USWNT Set for San Diego Clash against Colombia

Coming off a matchup in chilly climes on Thursday evening in Sandy, Utah, the U.S. Women’s National Team returns to action Sunday on the Pacific Coast, taking on Colombia at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium in the second of two friendlies between the two nations. The Oct. 29 matchup is presented by AT&T 5G and kicks off at 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT with coverage available on TNT, Max, Telemundo, Universo, Peacock and FDP Radio.

 

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher recorded her ninth clean sheet of the year and the USWNT defense held a crafty Colombian attack to just two shots on goal on Thursday night as the teams played to a 0-0 draw at American First Field in Sandy, Utah. Becky Sauerbrunn and Sophia Smith returned to the field for the USA after recovering from injury while 18-year-old Jaedyn Shaw earned her first cap, coming on in the late stages of the second half to become the 71^st teenager to debut for the USWNT.

Following the match in San Diego, the USA will play its final matches of 2023 in early December, when it takes on China PR on Dec. 2 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (3 p.m. ET on TNT, Max, Universo and Peacock) and again on Dec. 5 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on TruTV, Max, Universo and Peacock). 

Fans will also be able to follow the action from Sunday’s game in San Diego via X (formerly Twitter - @USWNT), Instagram (@USWNT), Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App.

U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit; 1), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 15), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 97)

DEFENDERS (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign; 28/1), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 139/24), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage; 36/1), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 23/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 31/0), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars; 41/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 217/0), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign; 80/2), M.A. Vignola (Angel City FC; 1/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 4/0), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC; 5/0), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 136/29), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 26/3), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 52/3)

FORWARDS (9): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG; 1/0), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 21/5), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC; 214/121), Midge Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 24/4), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 25/6), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 1/0), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 35/14), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 7/0), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 58/17)

TWENTY-SEVEN STRONG FOR SANDY AND SAN DIEGO

Of the 27 players called up for these October Friendlies by interim head coach Twila Kilgore, all but three were in camp for the September friendlies. Veteran center back Sauerbrunn returned to the squad for the first time since April after recovering from a foot injury that kept her out of the 2023 World Cup while forward Smith saw her first international action since the World Cup, returning to fitness following a minor knee injury.

The newest – and youngest -- addition to this roster is 18-year-old midfielder Olivia Moultrie, who earned her first call-up to the senior National Team. Moultrie, who debuted for Portland Thorns FC in 2021 at the age of 15, is a longtime member of the U.S. Women’s Youth National Teams and represented the USA at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica. Moultrie is one of three teenagers on this roster, joining fellow 18-year-olds Shaw, who earned her first cap on Thursday night, and Alyssa Thompson, the youngest player on the USA’s World Cup roster.

Kilgore and her staff will once again select 23 players to suit up for Sunday’s match in San Diego.

GOOD TO BE IN THE GOLDEN STATE

Sunday’s match in San Diego will be the USWNT’s first ever match at newly opened Snapdragon Stadium, home of the 2023 NWSL Shield Winners San Diego Wave FC. However, the U.S. is no stranger to San Diego, having played eight matches in San Diego in its history and boasts a 7W-1D-0L record in the city. The USWNT most recently played in San Diego in January of 2018,  beating Denmark 5-1 at SDCCU Stadium, the now-demolished former NFL venue that hosted the USWNT four times. San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan scored in that win over Denmark and also earned her 100^th cap in San Diego, which came against the Republic of Ireland in January of 2016. Morgan is one of three San Diego Wave players on this roster along with center back Naomi Girma and forward Jaedyn Shaw.

This USWNT squad also features a true San Diego local in forward Mia Fishel, who grew up just minutes from Snapdragon Stadium, played her youth soccer for the San Diego Surf and attended Patrick Henry High School before going off to college stardom at UCLA. Fishel now plays her club soccer in England for Chelsea FC and made – and scored – in her Chelsea debut just days after earning her first cap for the USWNT on September 24.

Sunday’s match in San Diego will be the USA’s 53^rd match all-time in the state of California and second this year, having defeated Wales 2-0 in San Jose on July 9, 2023, in its final domestic match before the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USA is unbeaten in its previous 52 matches in California (48W-4D-0L) and has kept a clean sheet in each of its last 10 games in the Golden State.

DOMINANT DEFENSE

Coming off yet another clean sheet, the USWNT enters Sunday’s match at Snapdragon having allowed just two goals this year, which came against Brazil in the 2023 SheBelieves Cup finale on Feb. 22 and against the Netherlands in the World Cup group stage on July 27. With just the two goals allowed through 15 matches for a rate of 0.13 goals allowed per match, the U.S. is on pace to break the currently single-year program record (min. 10 games) of 0.40 goals allowed per match which was set in 2016 when the USA allowed 10 goals in 25 matches. With now just three games remaining on the schedule for 2023, the USA will set a new single-year record if it allows fewer than six goals over the final three matches of the year.

