NEW ORLEANS (Oct. 19, 2017) – The U.S. Women’s National Team earned a convincing 3-1 win against the Korea Republic on Thursday night at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in the first of a pair of friendlies against the AFC foe.

The USA controlled the tempo from the get-go and out-shot Korea Republic 11-3 in the first half. Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan continued their excellent form as both found the net in the first half, their fourth and fifth goals of 2017, respectively. South Korea created its only shot on goal of the first half deep into stoppage time with debutante Han Chaerin scoring a fantastic strike from 23 yards out to pull her team within one.

The Korea goal came after referee had added three minutes of stoppage time, but added two more after Mallory Pugh went down with a hamstring injury at the end of the half and the visitors ended up scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

The U.S. maintained its organized play on the field after the break and earned a penalty kick following a foul committed against Megan Rapinoe in the 52nd minute. Rapinoe took the spot kick, scoring her third goal of the year to once again extend the USA lead to a two-goal advantage, which ultimately stood for the final 3-1 scoreline.

The U.S. WNT will now travel to Cary, North Carolina for a second match against Korea Republic on Oct. 22 (2 p.m. ET; ESPN) at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Julie Ertz (Megan Rapinoe), 24th minute: Megan Rapinoe’s well-struck corner kick from the left side was directed to the near post where the diving Ertz sent a low skidding header through the goalkeeper’s legs for the USA’s first goal of the game and her fourth of 2017. USA 1, KOR 0. GOAL.

USA – Alex Morgan (Kelley O’Hara), 40th minute: Kelley O’Hara made a fantastic dribbling run into the penalty box on the right side, beating her defender to the end line before cutting a cross back for Morgan who held off a defender, spun toward goal, and finished with a blistering left-footed shot. USA 2, KOR 0. GOAL.

KOR – HAN Chaerin, 45+5 minute: A late push from the Korea Republic proved successful after a long clearance landed at the feet of Han Chaerin whose shot from distance found the upper left-hand corner to bring the visitors within one with her first career goal in her first cap. USA 2, KOR 1. GOAL.

USA – Megan Rapinoe (penalty kick), 52nd minute: The USA started the second half well, putting pressure on the Korean goal and earned a penalty kick when Rapinoe was chopped down in the box by Ji Soyun. Rapinoe took the kick herself and slammed it home for her third score of 2017. USA 3, KOR 1. GOAL.

Social: Facebook; Twitter (@ussoccer_wnt; @ussoccer_esp); Instagram; Snapchat (ussoccer_wnt)

Additional Notes:

• Alex Morgan made her 11th appearance of 2017 and 10th start. She scored in the 40th minute tonight to record her fifth goal of 2017, getting on the score sheet for the fourth consecutive game this year. Now with 78 career goals, Morgan is in sole possession of seventh place on the all-time scoring list for the WNT. This is the third time in her career that she has scored in four straight WNT games.
• Playing defensive midfield, Julie Ertz scored tonight to make it four goals in 2017 and up her total to 12 career goals for the WNT. She earned her 54th cap tonight and is the 54th American player to earn 50 or more caps. All of her 12 goals have come or originated from set plays.
• Megan Rapinoe earned her 126th cap today and sixth start of the year. She made her ninth appearance of 2017 and became the 29th player to play 125 or more times for the USA. Rapinoe scored the 34th goal of her career tonight on a penalty kick. Rapinoe is now within one goal of tying April Heinrichs and Sydney Leroux for 15th on the all-time goal scoring list. She assisted on Ertz’ goal tonight, her third of the year and 42nd of her career.
• One of Ertz, Morgan, and Rapinoe have scored in each of the last five games for the USWNT.
• The U.S. had 13 different players take a shot during the match.
• Midfielder Andi Sullivan made her first start since Nov. 13, 2016, when she started against Romania in Carson, Calif. Sullivan made her WNT debut last October (coincidently, exactly a year ago on Oct. 19, 2016) and played in the final four games of the year for the U.S. – all starts – before an ACL tear during a college playoff match in December sidelined her for the following months.
• Becky Sauerbrunn made her 13th start and appearance this year, one of only two players – Samantha Mewis being the other – to be in every starting lineup this year. She has played the most minutes of any player on the team with 1,125.
• Kelley O’Hara, earned her 102nd cap tonight after reaching the century mark on Sept. 15 in Colorado. She became the 36th woman in U.S. history to play 100 or more games for her country. It was her ninth start of the year and she played all 90 minutes.
• Abby Dahlkemper entered double digits in caps tonight, making her 10th career appearance for the WNT in what was her seventh career start. The 2017 NWSL Defender of the Year made her debut for the U.S. exactly one year ago, on Oct. 19, 2016, against Switzerland in Utah, and earned her first start against Norway on June 11, playing all 90 minutes to help the U.S. defense claim a shutout in Sandefjord.
• In fact, four players that saw action tonight all made their U.S. WNT debuts exactly one year ago on Oct. 19, 2016 in Utah: Dahlkemper, Casey Short, Sullivan and Lynn Williams.
• Tonight’s six U.S. WNT subs were: Lynn Williams in for Mallory Pugh; Lindsey Horan in for Andi Sullivan; Sofia Huerta for Casey Short; Crystal Dunn for Megan Rapinoe; Christen Press in for Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd in for Samantha Mewis.
• U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis named a 22-player roster to the training camp for this pair of friendlies, but after suffering injuries in the NWSL Championship, both Taylor Smith and Tobin Heath withdrew from camp, taking the roster number down to 20.
• Jane Campbell and Allie Long did not dress for tonight’s match.

