all the grown-ups in the stands, it’s an important and visual reminder that an athlete’s work doesn’t begin and end on the field, and isn’t simply the accumulation of their physical talents. How a player performs on the bench is maybe just as important as how they perform on the field.

And I just felt like this is a good moment to acknowledge that.

Tears and Tears – Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

We need to talk about ACL tears.

Obviously, we’re all tearing up about Kealia Ohai’s unfortunate injury over the weekend, or the fear that we’ll hear the same news from Danny Colaprico after she went down in Sunday’s game against Sky Blue FC. ACL tears are tearing up the league this season, and we need to talk about why that is.

Here’s the thing about this kind of injury.  It’s three times (3x) more likely to happen to a female soccer player than a male one. And this year, it’s taken down a number of players in our league (or former NWSL players), starting with Amy Rodriguez and Joanna Lohman over opening weekend, Kim Little over in the UK, and Yuri Kawamura. (Did I forget anyone?) And Diana Matheson, Cali Farquharson, and Kelsey Wys are all still in recovery for injuries suffered late last season or during off-season play.

It’s no secret that the focus in sports kinesiology and physical therapy is imbalanced, that most teaching, studies, and practical therapies and preventative techniques are based on the male body and the way the male body reacts to usage and stress of joints, ligaments, etc. But the male body is not the universal norm, and there needs to be more attention given to the physiological differences of female bodies to male ones, differences that don’t make women weaker or inferior, but ones that requires us to pivot differently, shift our weight differently, run differently, than our male counterparts.

And women’s teams (and leagues like the NWSL) need to make it a priority to find and work with trainers and therapists who understand the different needs and abilities of female athletes.

Who understand the science of playing like a girl.

Well, that’s what we took away from Week Ten as we head to a slew of Wednesday matches. Give us your biggest takeaway in the comments or let us know where you disagree with us. Until next time, fair readers.

Kealia Ohai to Miss Remainder of 2017 Season

Posted on by RJ Allen

The Houston Dash announced today that forward and captain Kealia Ohai suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Orlando Pride this past Saturday.

Ohai initially went down in the 67′ after trying to make a turn against Pride defender Ali Krieger, returning to the field after being checked over by Houston training staff. She went down again in the 74′ and had to be assisted off the field.

After a medical evaluation, Ohai was diagnosed with a Grade 3 ACL sprain and medial meniscus tear in her left knee.

“I am devastated but so excited to start my recovery and get back on the field,” Ohai said in a heartfelt post on Twitter.

Losing Ohai is a major blow for a struggling Houston team, who have three wins and seven losses on the season. Interim head coach Omar Morales had this to say about losing Ohai:

“The injury to Kealia is a big hit to the team, not only on the field but off the field due to the leader that she is. With her being the captain, you are losing a big piece of your team. We have to stay strong for her, push for her, win some games and build on the momentum from Saturday. We will keep her in mind because she has done so much for us this year.”

The Dash have confirmed that Ohai will be placed on the disabled list for the remainder of the season.

 

The Way I See It: Unsung Hero of the Week

Posted on by RJ Allen

In my new weekly series, I will be highlighting a player each week from the National Women’s Soccer League who was their respective team’s unsung hero, win or lose. A player who does the dirty work, does the little but important things in a game and someone who didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet but found other ways to contribute.

This week I’ve chosen Washington Spirit defender Estelle Johnson.

Johnson has been with the club since 2015 and has since become a crucial contributor not only to the backline, but to the team as a whole. In her two years, she has started 32 games out of 33 she appeared in. The 28-year-old was shown just how much she means to the Spirit when they signed her to a new contract in March of this year.

This past weekend, Washington played a hard-fought battle with Houston, ending in a 1-0 defeat. While some would see just another loss on the scoreboard, I saw a bounce back game from the team, and a quietly impressive performance from Johnson. She had the tall task of keeping three extremely dynamic players in check: Rachel Daly, Kealia Ohai, and Janine Beckie. Now, I’m not saying she was mistake-free, as Ohai did manage to grab a goal in the 28th minute for the win, but without a doubt Johnson was one of the biggest reasons her team stayed in the game for as long as they did. The goal certainly doesn’t take away the effort by Johnson.

