Update — As of April 1, Casey Short and Kelley O’Hara have been removed from the original roster, and players have been added. View the updated roster.   Twenty NWSL players have been called up to the U.S. women’s national team’s preliminary roster for April’s friendlies vs. Mexico. Of the 22 players on the roster, head coach […]

Update — As of April 1, Casey Short and Kelley O’Hara have been removed from the original roster, and players have been added. View the updated roster.

Twenty NWSL players have been called up to the U.S. women’s national team’s preliminary roster for April’s friendlies vs. Mexico. Of the 22 players on the roster, head coach Jill Ellis will name 18 players for each of the two games. The first match will take place on Thursday, April 5, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida (7 p.m. ET, FS1 and UDN). The teams will then travel to Houston, Texas, on Sunday, April 8 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX). That game will be at BBVA Compass Stadium, home of the Houston Dash. Utah Royals FC defender Becky Sauerbrunn is back for the first time this year. She had been dealing with a stress reaction in her left foot. Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), the 2017 NWSL Rookie of the Year, is one of seven forwards on the roster. Hatch was called into the preliminary roster for the SheBelieves Cup, but did not make the final squad. Of the U.S. players that played in the SheBelieves Cup, forward Christen Press, Chicago Red Stars midfielder Julie Ertz and Washington Spirit defender Taylor Smith are not on this month’s list. Ertz has been dealing with an injury and played only limited minutes last month in the tournament. Also not yet back with the team are Portland Thorns FC midfielder Tobin Heath, Washington Spirit midfielder Rose Lavelle and North Carolina Courage midfielder Sam Mewis, who have been working their way back from injuries. Both Mexico and the United States will be taking part in the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup in October, which is the qualifying tournament for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position; Caps/Goals

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 2/0), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 14/0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 27/0) DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 17/0), Tierna Davidson (Stanford; 4/0), Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars; 4/0); Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 107/2), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 21/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC: 135/0), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 15/0) MIDFIELDERS (5): Morgan Brian (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 72/6), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 47/4), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 250/98), Allie Long (Seattle Reign FC; 35/6), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 9/0) FORWARDS (7): Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 60/23), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 1/0); Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC; 4/0), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 138/81), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 33/9), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 133/35), Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 19/4)