The United States women's national team roster for the upcoming Women's World Cup qualifiers was prematurely posted on USSoccer.com on Thursday afternoon.
The 20-woman roster appeared briefly before it was taken down. U.S. Soccer told FOXSoccer.com that the official announcement will take place on Monday.
On the roster that posted Thursday, eight players had been cut from the two-week training camp that was held in September, punctuated by friendly 8-0 and 4-0 wins over Mexico. Namely, goalkeepers Nicole Barnhart and Alyssa Naeher, defenders Stephanie Cox, Rachel Van Hollebeke and Julie Johnston and midfielders Kristie Mewis, Allie Long and Shannon Boxx.
Boxx, Cox and Van Hollebeke — known until recently as Buehler — are team stalwarts, boasting 387 caps between them. Their omission from the roster would speak to its present depth, which is considered to be better than ever.
As expected, all five of the program's world-class strikers were included, to help populate Coach Jill Ellis' new three-striker system. Morgan Brian was perhaps the most surprising name on the roster, as she has not yet left the University of Virginia for the professional ranks and, at 21, is the youngest player to have been involved in the senior national team this year.
The USA opens the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship — which will air on the FOX Sports family of networks and double as World Cup qualifying — against Trinidad & Tobago in Kansas City on Oct. 15, than faces Guatemala in Chicago on Oct. 17 and Haiti in Washington, DC on Oct. 20. The tournament's semifinals and finals will take place in Philadelphia on Oct. 24 and 26, respectively.
Goalkeeper Hope Solo, who has a Nov. 4 trial date on assault charges, was listed on the roster posted Thursday. The complete list is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Ashlyn Harris and Hope Solo.
Defenders: Crystal Dunn, Whitney Engen, Meghan Klingenberg, Ali Krieger, Kelley O'Hara, Christie Rampone and Becky Sauerbrunn.
Midfielders: Morgan Brian, Tobin Heath, Lauren Holiday, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly and Megan Rapinoe.
Forwards: Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Amy Rodriguez and Abby Wambach.
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