The USA has kept 13 shutouts this year, nine credited to Alyssa Naeher and four to Casey Murphy. Naeher’s nine shutouts are tied for her most in single year with the USWNT, after previously hitting the mark in both 2018 and 2019. Murphy had a career-best six shutouts in 2022, her first full year of action for the USA.

Along with stellar goalkeeping, the USA defense has been dominant, allowing just two shots on goal during the entire 2023 World Cup. The USA held South Africa to just one shot on goal combined in the two September friendlies and limited Colombia to two shots on target on Thursday night. Center back Naomi Girma, who won NWSL Rookie and Defender of the Year honors in 2022 while playing for the San Diego Wave, and outside backs Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox have been a picture of consistency in the back. Girma and Dunn have each started 13 games this year for the USWNT while Fox, who has started 12, is second on the team with 1,146 total minutes played in 2023.

Overall, the USA has allowed just 19 total shots on goal in 15 matches so far this year, the fewest in any complete year (min. 10 games) since at least 2017 and the fewest overall since 2020 when the USA allowed 15 shots on goal in nine matches as the international calendar was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. COLOMBIA

Colombia and the USA enter Sunday’s match in San Diego have played 11 times previously, with the U.S. holding a 9W-2D-0L advantage overall in the series. Four of the previous 11 meetings between the USA and Colombia have come at World Championship events – twice at the World Cup and twice at the Olympics. The lone draw between these teams came during the group stage of the 2016 Summer Olympics, a 2-2 tie against Las Cafeteras on Aug. 9, 2016.

Since that game in Brazil, the USA and Colombia have played five more times, all of them in friendly competitions. The teams played twice in January of 2021 in the USA’s first domestic games following the resumption of play after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the U.S. winning by scores of 4-0 and 6-0 in Orlando, Florida.

Prior to Thursday’s match in Sandy, the teams met most recently in June of 2022 in the USA’s final games prior to the Concacaf W Championship, at which it qualified for both the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics. The USA kicked off the two-game set with a 3-0 win on June 25 in Commerce City, Colo., powered by a brace from Colorado-native Sophia Smith. The teams then traveled to Sandy, Utah, where the USA prevailed 2-0 on June 28 behind an own goal and a late strike from defender Kelley O’Hara.

Overall, the USA is unbeaten in its last 24 games against CONMEBOL competition, going 20W-4D-0L over that stretch. Brazil is by far the most common opponent the USWNT has faced from South America, with 39 meetings all-time between the two countries. Colombia is the USA’s second-most frequent competitor from CONMEBOL with 11 all-time matchups, followed by Argentina (4), Chile (3) and Paraguay (2).

PATHWAY TO PARIS

With only nine months until the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the USWNT is in the midst of its preparations for that tournament and its pursuit of a fifth Olympic gold medal. The Olympic Football Tournament features 12 teams and will be contested in seven different venues across France from July 24 to August 10: Parc des Princes in Paris, Stade de Lyon, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, Stade de Marseille, Stade de Nice, Stade de Bordeaux and Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes. The USA is one of just five teams to have already qualified for Paris, joining hosts France, South American qualifiers Brazil and Colombia and Canada, which secured Concacaf’s second berth to the Olympics berth by beating Jamaica in a two-game playoff during the September international window.

The USA qualified for Paris by virtue of winning the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in Monterrey, Mexico, which served as the region’s qualification for the Olympics as well as the 2023 World Cup. Eighteen players on this September camp roster were a part of the USA’s squad for that tournament, which saw the USA run through the group stage, defeat Costa Rica 3-0 in the semifinal and then top Canada 1-0 in the championship game to secure an automatic berth to the 2024 Summer Games.

The remaining seven teams in the Olympic Field (two from Europe, two from Asia, two from Africa and one from Oceania) will be determined in early 2024 with the Official Draw to follow.

2023 USWNT MEDIA GUIDE

The 2023 U.S. Women’s National Team Media Guide is available for download. The Media Guide features all the history and statistic for the USWNT, as well as full bios on technical staff and the current top players, information on the USA’s Youth Women’s National Teams and general important information on U.S. Soccer.

