It’s been seven-and-a-half years since the U.S. women’s national team has played a match in Atlanta. But as the SheBelieves Cup descends on Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it will be just another part of a long arc of events that will see the city in the eyes of the global soccer landscape.
Over 39,000 tickets have been sold for the April 6 semifinal, which includes the USWNT vs. Japan and Canada vs. Brazil as part of a doubleheader. The winners will meet in the tournament final on April 9 at Lower.com Field in Columbus.
That presents an interesting scenario: spanning from the W Gold Cup quarterfinal round (vs. Colombia) to April 9’s opponent, the U.S. will have played five teams in a row that will be part of the upcoming Olympic Games, a rarity.
“We don’t take that lightly,” USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore said on Tuesday after the U.S. revealed its 23-player roster for the SheBelieves Cup. “We haven’t always been able to play these types of games back-to-back-to-back-to-back.”
Kilgore will be in the technical area for SheBelieves ahead of the arrival of permanent coach Emma Hayes in June. Hayes is sure to be watching from afar, especially as the USWNT attempts to recover from a bronze-medal finish in Japan in 2021 and an elimination in the Round of 16 in last year’s World Cup.
“Part of the way you prepare for an Olympic tournament is you just focus on the game that’s in front of you, because that’s what you do in an Olympic tournament. And that’s what this team has been doing game-by-game through Gold Cup, and will continue to do through SheBelieves,” Kilgore said.
Emily Sonnett, Jane Campbell add local flare to SheBelieves roster
Two Atlanta-area products were named to Kilgore’s roster: Emily Sonnett and Jane Campbell. Sonnett was part of the last USWNT visit to Atlanta, a halftime substitute at the Georgia Dome during a 3-1 win against the Netherlands.
The 30-year-old Marietta native has been a mainstay in the U.S. midfield for years, winning a World Cup in 2019 and earning 88 caps, while the 29-year-old Campbell, from Kennesaw, has made seven USWNT appearances.
“Going to get to play in a place close to home is just incredibly meaningful,” Kilgore said. “We’re excited for them, happy for them, and we hope to make them proud there.”
Promising Ajax youngster Lily Yohannes called in
The 23-player roster includes many familiar names: Abby Dahlkemper, Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher, Lindsey Horan, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson. (It won’t include Rose Lavelle, who’s out due to injury.) But there’s also some newer faces like Olivia Moultrie, Trinity Rodman, and Jaedyn Shaw that are part of the program’s future.
One intriguing invitee: 16-year-old Lily Yohannes, born in the U.S. but raised in the Netherlands since the age of ten and a player with Women’s Champions League experience with Dutch power Ajax.
Kilgore noted that the program has been monitoring Johannes for some time and that SheBelieves Cup presented the right opportunity to call her in with the senior team, along with her ability to play in central midfield as both a “6” or an “8” or in a more attacking midfield role as a “10”.
“We’ve been in contact with her and the family and she is somebody that we’re talking about now and in the future with,” Kilgore said.
That’s as the KNVB is monitoring Yohannes even though she doesn’t have a Dutch passport yet, Kilgore said.
“These are things that will have to be made on an individual basis, and it’s our job to evaluate, to prepare, to make sure they’re set up for success, but also to expose and be honest and truthful about what the environment is, onboarding with our culture, and then the player has the ability to make a choice, and we will support that,” she added.
USWNT SheBelieves Cup 2024 Roster
Goalkeepers: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders: Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC), Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Tierna Davidson (NY/NJ Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (NY/NJ Gotham FC)
Midfielders: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (AFC Ajax)
Forwards: Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)