U.S. national team coach Jill Ellis has called in 22 players for a pair friendlies against New Zealand, with Tobin Heath and Morgan Brian returning to the squad while Carli Lloyd sits out because of injury.
Heath returns to the U.S. squad for the first time since the SheBelieves Cup in March, having missed most of 2017 with a back injury. Brian also is back in the squad after injuries kept her sidelined from international duty since March, and playmaker Rose Lavelle has returned after missing the Tournament of Nations earlier this summer with a hamstring strain.
Lloyd, the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, has been omitted as she recovers from an ankle injury.