2022 SheBelieves Cup: USA vs. Iceland - Lineup, Schedule & TV Channels

USWNT vs. Iceland – 2022 SheBelieves Cup, Presented by Visa
Date: February 23, 2022
Venue: Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas
Broadcast: ESPN2, PrendeTV
Broadcast Time: 8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET
Official Kickoff Time: 8:08 p.m. CT / 9:08 p.m. ET

 

Starting XI vs. Iceland: 18-Casey Murphy, 5-Kelley O’Hara (Capt.), 9-Mallory Pugh, 11-Sophia Smith, 12-Tierna Davidson, 13-Ashley Sanchez, 15-Alana Cook, 17-Andi Sullivan, 19-Emily Fox, 20-Catarina Macario, 22-Kristie Mewis

 

Available Subs: 1-Alyssa Naeher, 2-Trinity Rodman, 3-Lynn Williams, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 6-Morgan Gautrat, 7-Ashley Hatch, 8-Sofia Huerta, 10-Jaelin Howell, 14-Emily Sonnett, 16-Rose Lavelle, 21-Aubrey Kingsbury, 23-Margaret Purce

 

GAME NOTES | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW – ICELAND

 

• USWNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (including this match): O’Hara (150), Pugh (70), Davidson (48), K. Mewis (36), Sullivan (25), Macario (15), Smith (13), Fox (10), Cook (6), Sanchez (5), Murphy (4)

• The starting lineup against Iceland features four different players from the XI that started on Sunday against New Zealand and just two changes from the lineup that started the tournament opener vs. the Czech Republic.

• Five players – Alana Cook, Emily Fox, Andi Sullivan, Catarina Macario and Sophia Smith – have started all three matches for the USA this tournament.

• Averaging 25.40 years, this is the youngest starting lineup the USA has used this tournament and is the youngest XI ever to start for the USA at the SheBelieves Cup, surpassing the mark previously set in 2018 when the starting lineup vs. France averaged 25.48 years. The starting lineup vs. Iceland is the youngest starting lineup the USA has used in any match since April 5, 2018, when the USWNT’s lineup against Mexico averaged 25.2 years.
• Seven of the 11 starters for the USA are under the age of 25.

• The starting lineup averages 34 caps per player with O’Hara (150) by far the most experienced player in the Starting XI. Pugh, who will be earning her 70^th career cap, is the next-most capped player in this lineup and the only other starter with 50+ caps. Six players in this starting lineup have fewer than 20 caps – Macario (15), Smith (13), Fox (11), Cook (7), Sanchez (5) and Murphy (4).

• Defender Kelley O’Hara returns to the starting lineup and will captain the U.S. for the second time in three games and the third time overall in her career. O’Hara, who captained the side and played the full 90 minutes vs. Czech Republic on Feb. 17, will earn her 150^th career cap, becoming just the 24^th player in USWNT history to reach 150 international appearances.

• O’Hara has nearly three times as many caps as the rest of the starting back line and is the first and only player to appear in every edition of the SheBelieves Cup, having now played in the tournament every year since its inception in 2016.

• Goalkeeper Casey Murphy will earn her fourth cap as she makes her second start of the tournament for the USA, making one save vs. the Czech Republic on Feb. 17 while recording her second career shutout. The 25-year-old Murphy made her USWNT debut on Nov. 27 in the USA’s 3-0 win over Australia in Sydney, putting in a stellar eight-save performance as she became just the seventh goalkeeper in USWNT history to earn a clean sheet in her first cap.

• Mallory Pugh will earn her 70^th career cap as she makes her second start of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, becoming the 51^st player in USWNT history to reach 70 caps. After starting and playing 59 minutes vs. the Czech Republic on Feb. 17, Pugh came on in the second half vs. New Zealand and scored in second half stoppage time for was the 19^th international goal of her career. The goal was Pugh’s first for the USA in 871 days. Her most recent goal prior to her finish vs. the Football Ferns came on October 3, 2019 vs. Korea Republic.

• With 19 career international goals, Pugh is now the career scoring leader on this SheBelieves Cup roster. The 24-year-old needs just one more goal to reach 20 career goals and 20 career assists with the USWNT. 

• Sophia Smith will make her third consecutive start as she earns her 13^th overall for the USWNT. Smith helped created the opening goal in the USA’s 5-0 win over New Zealand, whipping in a dangerous cross that resulted in an own goal. Smith is the youngest player in this starting lineup at 21-years-of-age and has one goal and three assists in her previous 12 caps.

• Tierna Davidson will earn her 48^th cap as she makes her second start of the tournament and her 10^th start in the last 11 matches for the USA. Davidson came on at the half in the USA’s Feb. 20 win over New Zealand, snapping a streak of nine consecutive starts for the USWNT. Davidson leads the USA in total minutes played since the conclusion of the delayed Tokyo Olympics, playing 607 minutes since the start of the September FIFA window.

• Ashley Sanchez will make her second start in as many games for the USWNT as she earns her fifth career cap overall. The 22-year-old Sanchez made her first career start in the USA’s 5-0 win over New Zealand on Feb. 20, playing 66 minutes in the victory.

• Alana Cook will start her fifth consecutive match for the USWNT as she earns her seventh cap overall. The only player to play all 180 minutes for the USA through the first two games of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, Cook has played the full 90 minutes in each of her previous six caps, helping the USA to five clean sheets.

• Should she play the full 90 minutes against Iceland, Cook would become just the seventh USWNT outfield player to go the full 270 minutes at a single SheBelieves Cup, a feat previously done by Sauerbrunn (3x), Abby Dahlkemper (2x), Davidson, Julie Ertz, Morgan Gautrat and Alex Morgan (once each).

• Andi Sullivan will earn her 25^th cap as she starts for the eighth time in the USA’s last nine matches. Sullivan, who appeared in just one match in 2020, has played the full 90 minutes in four of her last seven caps for the USA. By comparison, in her first 17 caps, Sullivan only went the full 90 minutes on three occasions.

• Emily Fox will make her fifth consecutive start and earn her 11^th cap overall for the USWNT. Seven of Fox’s previous 10 career caps have come under Andonovski, including five appearances in 2021 and starts in each of the USA’s first two matches at the 2022 SheBelieves Cup. Since joining the USA roster for the October FIFA Window, Fox will have now appeared in the last seven matches for the USA. Davidson is the only other USA player to hold that distinction, though Becky Sauerbrunn could also join that group should she see time against Iceland.

• Catarina Macario will make her third consecutive start at this SheBelieves Cup and 15^th appearance overall for the USWNT. The 22-year-old Macario had three goals and one assist in her 12 appearances in 2021 and will have now started each of the last six matches for which she has been available for the USA.

• After starting and playing the full 90 minutes in the USA’s win over New Zealand on Feb. 20, Kristie Mewis will make her second consecutive start for the USA as she earns her 36^th career cap. The showing against the Football Ferns was the 10^th 90-minute game in her previous 35 caps, but just the third 90-minute showing since her return to the USWNT in late 2020. Mewis, who has the fourth-most caps of any player in this Starting XI, tallied a goal and an assist at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup, both coming against Argentina on the final match day of the tournament.