On Thursday, about five weeks before the FIFA Women’s World Cup begins, U.S. national team Coach Jill Ellis will name the 23 players she plans to take to France.
Most of her selections have been set in stone for months, players such as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn and many others who have remained in the mix since the 2015 championship or have figured into Ellis’s plans the past two years.
That, however, does not mean there will not be a few surprises when the roster is unveiled around 1 p.m. ET.
According to people familiar with the choices, two experienced players who seemed on the outside looking in for a long time have made the cut: midfielder Morgan Brian and defender Ali Krieger.