Throughout the game, Johnson showed her veteran leadership by constantly communicating with her fellow defenders Shelina Zadorsky and Whitney Church in the suddenly-popular 3-5-2 formation. Her patience played a big role in dealing with the Houston attack, with one example coming in the 47th minute when Houston initiated a promising attack through Ohai, which was then squashed by one hell of a tackle from Johnson. It’s one thing just to track down Ohai, but Johnson did more, she closed down the window of opportunity and preventing her opponent from taking a shot or sending in service. Against a player like Ohai, getting beat occasionally is inevitable. Where Johnson shined was in her ability to make crucial recoveries down the right side, keeping the opponent contained while her team got organized.

Johnson also was working hard to get the ball for her team, forcing several turnovers throughout the game and earning key possession opportunities. A prime example of this came in the 52nd minute when Johnson managed to block a powerful shot by Daly just outside the eighteen. In doing so, Washington grabbed possession and stopped any serious momentum from Houston. Johnson was linking up well with her midfield, even taking the opportunity to get into the offensive third when she saw fit. She created a chance in the 62nd minute when she slotted a neat pass to Francisca Ordega who in turn found Arielle Ship which resulted in a corner for the Spirit. Creating out of the back is an underrated quality in this league and Johnson showed how good she was at it on the night. Washington had nine shots, with Johnson taking one of those. As a team, the Spirit put just one shot on target, showing that they’ll need all the help they can get from the back.

Johnson hustled all night and played one solid game in my opinion and while her team did lose (by a narrow margin at that), her individual performance shouldn’t be overlooked. Estelle Johnson is my unsung hero for Week 3 and if Washington want a chance at being near the top of the table come September, Johnson will need to play like this for much of the season.

Off the Bench with Backline Soccer: 2017, Week 1

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to our first installment of “Off the Bench,” the latest Backline Soccer weekly series.

Backline Soccer Recap:

This last week on Backline Soccer, we posted all ten of our 2017 NWSL team previews. If you haven’t yet read them, please visit our site to check them out and let us know what you think!

NWSL Week One Game Recaps:

What a great first weekend back for the NWSL we had! Let’s dive straight into a recap of the five matches we had this past weekend.

 

Game 1: Houston Dash 2 vs Chicago Red Stars 0

Houston Dash record: 1-0-0
Chicago Red Stars record: 0-1-0
Attendance : 4,484

First up, to kick off the 2017 NWSL season, the Houston Dash took on the Chicago Red Stars at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Kealia Ohai opened up the scoring giving the 2017 season its first goal in the 15th minute. Alyssa Naeher stuck to her line a little too long and Ohai made her pay. Then, in the 80′ minute, Rachel Daly sent a rocket past Naeher, for goal number two, and was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter for it!

 

Game 2: Portland Thorns 2 vs Orlando Pride 0

Portland Thorns record: 1-0-0
Orlando Pride record: 0-1-0
Attendance : 16,145

The first Lifetime Game of the Week started shortly after the Houston game, with the Portland Thorns taking on the Orlando Pride. It was a pretty even game for most of the match. The 24th minute saw a killer diving header from Ashlyn Harris to keep the Thorns from scoring but an unfortunate handball on Alanna Kennedy in the 32nd minute led to a converted PK by Nadia Nadim. Christine Sinclair netted home the final goal to seal the Thorns’ win in the 67th minute.

 

Game 3: Washington Spirit 0 vs North Carolina Courage 1

Washington Spirit record: 0-1-0
North Carolina Courage record: 1-0-0
Attendance : 2,400

Next up were the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage, in their inaugural match. McCall Zerboni scored the game’s lone goal–and the first in NC Courage history–in the 19th minute but it was Spirit goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé who put on a spectacular performance that kept the Courage from scoring any more after that. With one spectacular save after another, Labbé demonstrated to everyone just what an asset she will be for the Spirit this season. Unfortunately for the Spirit, Joanna Lohman went down in the first half with what was confirmed on Monday as a torn ACL in her left knee.

 

Game 4: Seattle Reign 1 vs Sky Blue FC 1

Seattle Reign record: 0-0-1
Sky Blue FC record: 0-0-1
Attendance : 3,521

The final match of the day was between the Seattle Reign and Sky Blue FC, which ended up being the game of PKs. A foul committed by a Sky Blue player saw Megan Rapinoe convert a PK in the 56nd minute. Then in the 62nd minute, a foul by a Reign player saw Sarah Killion bury a PK to level the game. Seattle Reign goalkeeper, Haley Kopmeyer, who had a player of the week worthy game as well on Saturday, almost stopped the PK taken by Killion.

