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The United States women’s national team (USWNT) will host Mexico in a pair of international friendlies, the first off which takes place Thursday night in Jacksonville, Fla. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
The match is a preview of what may come in October, when the two teams will be participating in the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship, the World Cup qualifying tournament for both nations.
It is also the first time the two teams will meet since February 2016, when they faced off during Olympic qualifiers in Frisco, Texas. After outshooting Mexico 16-2, the USWNT eked out a 1-0 victory in that match thanks to an 80th-minute goal by Carli Lloyd.
In all the USWNT holds a 32-1-1 record against Mexico. The one and only win Mexico has had over the U.S. occurred during was in the semifinal of Concacaf qualifying for the 2011 World Cup, causing the USWNT to take a more complicate route to the 2011 tournament, where they finished second to Japan.
Three Sky Blue FC players have been called into camp with their respective national teams. Lloyd and Savannah McCaskill are once again in camp with the USWNT, while teammate Katie Johnson is in camp with Mexico.
Kiana Palacios, taken by Sky Blue FC in the fourth round of the 2018 NWSL College Draft, and non-roster invitee Monica Flores, both of whom trained with Sky Blue during preseason but failed to make the official season roster, were also named to Mexico’s squad for the friendlies.
Missing from the USWNT roster is former Sky Blue FC defender Kelley O’Hara. U.S. Soccer announced on Sunday that O’Hara had been ruled out for the friendlies because of a hamstring strain picked up during a recent match with Utah Royals FC.
Defender and co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn, yet to make an appearance for the USWNT in 2018 after being sidelined by a foot injury, and Alex Morgan, who missed the Orlando Pride’s Week 2 match against the Washington Spirit due to NWSL concussion protocol, were named to the team’s roster.
Although Sauerbrunn is likely to make her 2018 international debut during the friendlies, it is uncertain whether Morgan will take the field, as Head Coach Jill Ellis will only be dressing 18 of the 23 players she called into camp for each friendly.
The USWNT will also be debuting their new 2018 light kits for the pair of friendlies. The U.S. men’s national team debuted the teams’ dark kits last month during their 1-0 win over Paraguay.
The USWNT will host Mexico on Thursday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The game will be televised on FS1 and UDN and will be streamed live on FoxSportsGo.
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; 26/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 16/0), Tierna Davidson (Stanford; 3/0), Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars; 3/0), Hailie Mace (UCLA: 0/0), Tegan McGrady (Stanford), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 135/0), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 14/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Brian (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 71/6), Haley Hanson (Houston Dash; 0/0), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 46/4), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 249/98); Allie Long (Seattle Reign FC; 34/6), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 9/0)
FORWARDS (7): Crystal Dunn (North Carolina Courage; 59/23), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 1/0), Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC; 3/0), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 137/81); Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 32/9), Megan Rapinoe(Seattle Reign; 132/35), Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 18/4)
Mexico Women’s National Team Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bianca Henninger (Houston Dash, USA), Cecilia Santiago (Club América) DEFENDERS (9): Kenti Robles (Atlético Madrid, ESP), Bianca Sierra (Thór / KA, ISL), Vanessa Flores (West Virginia, USA), Mónica Flores (Unattached), Annia Mejía (Unattached), Jocelyn Orejel (Colorado, USA), Marcela Valera (Atlas FC), Greta Espinoza (Levante, ESP), Christina Murillo (Chicago Red Stars Reserves, USA)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Karla Nieto (Pachuca), Cristina Ferral (Olympique de Marseille, FRA), Stephany Mayor (Thór / KA, ISL), Mónica Ocampo (Pachuca), María Sánchez (Santa Clara, USA)
FORWARDS (5): Ariana Calderón (Thór / KA, ISL), Anisa Guajardo (Sundsvalls DFF, SWE), Kiana Palacios (Unattached), Katie Johnson (Sky Blue FC, USA), Renae Cuéllar (Unattached)