The U.S. women's national team will be without a key midfield cog for the annual SheBelieves Cup tournament, which kicks off later this month.
A quadriceps injury has kept starter Lindsey Horan from Jill Ellis's 23-player squad, with the manager also electing to omit veteran midfielder Morgan Brian from the side that will face Women's World Cup-bound sides Japan, England and Brazil. All three sides are in the top 10 of the most recent FIFA world ranking, providing three stern tests as the preparations for France 2019 continue.
“The SheBelieves Cup is a positive event in many ways, but it’s extremely valuable to get three challenging games against World Cup-bound teams in a short time span that can simulate navigating through group play,” Ellis said in a statement.