Lloyd and McCaskill Named to USWNT Roster For Upcoming Friendlies Against Mexico

U.S. Women's National Team head coach Jill Ellis has named 22 players to the preliminary roster for two upcoming friendlies against Mexico. Sky Blue FC players Carli Lloyd and Savannah McCaskill were included in the call-up. The games will take place on Thursday, April 5 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. (7 p.m. ET; FS1 & UDN) and on Sunday, April 8, at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston (12:30 p.m. CT; FOX). Ellis will name 18 players to dress for each of the contests.

The two matches will be a preview of a possible meeting in the Concacaf Women's World Cup qualifying tournament that will take place this fall. The competition will send the top three finishers to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, and the fourth will compete in a two-game playoff with the third-place team from South America.

Lloyd and McCaskill are two of twenty players that were featured on the USA roster for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup that took place earlier this month. The U.S. WNT won the four-team tournament the featured Germany, England and France.

Defender Becky Sauerbrunn makes her return to the roster after missing January training camp and the SheBelieves Cup due to a foot injury. Forward Ashley Hatch, the 2017 NWSL Rookie of the Year with the North Carolina Courage, is the other addition. Hatch was in the pre-SBC training camp but did not make the final roster.

Although the USA has faced Mexico 34 times in its history, the two squads have met just once in the past two and half years. That match occurred in February of 2016 during Olympic Qualifying in Frisco, and the U.S. WNT won 1-0 courtesy of a goal by Lloyd. Only seven of the 22 players on this roster played against Mexico during that match. The last friendly between these countries took place on May 17, 2015, in a Women’s World Cup warm-up match. The USA earned a 5-1 victory in Carson, Calif. after being tied 1-1 at halftime.

In 34 contests, Mexico has defeated the USA once and drawn once. The victory came in the semifinal of Concacaf Qualifying for the 2011 Women’s World Cup, a 2-1 result in Cancun, Mexico. The setback forced the U.S. to win the tournament’s third-place match and then a two-leg playoff with Italy to qualify for the Women’s World Cup in Germany.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position; Caps/Goals

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 2/0), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 14/0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 27/0)

DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 17/0), Tierna Davidson (Stanford; 4/0), Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars; 4/0); Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 107/2), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 21/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC: 135/0), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 15/0)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Morgan Brian (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 72/6), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 47/4), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 250/98), Allie Long (Seattle Reign FC; 35/6), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 9/0)

FORWARDS (7): Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 60/23), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 1/0); Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC; 4/0), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 138/81), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 33/9), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 133/35), Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 19/4)