– U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Korea Republic
Date: October 19, 2017
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome; New Orleans, La.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Attendance: 9,371
Weather: Indoors

Scoring Summary:      1          2          F
USA                             2          1          3
KOR                             1          0          1

USA – Julie Ertz (Megan Rapinoe)         24^th minute
USA – Alex Morgan (Kelley O’Hara)       40
KOR – HAN Chaerin                              45 +5
USA – Megan Rapinoe (penalty kick)     52                                                                                                       

Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O'Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (capt.), 14-Casey Short (11-Sofia Huerta, 63); 8-Julie Ertz, 6-Andi Sullivan (9-Lindsey Horan, 46), 3-Samantha Mewis (10-Carli Lloyd, 77); 2-Mallory Pugh (12-Lynn Williams, 45 +1), 13-Alex Morgan (23-Christen Press, 63), 15-Megan Rapinoe (19-Crystal Dunn, 63)
Subs not used: 24-Ashlyn Harris
Head coach: Jill Ellis

KOR: 1- KANG Gaae; 3-SHIN Damyeong (13-JI Sunmi, 45 +3), 17-JANG Seulgi; 6-PARK Chorong (2-LEE Eunmi, 83), 7-LEE Mina (15-LEE Sodam, 46), 8-CHO Sohyun (capt.), 16-CHOE Yuri (9-JEON Gaeul, 46), 19-KIM Hyeyeong (23-JANG Chang, 52), 22-HAN Chaerin; 10-JI Soyun, 12-YOO Younga (18-SON Hwayeon, 63)
Subs not used: 21-KIM Minjung; 20-KIM Hyeri, 4-SEO Hyunsook; 14-MOON Mira, 14-MOON Mira; 11-LEE Geummin
Head coach: YOON Dukyeo

Stats Summary: USA / KOR
Shots: 21 / 5
Shots on Goal: 11 / 1
Saves: 0 / 8
Corner Kicks: 5 / 0
Fouls: 6 / 14
Offside: 1 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
KOR – HAN Chaerin (Caution)               61^st minute
KOR – PARK Chorong (Caution)            74

Officials:
Referee: Christina Unkel (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Amanda Ross (USA)                                                                                 
Assistant Referee 2: Nicholas Anderson (JAM)                                                 
4th Official: Cecile Hinds (TRI)  

Budweiser Woman of the Match: Julie Ertz

On Sept. 14, FIFA approved a change of national association for Sofia Huerta, making her eligible to represent the United States at the international level. Huerta had previously represented Mexico at the youth and senior levels. The very next day, Huerta made her U.S. WNT debut, coming on in the 51st minute of the match against New Zealand in place of Taylor Smith. Here are five things you should know about the newest member of the U.S. WNT player pool:

The Gem State
Sofia Huerta was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, making her the first player from the state of Idaho to earn a cap with the USA.

