Seven OL Reign players called in ahead of 2023 SheBelieves Cup

02/02/2023 19:45

EM Dash-USA TODAY Sports Last chance for players to impress their national teams before the World Cup. Seven OL Reign players were named to rosters for national team camps ahead of the upcoming SheBelieves Cup. The USWNT, Canada, Brazil and Japan will face off later this month in the 8th edition of the tournament. Forward Jordyn Huitema and midfielder Quinn were called in for a pre-tournament camp by Canada head coach Bev Priestman. Players who are not currently in season will report for a short camp starting on Feb. 8, ahead of the official start of the international window. Priestman will then select her official SheBelieves Cup roster closer to the start of the tournament on Feb. 16. Your @CANWNT pre-camp roster ahead of #SheBelievesCup The five-day camp will lead straight into the international window which opens 13 February and their first match in the SheBelieves Cup on Thursday 16 February against hosts USA.#WeCAN— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) February 1, 2023 “With half of the squad heading into the She Believes Cup out of season and the match demand of three back-to-back games, we felt it was important to get a few team-based sessions in ahead of the FIFA window,” said Priestman in a federation release. “It will also provide the opportunity to assess a few more players ahead of this important World Cup Year and I’m excited to get back on the grass with the group.” USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski selected five OL Reign players for his tournament squad — defenders Alana Cook, Sofia Huerta and Emily Sonnett, midfielder Rose Lavelle, and forward Megan Rapinoe. This marks Rapinoe’s return after missing last month while recovering from a leg injury. Rapinoe currently has 197 caps and could reach 200 should she appear in all three games during this window. Ready to play for hardware Full Roster Notes » https://t.co/x2glYutyP4#SheBelievesCup, presented by @Visa pic.twitter.com/5nJzzl0WLd— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 1, 2023 “All three of these matches are great opportunities for the players and coaches as we enter the final stretch to choose the World Cup roster,” said Andonovski in a USSF release. “To get to play three top teams, all who are in the World Cup, over seven days, will test our team mentally and physically, and that’s exactly what we need at this point in our preparations. We still have a few players in the pool recovering from injuries, but we are confident that they will be ready for selection for our April matches.” The 2023 SheBelieves Cup begins on Thursday, Feb. 16 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, FL. Japan faces Brazil at 1 PM PT and the USWNT will play Canada at 4 PM PT. The tournament then moves to GEODIS Park in Nashville for the second round of games on Sunday, Feb. 19, where the USWNT will face Japan at 12:30 PM PT and Brazil plays Canada at 3:30 PM PT. The tournament conclude on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. Canada plays Japan at 1 PM PT that day, followed by the USWNT versus Brazil at 4 PM PT. Broadcast details are not yet available for these games.