Lineup Notes: USA Faces Jamaica with 2019 World Cup Berth on the Line

USA vs. JAMAICA
Date:
Oct. 14, 2018
Venue: Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas
Broadcast: FS1 & UDN
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT


Starting XI vs. Jamaica:
1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 16-Rose Lavelle, 9-Lindsey Horan; 17-Tobin Heath, 13-Alex Morgan, 15-Megan Rapinoe (capt.)

Substitutes Available: 2-Emily Sonnett, 3-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian, 10-Carli Lloyd, 11-Mallory Pugh, 12-Hailie Mace, 14-Casey Short, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 20-Christen Press

U.S. Team

  • U.S. head coach Jill Ellis is starting the same lineup she put out against Mexico in the opening game of the tournament on Oct. 4 and against Trinidad & Tobago on Oct. 10. She made nine changes on Oct. 7 against Panama, and Alyssa Naeher, Kelley O’Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Crystal Dunn, Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe did not see minutes in that second game.
  • The USA is 14-0-2 in 2018, with wins against Denmark, Germany, England, Mexico (thrice), China PR (twice), Japan, Brazil, Chile (twice), Panama and Trinidad & Tobago; and ties against Australia and France.
  • The USA is unbeaten in its last 24 matches (21-0-3), and has outscored its opponents 83-17 through that stretch, scoring in all 24 games.
  • All 20 players on the U.S. roster have seen minutes through the first two matches of the tournament. No player has played the total of 270 minutes, but defender Abby Dahlkemper has been on the field the most (257 minutes). Ten different players have scored in the tournament thus far: Alex Morgan (4), Carli Lloyd (3), Megan Rapinoe (2), Tobin Heath (2), Rose Lavelle (2), Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Christen Press and Samantha Mewis. Nine players have assists, with Lindsey Horan leading the way with three.

Starting Lineup

  • Alyssa Naeher has 18 career shutouts and will earn cap No. 36 tonight and her 13th in 2018.
  • Kelley O’Hara makes her fourth appearance for the U.S. WNT since the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. She will earn her 111th cap tonight in her seventh start and appearance of 2018.
  • Abby Dahlkemper will earn her 27th cap tonight. It will be her 14th appearance and 13th start of 2018.
  • Becky Sauerbrunn will earn her 146th cap tonight. Sauerbrunn is in 20th place on the all-time caps list.
  • The always versatile Crystal Dunn came off the bench to play outside back against France on March 4 after Casey Short was injured about 30 minutes after coming on as a sub herself and has been playing in that position ever since. Dunn will earn cap No. 72 tonight and make her 12th start of 2018.
  • Julie Ertz will earn her 70th cap and has scored 17 international goals, most recently against Mexico on Oct. 4. She is one of four U.S. players to have played in all three group games.
  • Lindsey Horan, the 2018 NWSL MVP, has played in every game for the USA this year. She will make her 14th start tonight and has scored three goals with six assists in 2018.
  • Rose Lavelle will earn her 17th career cap tonight and makes her sixth start this year. She has scored five international goals, most recently her first career brace vs. T&T on Oct. 10.
  • Tobin Heath will make her seventh start for the U.S. WNT tonight. She has scored 23 career goals, the most recent one against T&T on Oct. 10. Heath will earn cap No. 141 and is in 22nd place on the USA’s all-time caps list. She is tied with Lindsey Horan with six assists in 2018, second most on the team.
  • Alex Morgan, who comes into the match with 94 goals after scoring her 21st career brace against T&T on Oct. 10. She will earn her 150th cap tonight. At age 29, she sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA's all-time goal scoring list and is third all-time in two-goal games (21), behind only Abby Wambach (37) and Mia Hamm (28). With her hat trick against Japan on July 26, the fourth of her career, Morgan is now fourth all-time in multi-goal games (25) behind Abby Wambach (45), Mia Hamm (38) and Michelle Akers (26). She’s scored 21 goals over her last 22 WNT matches. She leads the WNT with 14 goals in 2018. Morgan leads the USA in minutes played with 1,187 this year.
  • Captaining the USA for the second time in the tournament Megan Rapinoe, who has scored 40 international goals and is 15th on the all-time goals list. Rapinoe leads the USA with 11 assists on the year and now has 55 for her career, good for sixth place in U.S. all-time, tied with Heather O’Reilly. She will earn cap No. 143 tonight and make her 14th start of 2018. Rapinoe's 55 assists in 141 caps is the best ratio of anyone ahead of her on the all-time list except for Hamm, who had a remarkable 147 assists in her 276 caps. She has also scored six goals in 2018.