Date: Jan. 22, 2021
Venue: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
Broadcast: ESPN2
Broadcast Time: 7 p.m. ET
Starting XI vs. Colombia: 24-Jane Campbell; 14-Emily Sonnett, 12-Tierna Davidson, 28-Alana Cook, 11-Ali Krieger; 8-Julie Ertz, 3-Samantha Mewis, 16-Rose Lavelle; 15-Megan Rapinoe (Capt.), 29-Catarina Macario, 6-Lynn Williams
Available Subs: 9-Lindsey Horan, 10-Carli Lloyd, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 19-Crystal Dunn, 22-Kristie Mewis, 23-Margaret Purce, 27-Emily Fox
Not Dressing: Aubrey Bledsoe, Abby Dahlkemper, Jaelin Howell, Alyssa Naeher, Kelley O’Hara, Mallory Pugh (inj.), Becky Sauerbrunn, Sophia Smith (inj.), Andi Sullivan (inj.)
Game Notes
U.S. WNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (including this match): Megan Rapinoe (170), Ali Krieger (108), Julie Ertz (105), Samantha Mewis (70), Rose Lavelle (48), Emily Sonnett (48), Lynn Williams (31), Tierna Davidson (27), Jane Campbell (4), Alana Cook (2), Catarina Macario (2)
Friday’s starting lineup has seven changes from Monday’s match against Colombia: Campbell for Naeher in goal, an entirely new backline with Sonnett, Cook, Davidson and Sonnett replacing Dunn, Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper and O’Hara in the back, Lavelle for Horan in the midfield and Macario for Lloyd up top.
The average caps (including this match) for Friday’s Starting XI is 56, with as many players in the starting lineup with single-digit caps (3 – Campbell, Cook, Davidson) as players with 100+ caps (3 – Rapinoe, Krieger, Ertz). The average caps for Monday’s Starting XI was 118 caps with every player in starting lineup having at least 30 caps and six players with over 100 caps.
Goalkeeper Jane Campbell will be making her second career start and her fourth career appearance for the USWNT. Campbell’s most recent action for the USA came in a start against Mexico on April 8, 2018, during which she played 67 minutes, faced six shots and allowed two goals Her first two caps came in 2017 as a substitute.
Ali Krieger is set to earn her 108th cap and will be making her first appearance for the USA since the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying final against Canada, where she started and played the full 90 minutes. Krieger – who captains the NWSL’s Orlando Pride – has played against Colombia five times previously, including the 2-2 draw during the 2016 Olympic Group Stage.
Defender Alana Cook will be earning her second cap and making her second career start. Cook made her USWNT debut in 2019 vs. Costa Rica, playing the full 90 minutes in Vlatko Andonovski’s second match. Cook and Margaret Purce, who was also capped that match, were the first players to earn their first caps from Andonovski.
Tierna Davidson is set to earn her 27th cap and will be making her first start of the USWNT since March 11, 2020, when she started and played the first half in the USA’s 3-1 over Japan during the 2020 SheBelieves Cup. That game marked Davidson’s lone appearance in 2020 as she was not available for selection for the Olympic Qualifying tournament while recovering from an ankle injury.
Emily Sonnett will earn her 48th career cap tonight and make 27th career start. Sonnett saw time in six of the USA’s nine games in 2020 – including starts against Panama, Costa Rica, Canada and Spain – and saw 18 minutes of action in Monday’s victory over Colombia.
Julie Ertz will be making her 105th appearance for the USA. Ertz earned her 100th cap on March 5 vs. England at Exploria Stadium in the first match of the 2020 SheBelieves Cup and has 20 international goals, the 29th American female to hit that mark. She has gone the full 90 minutes in her last seven appearances for the USWNT.
Voted the 2020 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, Samantha Mewis hit the ground running to open 2021, scoring her first career hat trick in the 4-0 win on Jan. 18 over Colombia. She scored the first three goals of the game for a true hat trick. Mewis will earn her 70th cap tonight and currently has 21 goals, becoming the 30th USWNT player to reach the 20-goal mark on Monday night.
Rose Lavelle is set to earn her 48th cap and will make her 39th career start. Lavelle has 13 goals through 47 appearances with the USWNT, the most recent coming off a brilliant strike in the first half of the USA’s 2-0 win over the Netherlands on Nov. 27, 2020.
Megan Rapinoe will earn her 170th cap and marked her return to the U.S. roster by assisting Samantha Mewis’ opening goal on Monday night, which marked the 68th assist of her international career. Rapinoe finished second on the team with 5 assists in 2020.
Catarina Macario is set to make her first career start and second appearance overall for the USWNT. Macario made her USWNT debut on Monday night, subbing on for Megan Rapinoe at the half.
Macario, Davidson and Cook – along with Andi Sullivan who is not available tonight due to injury – were all members of the Stanford side that won an NCAA Championship on this field in 2017. Sullivan scored and Macario tallied two assists in the Cardinal’s 3-2 win over Pac-12 rival UCLA.
Lynn Williams earns her 31st cap tonight and will be making her third consecutive start. Including tonight’s match, Williams will have appeared in 12 of the last 13 matches for the USWNT and led the U.S. team in assists in 2020 with six to goal along with three goals.