Huerta grew up as the youngest of three children, with her sister Andrea (six years older), and brother Alex (four years older) and their parents Jody, a Wisconsin native, and Mauricio, who was born and raised in Puebla, Mexico.

“I lived in Boise until I left for Santa Clara in 2011,” said Huerta. “Boise is such a beautiful place. It’s outdoorsy, people are very active and everyone is really nice. I try to go back whenever I get a chance. My parents still live there.”

A Love for the Ages
While Huerta’s childhood may seem relatively normal and All-American, Huerta’s parents story is a fascinating one, and one that the 24-year-old is very proud of and loves to share.

"My mom was born and raised in Wisconsin and went to the University of Wisconsin,” said Huerta. “My dad, who was born in Mexico and was in an engineering program in Puebla, was selected as one of four people who earned a spot to go study in the engineering program at the University of Wisconsin during his junior year and that’s where my parents met. After that one year, my dad returned home but my parents kept in touch and stayed together, and then four years later after my mom was all done with school, she got a pretty cool graduation ticket from her parents – a one way trip to Mexico. And they’ve been together ever since. It’s crazy to hear my parents talk about their early years together. Sometimes I don’t believe some of the stories they tell!”

CHICAGO (Oct. 16, 2017) – There are only four games remaining on the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 2017 schedule, with a pair of friendlies against Korea Republic coming up next, on Oct. 19 (7 p.m. CT; FS1) at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana and on Oct. 22 (2 p.m. ET; ESPN) at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The USA is 7-0-2 all-time against Korea Republic, which is ranked 15th in the world.

The two teams most recently met in 2015, a 0-0 draw in New Jersey in the final game before the USA traveled to Canada for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. All nine games between the teams have taken place on U.S. soil even though the USA has played two friendly tournaments in South Korea in its history, but did not meet the hosts at either one.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position (Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): 18-Jane Campbell (Houston Dash;1/0), 24-Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 13/0), 1-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 20/0)
DEFENDERS (6): 7-Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 9/0), 8-Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars: 53/11), 11-Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars; 1/0), 5-Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC; 101/2), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City; 131/0), 7-Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 15/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC, 39/4), 10-Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash; 242/97); 20-Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC; 31/5), 3-Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 30/5), 6-Andi Sullivan (Stanford; 4/0)
FORWARDS (6): 19-Crystal Dunn (Chelsea FC; 55/22), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride: 130/77); 23-Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars; 92/43), 2-Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 28/6), 15-Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign; 125/33), 12-Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 11/3)

Both of the draws between the teams have been 0-0 affairs, the first coming in 2008 during the USA’s post-Olympic tour following the gold medal win in Beijing, and the second was the most recent meeting in 2015 in Harrison, N.J. The USA’s most recent win against Korea Republic came in 2013, a 5-0 result at Red Bull Arena. (The teams also played five days before that, a 4-1 U.S. win in Foxborough, Mass.). That match at RBA was a historic night for the USA as forward Abby Wambach became the greatest goal scorer in women’s international soccer as she scored four goals – all in the first half.  It was the third strike in the 29th minute that gave her 159 in her career and moved her past former teammate Mia Hamm to become the all-time leader in international goals. Lauren Cheney scored the fifth and final goal in that match. Only six players on the U.S. roster were a part of the team that played against Korea Republic in 2015: Julie Ertz, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O'Hara, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd and Christen Press. Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher were on the bench, but did not play.

Fans can follow all the action from #USAvKOR on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp, and follow the team along its journey on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (ussoccer_wnt).

