Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 46
Shutouts: 25
The primary starter since late 2016, Hope Solo’s former understudy will start in a major tournament for the first time and attempt to step out of her predecessor’s large shadow. She is a solid shot-blocker and good with her feet, allowing the team to initiate attacks from the back.
No. 4 Becky Sauerbrunn
Defender
Age: 34
Hometown: St. Louis
College: Virginia
Club: Utah Royals
Caps: 158
Goals: 0
Though she does not receive the same attention as several teammates, Sauerbrunn is the key figure on the back line because of leadership, coolness under pressure and intelligence. The understated center back played every minute at the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.
No. 7 Abby Dahlkemper
Defender
Age: 26
Hometown: Menlo Park, Calif.
College: UCLA
Club: North Carolina Courage
Caps: 40
Goals: 0
Untested in major tournaments, Dahlkemper will complement Sauerbrunn in central defense by providing a physical and aerial dimension. Her seamless emergence in 2017 allowed Julie Ertz, a 2015 World Cup starter, to transition into a defensive midfielder and solidify the U.S. resistance.
No. 5 Kelley O’Hara
Defender
Age: 30
Hometown: Fayetteville, Ga.
College: Stanford
Club: Utah Royals
Caps: 118
Goals: 2
Adept on both corners of the back line, O’Hara is the first-choice right back — when she is healthy. Ankle surgery in the fall sidelined her for several months, and concerns about her readiness for the World Cup carried into the spring. She did, however, play every minute of the last three tuneups.
No. 19 Crystal Dunn
Defender
Age: 26
Hometown: Rockville Centre, N.Y.
College: North Carolina
Club: North Carolina Courage
Caps: 85
Goals: 24
Dunn is a natural attacker — she led the domestic National Women’s Soccer League in scoring in 2015 and continues to play in advanced positions for the Courage — but was converted into a left back for the national team. She was one of the last players cut from the World Cup squad but went to the Olympics the next year.
No. 8 Julie Ertz
Midfielder
Age: 27
Hometown: Mesa, Ariz.
College: Santa Clara
Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 82
Goals: 18
Since the 2015 championship, she has changed her name (nee Johnston) and position (formerly a center back). Once a bruising defender, she has had to become more nuanced in balancing ball-winning and distribution while maintaining aerial superiority, especially on set pieces.
No. 16 Rose Lavelle
Midfielder
Age: 24
Hometown: Cincinnati
College: Wisconsin
Club: Washington Spirit
Caps: 27
Goals: 7
Lavelle has risen quickly on the senior squad, securing a regular supply of starting assignments with her one-on-one dribbling ability, vision and passing touch. Injuries have slowed her the past two years, however, and the demands of a major tournament will test her endurance.
No. 9 Lindsey Horan
Midfielder
Age: 25
Hometown: Golden, Colo.
College: none
Club: Portland Thorns
Caps: 68
Goals: 8
Confident in possession and capable of scoring from distance, Horan will run the show from a central spot. She was the first prominent U.S. player to skip college altogether to sign overseas: She played 3½ seasons with Paris Saint-Germain before joining the NWSL in 2016. She was the 2018 MVP.
No. 13 Alex Morgan
Forward
Age: 29
Hometown: Diamond Bar, Calif.
College: California
Club: Orlando Pride
Caps: 163
Goals: 101
Morgan has been on magazine covers and at the forefront of marketing campaigns, and now the center forward is on the spot to score on the biggest stage. She was slowed by injury entering the 2015 tournament, but with 28 goals in her past 36 appearances, she is primed to lead the charge.
No. 15 Megan Rapinoe
Forward
Age: 33
Hometown: Redding, Calif.
College: Portland
Club: Reign FC (Tacoma, Wash.)
Caps: 153
Goals: 44
Like Morgan, Rapinoe will begin the competition in prime form. From the left wing, she influences matches with commanding runs and threatening crosses. She is sixth on the program’s assists chart (57), but among the leaders in that category, she is second in assists per game.
No. 17 Tobin Heath
Forward
Age: 31
Hometown: Basking Ridge, N.J.
College: North Carolina
Club: Portland Thorns
Caps: 150
Goals: 30
Inventive and unpredictable, a facilitator and finisher, the right wing raises the entertainment value and adds a clever element to the high-powered attack. She has scored eight goals in her past 12 appearances, including strikes in consecutive games against contenders England, Brazil and Australia.
Reserves
No. 18 Ashlyn Harris
Goalkeeper
Age: 33
Hometown: Satellite Beach, Fla.
College: North Carolina
Club: Orlando Pride
Caps: 14
Shutouts: 5
The former Washington Freedom and Spirit keeper is ready in case Naeher is injured, red-carded or falls out of form.
No. 21 Adrianna Franch
Goalkeeper
Age: 28
Hometown: Salina, Kan.
College: Oklahoma State
Club: Portland Thorns
Caps: 1
Shutouts: 0
NWSL’s goalkeeper of the year in 2017-18 is poised to climb the depth chart for the 2020 Olympics and 2023 World Cup.
No. 11 Ali Krieger
Defender
Age: 34
Hometown: Dumfries, Va.
College: Penn State
Club: Orlando Pride
Caps: 100
Goals: 1
A starter at right back in 2011 and 2015, she fell out of favor in recent years before being recalled this spring.
No. 14 Emily Sonnett
Defender
Age: 25
Hometown: Marietta, Ga.
College: Virginia
Club: Portland Thorns
Caps: 33
Goals: 0
The part-time starter for three years will join Krieger in providing cover at right back and offer help elsewhere.
No. 12 Tierna Davidson
Defender
Age: 20
Hometown: Menlo Park, Calif.
College: Stanford
Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 20
Goals: 1
The youngest member of the squad left Stanford a year early and was chosen first in the NWSL draft.
No. 3 Samantha Mewis
Midfielder
Age: 26
Hometown: Hanson, Mass.
College: UCLA
Club: North Carolina Courage
Caps: 50
Goals: 12
Don’t be surprised if Mewis (three goals in past three matches, four in 2019) ends up starting multiple matches.
No. 6 Morgan Brian
Midfielder
Age: 26
Hometown: St. Simons Island, Ga.
College: Virginia
Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 82
Goals: 6
A key figure in 2015, Brian fell out of favor and struggled with injuries before receiving a surprise invitation to France.
No. 20 Allie Long
Midfielder
Age: 31
Hometown: Northport, N.Y.
College: North Carolina
Club: Reign FC
Caps: 45
Goals: 6
Long didn’t make her national team debut until she was almost 27, but she has added depth in multiple positions.
No. 10 Carli Lloyd
Forward
Age: 36
Hometown: Delran, N.J.
College: Rutgers
Club: Sky Blue FC (northern New Jersey)
Caps: 274
Goals: 110
Although the hat-trick hero of the 2015 World Cup final is no longer a full-time starter, she continues to influence the game.
No. 2 Mallory Pugh
Forward
Age: 21
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colo.
College: none
Club: Washington Spirit
Caps: 53
Goals: 16
An exciting winger who bypassed college soccer to join the NWSL, Pugh possesses the capacity to increase tempo and change games.
No. 23 Christen Press
Forward
Age: 30
Hometown: Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
College: Stanford
Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 116
Goals: 48
Press has had a hard time cracking the starting lineup, but with an inventory of attacking qualities, she will play regularly.
No. 22 Jessica McDonald
Forward
Age: 31
Hometown: Phoenix
College: North Carolina
Club: North Carolina Courage
Caps: 7
Goals: 2
With a physical presence and a history of scoring in the NWSL, McDonald could see time in the second half of matches.
