Five Sky Blue FC players called into national team camps for June

On Tuesday both U.S. Soccer and Canada Soccer announced rosters for their upcoming camps and friendlies. The United States women’s national team (USWNT) will play China in a pair of friendlies scheduled for June 7 and 12, while Canada takes on Germany on June 10.

Carli Lloyd and Savannah McCaskill were both called into camp by USWNT head coach Jill Ellis, who was in attendance at Sky Blue’s May 19 home match against the North Carolina Courage.

Lloyd, who has won two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup in her 252 appearances for the USWNT, shares captain duties with defender Becky Sauerbrunn but wears the armband whenever on the field. Earlier this year Lloyd became just the sixth USWNT player to score 100 international goals when she scored the game-winning goal against Mexico on April 8.

McCaskill received her first call-up with the senior national team in January, the same month she earned her first cap at the senior level, and has been included in every camp since. She has since made five appearances for the USWNT and, with Mallory Pugh’s exclusion from the roster due to a recent injury sustained with the Washington Spirit, seems poised see that number increase.

Goalkeeper Casey Murphy, selected by Sky Blue with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft but currently playing for Montpellier HSC in France, was also called into camp with the U.S. for the first time at the senior level.

Previous reports stated that USWNT players would report to camp on June 1, meaning Lloyd and McCaskill will be unavailable for Sky Blue’s June 2 home match against the Utah Royals FC in addition to the June 8 match that falls inside the FIFA international window.

For Canada, forwards Janine Beckie and Adriana Leon were two of 20 players called into June camp by head coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller. Sky Blue FC goalkeeper and Canadian international Kailen Sheridan was left off the camp roster in favor of Erin McLeod and Steph Labbé. Sheridan will remain with Sky Blue and will be available for both their June 2 and June 8 matches.

The friendly against Germany will have a bit of an Olympic flair to it, as Germany is the reigning Olympic gold medalists and Canada the bronze. Although Leon was not a part of that 2016 Olympic squad, Beckie was, scoring in the 20th second of their group stage match against Australia for the fastest goal in Olympic women’s soccer history.

Also called in for national team duty is defender Rebekah Stott, who on May 16 was announced as being called into camp with New Zealand ahead of their June 10 friendly against Japan.

The full USWNT and Canada rosters are below.

UNITED STATES ROSTER BY POSITION

Goalkeepers (4): Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Casey Murphy (Montpellier HSC, FRA), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Abby Smith (Utah Royals FC)
Defenders (5): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage), Tierna Davidson (Stanford), Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars), Merritt Mathias (NC Courage), Margaret Purce (Portland Thorns FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC)
Midfielders (7): Morgan Brian (Olympique Lyon, FRA), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage), Allie Long (Seattle Reign FC), McCall Zerboni (NC Courage)
Forwards (7): Crystal Dunn (NC Courage), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Savannah McCaskill (Sky Blue FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC, SWE), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC), Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC)

CANADA ROSTER BY POSITION

Goalkeepers (2): Stephanie Labbe (Unattached), Erin McLeod (FF USV Jena, GER)
Defenders (8): Lindsay Agnew (Houston Dash), Kadeisha Buchanan (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA), Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash), Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), Rebecca Quinn (Washington Spirit), Emma Regan (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite), Shannon Woeller (FF USV Jena, GER), Shelina Zadorsky (Orlando Pride)
Midfielders (5): Jessie Fleming (UCLA), Julia Grosso (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite), Diana Matheson (Utah Royals FC), Sophie Schmidt (FFC Frankfurt), Desiree Scott (Utah Royals FC)
Forwards (5): Janine Beckie (Sky Blue FC), Adriana Leon (Sky Blue FC), Nichelle Prince (Houston Dash), Deanne Rose (University of Florida), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns)