The 2019 SheBelieves Cup figures to be the best pre-World Cup test for the United States women’s national team, and Jill Ellis has accordingly announced a 23-woman roster that appears to be her current first-choice squad — save for injured starter Lindsey Horan — rather than an experimental group. Nonetheless, there are some surprise exclusions within this particular round of USWNT call-ups, which will convene ahead of a February 27th tournament-opening game against Japan. The Washington Spirit are represented by Rose Lavelle, Mallory Pugh, and Andi Sullivan.
Ellis has caught observers off-guard in the past, and this roster is no exception.