STORYLINES

Milestones: On Sept. 15, defender Kelley O’Hara started and captained the USA against New Zealand to earn her 100th cap, becoming the 36th player in U.S. WNT history to play 100 or more times for her country. O’Hara debuted as a forward for the USA in 2010 against Mexico in San Diego and switched to playing primarily defender in 2012 when she played a key role in the USA winning the Olympic gold medal in London. While O’Hara reached her 100th cap last month, there is another player on the roster who is now approaching a milestone of her own and could reach it this upcoming camp. U.S. co-captain Carli Lloyd is the two-time reigning FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year. She is the all-time active caps leader with 242 and is sitting on 97 goals, three away from becoming the sixth player to score 100 or more goals for the USA, and the first since 2009 when Abby Wambach scored her 100th.

One Year to Qualifying: The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup that will be contested from June 7-July 7, 2019, in nine cities in France is still on the distant horizon, as is the CONCACAF Qualifying tournament, which will be held about a year from now. The tournament host and teams have not been solidified, but the USA, Canada and Mexico will earn automatic berths into the final eight-team tournament, while the other five nations will have to go through pre-qualifying in their respective regions. From that eight-team tournament, three teams will qualify directly to France while a fourth will enter a two-leg playoff against the third-place team from South America. With just four games left on the 2017 schedule, the USA is focused squarely on the end-goal of 2018, a place among the 24 teams in France.

Consistent Starters: Only two players this year have started every game the USA has played so far: Samantha Mewis and Becky Sauerbrunn. Mewis has played 980 minutes so far, the most besides Becky Sauerbrunn’s 1,035. Mewis has 30 caps, has started all 12 matches and scored her fifth WNT goal against Brazil on July 30, tying the score at 1-1 with a grass-cutter from outside the penalty area. U.S. co-captain Sauerbrunn had her sixth career assist on Christen Press’s goal against Norway on June 11. With 131 caps, Sauerbrunn has moved ahead of Alex Morgan into 24th place on the all-time caps list (tied with Aly Wagner). She is one of 28 female players to play 125 or more times for the USA.

NWSL Championship: On Saturday, Oct. 14, the Portland Thorns defeated the North Carolina Courage, 1-0, to claim their second NWSL title and first since the league’s inaugural season in 2013. Lindsey Horan scored the game’s lone goal. Horan and Tobin Heath started and played all 90 minutes for the Thorns, while Long entered in stoppage time to help close out the win. On North Carolina’s side, Abby Dahlkemper, Samantha Mewis, Taylor Smith and Lynn Williams all started the match.

Heath and Smith Out With Injuries: Forward Tobin Heath (ankle) and defender Taylor Smith (shoulder) had to withdraw from training camp after suffering injuries in the NWSL Championship match on Saturday, Oct. 14. At this time, the players will not be replaced and the USA will have 20 players on the roster of which 18 will suit up for each match.

Success for Club and Country for Morgan: Alex Morgan comes into the matches with 77 goals after moving past Cindy Parlow into sole possession of seventh place on the USA’s all-time goal scoring list. She scored three goals during the September matches and has now scored in her last three games for the U.S. after scoring her first WNT goal of the year in the 3-0 victory against Japan at the Tournament of Nations on Aug. 3, followed by one on Sept. 15 and twice on Sept. 19.

Morgan also ended her NWSL season on a scoring streak, scoring nine goals in her last 12 games for the Orlando Pride. In August, she was directly involved in nine of the 13 goals scored by Orlando and scored in all five matches, which earned her the NWSL Player of the Month recognition. She finished the season with nine goals (tied for fifth in the league with Lynn Williams) and four assists in 14 games (including the playoff semifinal) after rejoining the Pride midseason following a successful spell with French club Olympique Lyonnais that saw her win both a league title and the 2017 UEFA Women's Champions League.

South Korea Continues Road to France 2019: South Korea took a huge step towards earning a spot at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup when it won its group at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifying tournament. At that qualifying tournament, South Korea and North Korea tied 1-1 and both defeated Uzbekistan by 4-0 scores. That meant that winning the group and earning a berth to the final qualifying tournament came down to the goals scored against India and Hong Kong. South Korea beat Hong Kong 6-0 while North Korea beat them 5-0 and South Korea beat India 10-0 while North Korea beat them 8-0, which accounted for the three-goal difference which eventually sent South Korea to the final round of the 2018 Asian Cup, while North Korea, which won both the U-17 and U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2016, will not be participating in the next World Cup.

