USWNT roster ahead of its friendly against the Netherlands on Nov. 27

Topics: USWNT, Netherlands, International Friendly, Alex Morgan, Catarina Macario, Becky Sauerbrunn, Tobin Heath, Christen Press, Kelley O'Hara, Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Sophia Smith, Aubrey Bledsoe

Alex Morgan returns to the USWNT roster, joining a mix of players who play in European Leagues and the United States.

The U.S. Women’s National Team will return to action after a 261-day wait when it takes on the Netherlands on Friday, Nov. 27, at 12:30 p.m. ET in Breda, Netherlands. The meeting will mark the first match between the two nations since their clash in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final. Watch the the ninth and last for the USWNT in 2020 on ESPN2 and TUDN.

The 23-player roster includes 15 players currently playing in the National Women’s Soccer League, seven who have been playing in European leagues and one college player. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski chose 15 players from the previous USWNT camp held in Commerce City, Colorado, back in October. Nonetheless, only 18 players will dress up for the friendly against the Netherlands.

Look who’s coming to camp!

Roster details ≫ https://t.co/QKLerS5Pm5 pic.twitter.com/9K68rCPg7S
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 17, 2020

Alex Morgan playing against the Netherlands on Nov. 27 would mean participating in her first international game since July 7, 2019, the day she competed in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final. The 32-year-old gave birth to her daughter Charlie on May 7 and has worked hard to get her fitness back. She returned to competitive play with Tottenham Hotspur on Nov. 7 and made her first start for the club on Nov. 14. A spot on the final roster would be a morale booster for the two-time World Cup winner.

Another big storyline is that of Stanford’s Catarina Macario, the only college player invited to camp in the Netherlands. The two-time MAC Hermann Trophy winner made headlines in October when she was called-up to represent the U.S. at senior level for the first time. Unfortunately, Macario will be ineligible for the friendly against the Netherlands as U.S. Soccer continues to work on the process to make her eligible to represent the USA.

The roster boasts a lot of international experience with defender Becky Sauerbrunn leading the way with 177 caps. The other six players in the roster who also have over 100 caps are forwards Tobin Heath (168), Christen Press (138) and Morgan (169), defenders Kelley O’Hara (131) and Crystal Dunn (104) and midfielder Julie Ertz (102). On the other hand, 20-year-old forward Sophia Smith and goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe, who turns 29 on Nov. 20, aim to earn their first senior team caps. Smith could become the first player to appear for the USA who was born after the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the first before the year 2000.