The United States women's national team will start its biggest game in years with one of its most effective players on the bench.
Lindsey Horan has been relegated to substitute duty for Friday's Women's World Cup quarterfinal against France, with U.S. coach Jill Ellis opting for a midfield of Samantha Mewis, Julie Ertz and Rose Lavelle against the tournament hosts.
For our Nation
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) June 28, 2019
For the 🔴, ⚪️ and 🔵
For U.S. all.
Lineup Notes: https://t.co/Swf85Gglmd#OneNationOneTeam pic.twitter.com/B2sgyUmQ9y
Horan, 25, has been widely praised for her performance during the tournament, and she scored the opening goal in the 2-0 U.S. defeat of Sweden to wrap up the group stage. She also might have the best first-hand knowledge of Friday's opponent, having played professionally for Paris Saint-Germain for four years.
Horan also was a substitute for the round of 16 match against Spain, coming off the bench in the 89th minute, but the prevailing thought there was that Ellis didn't want to risk losing her for the quarterfinals because she was on a yellow card entering the game.
While it's difficult to argue that Mewis, Ertz or Lavelle should be benched, Ellis could have moved Ertz back to her former position in central defense as she did for the tournament opener against Thailand. The U.S. back line was a clear weak point against Spain.