Korea Republic will now compete in the final eight-team 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup tournament that will be held in Jordan and will serve as the final World Cup qualifying tournament for France 2019. At that tournament, the top five teams will punch their tickets to the main event. The teams competing will be: Host Jordan, Japan, Australia, China PR, Korea Republic, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. READ: Five Things About Korea Republic.

In New Orleans and Cary: The U.S. WNT last played in New Orleans in the final game of 2015, which was also the farewell game for U.S. legend Abby Wambach, a 1-0 loss to China PR. The USA’s only other match in Louisiana was in New Orleans in July of 2003, a 1-0 victory against Brazil. The U.S. WNT will be playing its seventh game all-time at WakeMed Soccer Park, now named after long-time women’s soccer supporter Joe Sahlen, who owned the Western New York Flash in the NWSL before selling the club as it moved to North Carolina and became the Courage for the 2017 season. The Flash won the NWSL title in 2016. The USA has won all six previous games played at the venue.

CHICAGO (Oct. 16, 2017) – U.S. Women’s National Team forward Tobin Heath (ankle) and defender Taylor Smith (shoulder) will not attend training camp currently taking place in Louisiana due to injuries suffered in the 2017 NWSL Championship match on Oct. 14.

At this point, neither player will be replaced on the roster and the USA will have 20 players available for matches against the Korea Republic, taking place Oct. 19 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (7 p.m. CT on FS1) in New Orleans and Oct. 22 in Cary, N.C. at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (2 p.m. ET on ESPN). U.S. head coach Jill Ellis will name 18 players to suit up for each game.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster (Caps/Goals) – October Matches vs. Korea Republic

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 1/0), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 13/0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 20/0),

DEFENDERS (6): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 9/0), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 53/11), Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars; 1/0), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC; 101/2), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City; 131/0), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 15/0)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 39/4), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash; 242/97), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC; 31/5), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 30/5), Andi Sullivan (Stanford; 4/0)

FORWARDS (6): Crystal Dunn (Chelsea FC; 55/22), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 130/77), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars; 92/43), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 28/6), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 125/33), Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 11/3) 

On Oct. 13, most of the U.S. WNT players will gather in Louisiana to begin their second-to-last training camp of 2017, but seven players will take a quick “detour” beforehand as they compete for the 2017 NWSL title in Orlando, Florida.

The NWSL Championship will take place on Oct. 14 (4:30 p.m. ET; Lifetime) at Orlando City Stadium and will feature the North Carolina Courage and the Portland Thorns. Of the 22players U.S. head coach Jill Ellis named to the roster for the U.S. WNT’s upcoming friendlies matches against Korea Republic on Oct. 19 in New Orleans (7 p.m. CT; FS1) and on Oct. 22 in Cary, N.C. (2 p.m. ET; ESPN), seven players will arrive in camp a few days late as they vie for club glory in the Sunshine State.

These players are Abby Dahlkemper, Samantha Mewis, Taylor Smith, Lynn Williams of the 2017 NWSL Shield winners, North Carolina Courage, and Allie Long, Lindsey Horan and Tobin Heath of the Portland Thorns, which finished in second place.

HOW TO WATCH
The Championship game on Oct. 14 will air on national television on Lifetime.

Check your local listings to find your Lifetime channel.

SETTING THE STAGE
The Thorns earned their spot in the Championship game after a dominant 4-1 semifinal victory against the Orlando Pride on Oct. 7 in front of 18,193 fans at Providence Park. Amandine Henry, Emily Sonnett, Haley Raso and Nadia Nadim scored for Portland, while Orlando’s sole goal came courtesy of Alanna Kennedy.

Both Tobin Heath and Lindsey Horan started the match, with each also recording an assist. It was Heath’s first club start of 2017 in just her third appearance of this NWSL season. Heath was sidelined for most of the season due to a back injury. She played 81 minutes in the semifinal, while Horan played all 90. Allie Long was a late-game substitute and helped the Thorns secure the victory over the final eight minutes of the match.

