Ellis' Chosen 23
On the tough decision she faced selecting the 23 players:
“I think it was narrowing down the last two spots. I feel we have great balance at positions, so it was a bit of a luxury for players that can help us. I think both players I let go, both did tremendously and it was a tough decision for me.”
On her decision to select U.S. WNT midfielder Shannon Boxx:
“She’s been remarkable, from where we were in last October when she came for qualifying to now. Physically she’s been tremendous and she’s turned it around. She played 90 minutes against New Zealand in our closed-door game and did very, very well. I think the experience, the coverage in the center of the midfield, and knowing what kind of role I would use her in, I think for me it just made sense.”
On the confidence this talented field of forwards provides:
“Extremely confident, we’re so diverse. We can play behind, we can play in front and they all got tremendous assets and great experience. We’re stacked at the position; I feel really good. We have proven goal scorers, great options and it’s certainly one of our strengths.”
On what makes this team a success:
“It’s a combination of things. The pure talent on this team, we’re very talented and technical with great athleticism, so I think there’s balance there. It’s always the intangibles with the U.S. I think our mentality, our determination. There’s certainly a tremendous amount of desire in this group. I think just how we play and the tools and the depth we have in our positions. We’re going to need a lot of bodies in Canada with the heat and I think over the past six, seven months, we’ve been able to play a lot of players and give the players experience. I truly feel we’ve vetted the players and I feel confident and excited about the group we have.”
On managing Abby Wambach, whether she would be a starter or come in as a sub:
“We’ve used her in both capacities. It’s pretty formidable to bring Abby into our game. She’s a proven entity in a starting role. Having that luxury and knowing that Abby is a complete professional who always puts the team first gives me confidence that she’ll be there for us on the field, off the field, starting, coming in; she’s a proven winner and a clutch player and I won’t lose sight of that.”