 

Game 5: FC Kansas City 2 v. Boston Breakers 0

FC Kansas City record: 1-0-0
Boston Breakers record: 0-1-0
Attendance : 3,340

The final game of the first weekend back for the NWSL between FC Kansas City and the Boston Breakers saw the return of Amy Rodriguez and Sydney Leroux to the pitch after maternity leave. Leroux kicked off the party early with her first goal in over a year in the 7th minute. Amy Rodriguez decided she wanted to be part of the goal scoring party too and netted herself one in the 48th minute. Then in the 58th minute, we all held our breath as Rodriguez went down with a non-contact injury and was stretchered off shortly after. Official confirmation has not been given but it was reported to be the left leg which was then immobilized with a brace.

The weekend ended with the Dash, Thorns, Courage, and FCKC all taking home 3 points, while Sky Blue and the Reign each left with a point. Held winless and pointless in the first weekend were the Red Stars, Pride, Spirit, and Breakers.

The Scouting Report:

The Scouting Report went live last night with the first official NWSL weekly TSR recap of all NWSL games from the weekend. Make sure to tune in every Monday at 8pm EST to catch our weekly series!

You can find last night’s TSR here:

Come back next week for the next edition of Off the Bench!

Kickbacks: Five Things about the Roster for Russia

Posted on by RJ Allen

Earlier this morning, US Soccer released a 24-player roster in anticipation of the Women’s Team’s upcoming friendlies against Russia.

The two-leg set will open in Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX on April 6, and be followed-up with a match on April 9 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX, a homecoming game of sorts for Houston Dash players Morgan Brian, Kealia Ohai, Carli Lloyd, and 2017 draftee Jane Campbell.

Included in the roster are:

24-player roster of call-ups for April 2017 matches against Russia

As we look at the roster, some things are immediately apparent.

Keepers: No Hope Solo

Solo’s suspension from the USWNT concluded in February, and she is eligible again to be called into camp by Ellis. However, having undergone shoulder surgery in late 2016, the long-time US #1 is only partially through the rehabilitation process. Her absence on the roster could indicate that Jill Ellis and US Soccer really have moved on from Solo or that she is not yet cleared and ready to return. Ellis, on her part, has been mum about her intentions toward the goalkeeper even with Solo’s declaration that she wants and expects to return.

Alyssa Naeher (Chicago), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando), and Jane Campbell (Houston) have all been called back into camp for the friendlies. With Solo out of the picture right now, Harris and Naeher are neck-and-neck for the top spot at the moment, with Naeher probably having just the slightest edge over Harris after being named to the Rio roster while the Orlando Pride GK was relegated to the Alternates list. Campbell, on the other hand, seems to be in for a great period of mentorship under the two during the drive towards France in 2019, and it wouldn’t surprise us to see her slowly earning caps over the next two years. Will we see her take the field against Russia? Probably not as a starter, but I think it’s probably a good bet we see her take the pitch in the 46′ if the US has–as they should–built up a good lead.

The Backline: Allie Long, Midfielder, and Megan Oyster’s First Call-Up

Despite being played in the centerback position of Ellis’ experimental three-back backline, Allie Long (Portland) continues to be listed in the midfield on the released rosters. This could be because, say it with us now, Allie Long is a midfielder. She’s not comfortable in the backline–much less as being the pivot or anchor that stabilizes and directs the shape of the backline. Continuing to list her as a midfielder seems like a concession to those of us who don’t see a future for her in the three-back system.

In a related note, Megan Oyster (Boston) has been called into camp for the first time. Oyster is a consistent centerback who played that role for Washington until the recent off-season when she was traded to Boston. Oyster’s performance for Washington was fairly solid but she was benched when the Spirit suffered a bit of a lag in the 2016 season and then continued to sit when Ali Krieger and Shelina Zadorsky returned from national team duties in Rio. Oyster was a part of the starting XI in the Spirit’s failed bid for the NWSL championship last October, where she played centerback in a three-back that featured Krieger and Alyssa Kleiner (and sub Caprice Dydasco) on the wings.

