USA vs. France
Date: March 4, 2018
Venue: Red Bull Arena; Harrison, New Jersey
Broadcast: ESPN2
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT
Tonight’s Starting XI vs. France: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 22-Taylor Smith, 17-Tierna Davidson, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 5-Kelley O’Hara; 3-Andi Sullivan, 6-Morgan Brian, 9-Lindsey Horan, 11-Mallory Pugh, 13-Alex Morgan (capt.), 15-Megan Rapinoe
Subs: 2-Casey Short, 8-Julie Ertz, 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Lynn Williams, 14-Sofia Huerta, 16-Emily Sonnett, 18-Jane Campbell, 19-Crystal Dunn, 20-Allie Long, 23-Christen Press, 24-Ashlyn Harris, 26-Savannah McCaskill
- U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis will use almost the exact same lineup that took the field against Germany on March 1. The two changes are Morgan Brian for Carli Lloyd and Andi Sullivan for Julie Ertz in the midfield.
- Just two players in the USA’s starting lineup (Alyssa Naeher and Morgan Brian) started against France at last year’s SheBelieves Cup.
- The match will be the first career game against Germany for Taylor Smith, Abby Dahlkemper, Andi Sullivan and Davidson.
- There are two teenagers in the USA's starting XI today, just like in the WNT’s first two games of the year against Denmark on Jan. 21 and Germany on March 1, in 19-year-olds Mallory Pugh and Tierna Davidson, both of whom are age-eligible for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Against Denmark in San Diego, the pair combined for two goals and two assists. Before that match in San Diego, the last time two teenagers were in the WNT starting lineup was June 30, 2001 vs. Canada in Toronto. Aleisha Cramer (18) and Cat Whitehill (19) both played the entire game.
- Alyssa Naeher will earn her 26th cap tonight. She has 13 career shutouts, most recently against Germany on March 1, and is the seventh goalkeeper in U.S. history to earn 25 or more caps.
- Smith will earn her 10th international cap today. She made her debut last July against Australia during the 2017 Tournament of Nations.
- Dahlkemper makes her 16th career appearance today. The 2017 NWSL Defender of the Year made her debut for the U.S. on Oct. 19, 2016, against Switzerland in Utah, and earned her first start against Norway on June 11, 2017 where she played all 90 minutes to help the U.S. defense claim a shutout in Sandefjord. She is a former captain of the U-17 Women's National Team.
- Kelley O'Hara, one of the most experienced players on the squad, is set to make her 107th appearance today.
- Davidson will earn her third cap for the USA today, after becoming the 21st woman to make a WNT debut under Jill Ellis on Jan. 21 in San Diego. She earned her first career assist on that game. The 19-year-old Davidson helped lead Stanford to the NCAA Championship this past season. She is the third teenager since 2013 to earn a first cap for the U.S. WNT. Mallory Pugh (17 in 2016) and Lindsey Horan (19 in 2013) are the most recent teenagers to debut for the WNT.
- Lindsey Horan enjoyed a fine 2017, helping the Portland Thorns win the NWSL title by scoring the game-winning goal in the championship. For the WNT, she finished strong, establishing herself in the lineup. She will earn her 46th WNT cap today.
- Pugh earns her 32nd cap for the WNT. She leads the WNT in scoring in 2018 after tallying her first career brace against Denmark on Jan. 21.
- Alex Morgan, who is captaining the USA today, comes into the match with 81 goals and will earn her 137th cap tonight. At age 28, she sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA's all-time goal scoring list. She’s scored eight goals over her last nine WNT matches, with her most recent coming on Jan. 21 against Denmark.
- This marks the third time that Morgan will start as captain (previously Jan. 23, 2016 and most recently on Jan. 21, 2018 vs. Denmark).
- Megan Rapinoe makes her 132nd international appearance today. She has 35 career goals after scoring the game-winner against Germany on March 1. She has tied April Heinrichs and Sydney Leroux for 15th on the all-time goals list. In her career, Rapinoe has accumulated 3 assists in 3 appearances vs. France.