USA ROSTER NOTES

• The most capped player on this roster is Becky Sauerbrunn (217 caps), followed by Alex Morgan (214), Crystal Dunn (139) and Lindsey Horan (136).
• The least capped players are Alyssa Thompson (7), Savannah DeMelo (5), Sam Coffey (4), Aubrey Kingsbury (1), M.A. Vignola (1), Mia Fishel (1), Jaedyn Shaw (1) and Olivia Moultrie (0).
• This roster features three teenagers in Thompson, Shaw and Moultrie, 16 players in their 20s and eight players in their 30s.
• Seven players on this roster – Naomi Girma, Sophia Smith, Mia Fishel, Trinity Rodman, Thompson, Shaw Moultrie  – were born after the historic 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will celebrate its 25^th anniversary next year.
• Morgan is the top scorer on the roster in international play with 121 goals. Horan (29), Dunn (24), Lynn Williams (17) and Smith (14) are the other players on this roster with double-digit goals.
• Twelve different players have scored for the USA so far in 2023, led by seven goals from Mallory Swanson, four from Rodman, three goals each from Horan and Williams, two goals each Rose Lavelle, Morgan and Smith and one goal each from Emily Sonnett, Emily Fox, Alana Cook, Ashley Hatch and Taylor Kornieck.
• Nine different players have tallied an assist for the USA this year, led by five from Morgan, four from Lavelle, three from Rodman, two from Smith and one apiece from Horan, Williams, Ashley Sanchez, Andi Sullivan and Sofia Huerta.
• Eleven total clubs are represented on this roster – Olympique Lyon from France, Chelsea FC from England and nine different NWSL clubs, led by five players each from the Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns. The San Diego Wave and OL Reign have three players each.

IN FOCUS: COLOMBIA | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

FIFA World Ranking: 22
CONMEBOL Ranking: 2
Olympic Appearances: 2 (2012 & 2016)
Best Olympic Finish: Group stage
Record vs. USA: 0W-2D-9L (GF: 2; GA: 35)
Last Meeting vs. USA: October 26, 2023 (0-0 draw in Sandy Utah)Head Coach: Angelo Marsiglia (COL)

COLOMBIA WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3): Natalia Giraldo(America de Cali), Stefany Castaño (Club Independiente Santa Fe), Sandra Sepulveda (Independiente Medellin)                 

DEFENDERS (8): Daniela Arias (America de Cali), Carolina Arias (Club Independiente Santa Fe), Angela Baron (Atlético Nacional), Jorelyn Carabali (Brighton & Hove Albion, ENG), Daniela Caracas (RCD Espanyol, ESP), Ana Maria Guzman (FC Bayern Munich, GER), Monica Ramos (Gremio, BRA), Manuela Vanegas (Real Sociedad, ESP)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Lorena Bedoya (Real Brasilia FC, BRA), Gabriela Huertas (Club Independiente Santa Fe), Daniela Montoya (Atlético Nacional), Marcela Restrepo (Atlético Nacional), Camila Reyes (Club Independiente Santa Fe), Leicy Santos (Atletico Madrid (ESP)

FORWARD (6): Lady Andrade (Real Brasilia FC, BRA), Elexa Bahr (America de Cali), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid CF, ESP), Ivonne Chacon (Valencia C.F., ESP), Yisela Cuesta (Ferroviária, BRA), Ingrid Guerra (Clube Atlético Mineiro, BRA)

COLOMBIA ROSTER NOTES

• Colombia utilized three of its six substitutes in Thursday’s matchup against the USA in Sandy, Utah.
• Colombia’s 23-player roster for these October matches features 19 players from the 2023 World Cup squad.
• At the 2023 World Cup, Colombia made history and delighted fans around the world as they won a group that included Germany, Morocco and South Korea. Not only did Colombia win the group by virtue of a 2-1 win over Germany and a 2-0 win over South Korea (and despite a 1-0 loss to Morocco), it also won a knockout game, downing Jamaica, 1-0, and gave eventual finalist England all it could handle before falling 2-1 in the quarterfinal.
• In the opening game win over South Korea, Catalina Usme – who is unavailable for these games due to injury - and teenage sensation Linda Caicedo etched their names in their country’s women’s soccer history with goals. But there would be more history to come as Caicedo scored in the 52^nd minute, Germany equalized in the 89^th on a penalty kick from Alexandra Popp and Manuela Venegas stunned the world with a goal in 90+7 to earn the epic win in the second group stage match.
• Like the USA, Colombia qualified for the 2024 Olympics back in July of 2022 and for Las Cafeteras, it came at the Copa America Feminina, which Colombia hosted. After sweeping all of its matches to win Group A, Colombia defeated Argentina, 1-0, in the semifinal, and even though it fell 1-0 to perennial South American power Brazil in the championship game, the Olympic berth was secured.
• At the Copa America, Colombia spread the goals around as Daniela Arias, Caicedo, Daniella Montoya, Mayra Ramirez and Manuela Vanegas all scored twice in the tournament.
• Caicedo, who was just 17 at the time, the Golden Ball as the tournament’s top player.
• These are the first matches under new head coach Angela Marsiglia, who replaced Nelson Abadía, who lead Colombia to World Cup glory during the summer. Marsiglia was the assistant at the WWC and had to step in as head coach for the opening match win vs. South Korea game when Abadía serving a suspension.