What does Oyster’s call-up mean for the team? Could be a couple of different things. First, of course, it could represent a return to the four-player backline that held the US up throughout the 2015 road to their third Women’s World Cup. With Julie Johnston (soon to be Julie Ertz) out of the roster for her wedding and honeymoon, Oyster and Sauerbrunn could find themselves the center of a classic four-back formation.

Or, it could mean that Ellis’ experiment with Allie Long is finally over, and she’s exploring other options to anchor her three-back. Oyster did very well in that formation for the Spirit in 2016’s final match, with Ali Krieger on her right running up the wings to move the ball and even make some attacking moves. A three-back with, say, Krieger on the right, O’Hara on the left, and Oyster in the center? Now that’s something I’d really love to see.

Midfield: The Return of Rapinoe

When Megan Rapinoe (Seattle) was left off the roster for the 2017 She Believes Cup, there were people (including us) wondering if her career with the national team was over. Certainly it was in jeopardy after last year’s performance, where she failed to make an impact in her two games off-the-bench in Rio, as well as the few later friendlies in which she was rostered. And, of course, there was also the stir she made by supporting Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest during the National Anthem, taking a knee on the sidelines at a friendly against the Netherlands in September. With the official position of US Soccer made public earlier this month in a billboard announcement during a She Believes Cup match, it seemed as if Rapinoe’s absence had a bit of a sharp edge to it.

https://twitter.com/stuholden/status/838109929802063872

But, maybe we all assumed too much? Because Rapinoe is back, and just before the NWSL season where she’ll take the field for the Seattle Reign again too.

Forwards: Rodriguez Back, Still No Leroux

Amy Rodriguez (Kansas City) has been called back to the third consecutive camp of 2017 after taking time off in 2016 to give birth to her second son. Rodriguez was left off the final roster for the She Believes Cup in March, but this latest call-up would suggest that Jill Ellis isn’t counting her out at all as the team moves forward toward the next WWC cycle. Sydney Leroux (Kansas City), also out in 2016 for the birth of her first child, has been training hard with FCKC as well but hasn’t yet received a call-up to return to camp with the national team at this point. This is in no way to suggest that her international career is over either, of course. We fully expect to see her back in the USWNT lineup when she’s ready. Both, it needs to be noted, tallied a goal in FC Kansas City’s recent preseason match against Missouri Women’s Soccer, so there’s no doubt that both players are eager to lace up their boots and drive up their numbers.

One name that has made a return to the roster is Kealia Ohai (Houston). Ohai made her senior team debut just last fall, in a friendly against Switzerland at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. Ohai took the field in the 82′ and scored her first international goal just 48 seconds later, breaking a record set by Lynn Williams (North Carolina) set just days before (Williams’ goal was 49 seconds after she took the field for the first time in the 46′). Ohai’s breakout season with the Dash last year–scoring nine goals in seven games–earned her a look from Ellis and the senior team, and we anticipate that she will continue to find the back of the goal at both levels of play.

 

Ellis Names NWSL Heavy Roster for Switzerland Friendlies

Posted on by RJ Allen

Jill Ellis, head coach of the USWNT, has named her 24-person roster ahead of friendlies against Switzerland (October 19th at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, and October 23rd at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota).

And out of the 24 women called up, 11 players have yet to earn a cap with the senior team:  Jane Campbell, Danielle Colaprico, Lynn Williams, Kealia Ohai, Shea Groom, Andi Sullivan, Ashley Hatch, Casey Short,  Arin Gilliland, Merritt Mathias and Abby Dahlkemper.

18 players will dress for matches, meaning that several of those eleven players will earn their first caps with these matches. 

Notably absent are Meghan Klingenberg (D), Ali Krieger (D), Julie Johnston (D), Megan Rapinoe (M), and Alex Morgan (F). 

A full roster can be seen below. 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Stanford), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (Western New York Flash), Arin Gilliland (Chicago Red Stars), Merritt Mathias (Seattle Reign), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Danielle Colaprico (Chicago Red Stars), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Samantha Mewis (Western New York Flash), Andi Sullivan (Stanford)

FORWARDS (6): Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), Shea Groom (FC Kansas City), Ashley Hatch (BYU), Kealia Ohai (Houston Dash), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Lynn Williams (Western New York Flash)