USWNT Stock Watch: Five players boosted their standings in friendly against Australia

The United States women’s national team closed their year with a two-game away series in Australia. The USWNT has won one win and one draw in two matches, and some players with limited team experience have been given extra minutes in international time.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski named a squad that was heavy on youth and with several players making 10 caps or less when the team initially announced that they would end the calendar year with matches in Australia. The trip was the USWNT’s first since the 2000 Olympics, and an early opportunity to visit the host nation of FIFA’s 2023 Women’s World Cup.

New look USWNT won 3-0 on Friday in Sydney, before ending their two matches with a 1-1 draw on Tuesday in Newcastle. Matches with first caps, impressive goalscoring and clean sheets among the results.

Take a look at five players who boosted their stock in two games and got more playtime when the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers begin next year (you can watch select matches on Supreme +).

1. Casey Murphy, goalkeeper, North Carolina Courage

The 25-year-old has returned to senior national team camps after spending time with the team in 2018 and earlier this year. Her impressive 2021 NWSL season, matching the league record of 11 clean sheets for the North Carolina Courage earned her a spot in the 2021 NWSL Best XI. She had her first and second. two caps for the national team with two consecutive matches against Matildas in Australia, and kept the starting place in the first game while only narrowly playing 180 minutes without conceding thanks to a goal deflected in the match. second match. Look for the 6’1 goalkeeper to get another invitation to join the national team’s camp.

2. Margaret Purce, forward, NJ / NY Gotham FC

Purce brought her back to the national team’s camp after an Olympic roster absence and returned from injury to help lead her club’s team to the 2021 NWSL knockout stages. End of the season performance. Her performance got her shortlisted for the Golden Boot race, and reached the MVP final before sending her back to the national team’s camp. Before games in Tokyo, Purce was regularly used as an outfielder in games against the USWNT, but closed out her year as a core part for the national team. Purce has earned two starts and two assists, one in every game, and may have finally cemented her rightful place among strikers instead of defenders.

3. Ashley Hatch, forward, Washington Spirit

The 2021 NWSL Golden Shoe winner was called up to the national team after her championship season with Spirit. She made her debut in both friendlies against USWNT and scored in each against Matildas. She earned a place in the US football record books with the third fastest goal in US history, scoring in 24 seconds on her national team debut and the ability to score from every area. will help her join more camps in the future.

4. Sofia Huerta, full-back, OL Reign

Huerta has returned to the national team for the first time since 2018 after his time at full-back with OL Reign. Originally a front-runner for most of her NWSL career, Huerta’s time outside was limited, but her time with CV Reign and head coach Laura Harvey rekindled the possibility of Huerta at the front line. later for the national team. Huerta won the ball and spearheaded Rose Lavelle’s goal in the first game, giving the full-back a starting spot in the second.

5 Emily Fox, full-back, Racing Louisville FC

The 2021 NWSL rookie contender made her return to the national team in this streak, with two consecutive starts. The University of North Carolina alumnus was dropped from the first game after halftime, perhaps due to a bit of fatigue in finding form on the field, but had his best run in the second game. with Matildas. Fox was heavily involved in the offensive looking for the US while locking things in defensively in her 76-minute 1-on-1 situations.