USWNT Women’s World Cup from XI: Julie Ertz starts at CB; Savannah DeMelo gets a surprising nod in midfield

Each member of the US girls’s nationwide group will likely be obtainable to play of their Girls’s World Cup opener towards Vietnam, together with Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe.

“They’re able to play – from a medical perspective, everybody is obtainable,” Andonovski mentioned in his pre-match commentary on Friday in Auckland. by ESPN. Whereas sharing that “Julie is 100%,” he admitted that he deliberate to be affected person with Lavelle and Rapinoe.

“Rose has truly been actually good – she’s been coaching with the group for over three weeks now, and sometimes educated with us earlier than that,” mentioned Andonovski. “She is able to play and we aren’t going to pressure many minutes from the beginning. We are going to calm down the whole lot as we go alongside.

Megan is in the identical boat as Rose. Her minutes will in all probability develop because the event progresses.’

All three missed the USWNT’s World Cup warm-up towards Wales on July 9 with health points. Andonovski mentioned on the time that Ertz, who returned to play in April after almost two years away from the sector by a knee harm after which maternity depart, would have began if it was a World Cup match. Rapinoe, in the meantime, has not performed since June 10 after sustaining a calf harm throughout NWSL motion and Lavelle has been out since April following a knee harm in a pleasant towards Eire.

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USWNT beginning lineup vs. Vietnam

Beginning lineup: Alyssa Naher; Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Julie Ertz, Crystal Dunn; Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan, Savannah DeMelo; Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman

Ertz is beginning towards Vietnam regardless of an prolonged spell away from the sector, and can probably reposition himself as a mainstay for the USWNT in the course of the World Cup. However in a shock transfer, she is going to probably be heart again with Andi Sullivan and Lindsey Horan each beginning together with the shock choice to deliver midfielder Savannah DeMelo into the beginning eleven.

As for Rapinoe, many anticipated her to be an possibility off the bench for the largest video games on this event, even when she was totally match. Strikers Alex Morgan and Sophia Smith could retain their positions after beginning towards Wales, whereas Trinity Rodman’s brace towards Wales instead might be rewarded with a begin towards Vietnam.

Ashley Sanchez moved into midfield towards Wales in Lavelle’s absence, and is doing so once more. She is joined in midfield by Ertz and USWNT captain Lindsey Horan.

View data

• Date: Friday 21 July | Time: 9 p.m. ET
• Place: Eden Park — Auckland, New Zealand
• TV: Fox | Stay stream: Fox Sports app And fuboTV (Strive without spending a dime)
• Possibilities: US -75000; Draw +2800; Vietnam +5000 (by way of Caesars Sportsbook)