The North Carolina Courage secured its place in the Final on Oct. 8 with a dramatic game-winning goal from Denise O’Sullivan in the 90th minute to defeat the Chicago Red Stars, 1-0. It was the first win of the year for the Courage against the Red Stars after losing the three regular season meetings. The crowd of 10,017 at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park was an attendance record for North Carolina. The Courage will now look to become the first NWSL Shield winners to also win an NWSL Championship in the same season.

All four October camp-bound WNT players – Abby Dahlkemper, Samantha Mewis, Taylor Smith and Lynn Williams – started and played all 90 minutes for the Courage against Chicago.

PORTLAND VS. NORTH CAROLINA: WHAT TO EXPECT
As with any two teams competing for the top prize in their league, the match is expected to be tight, with both teams featuring stinging defenses that could counter-act two potent offenses. The two clubs met twice this year during the regular season with each earning a 1-0 win at home. Both teams failed to score in the first half of those matches.

Additionally, the Courage and the Thorns ended the 2017 NWSL regular season as No. 1 and No. 2 in the league standings, but not just in points (Courage 49, Thorns 47). They were also the top two clubs in home wins (Thorns 10, Courage 9) and fewest goals allowed (Thorns 20, Courage 22), which foreshadows another defensive battle.

North Carolina: North Carolina had a consistent and successful season from start to finish, sitting in the top spot for all but a few days the over the course of the entire campaign. The quartet of U.S. WNT players in North Carolina have been crucial pieces for the young team this season. Dahlkemper has played every minute, while Smith, who made the move to outside back after playing further up the field for most of her career, performed incredibly well in her new position. Mewis scored six goals in the regular season and had three assists, and Williams followed up her NWSL MVP year in 2016 with nine goals (good for fifth in the league) and five assists.

Portland: After July 1, the Thorns dropped just two games, drew once, and earned eight wins to close out the year in dominating fashion while establishing itself as one of the best teams in the league in 2017. They also won 10 games at home, setting a new NWSL record for most wins at home in a single regular season.

Heath, who spent almost the entire season rehabilitating from a back injury made her first start of the year in the semifinal, which means that Heath’s comeback, plus the fantastic performance from Horan this season in the center midfield and the consistently solid presence of Long is sure to make this WNT trio important factors in the pursuit of the trophy on Saturday.

Several of the WNT players in the championship game were honored with post-season awards and/or nominations. Dahlkemper and Mewis were named to the Best XI while Horan made the Second XI. Dahlkemper is nominated for Defender of the Year while Mewis is on the list of finalists for MVP.

• The U.S. Women's National Team is set to face South Korea twice in October in a pair of friendlies.
• The games will take place on Oct. 19 in New Orleans (7 p.m. CT; FS1), and on Oct. 22 in Cary, North Carolina. 
• The last time the two teams met was on May 30, 2015 in Harrison, New Jersey, a 0-0 draw.

Korea Republic Women’s National Team Roster by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-KANG Gaae (Gumi Sportstoto), 21-KIM Minjung (Suwon FMC FC)
DEFENDERS (7): 20-KIM Hyeri (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels), 19-KIM Hyeyeong (Icheon Daekyo FC), 6-PARK Chorong (Hwacheon KSPO FC), 4-SEO Hyunsook (Icheon Daekyo FC), 3-SHIN Damyeong (Suwon FMC FC), 2-LEE Eunmi (Suwon FMC FC), 23-JANG Seulgi (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels)
MIDFIELDERS (10): 14-MOON Mira (Icheon Daekyo FC), 11-LEE Geummin (Seoul City FC), 7-LEE Mina (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angles), 15-LEE Sodam (Gumi Sportstoto FC), 23-JANG Chang (Korea University), 9-JEON Gaeul (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels), 8-CHO Sohyun (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels), 13-JI Sunmi (Icheon Daekyo FC), 16-CHOE Yuri (Gumi Sportstoto FC), 22-HAN Chaerin (Wideok University)
FORWARDS (3): 18-SON Hwayeon (Korea University), 12-YOO Younga (Gumi Sportstoto FC), 13-JI Soyun (Chelsea FC)       

Here are five things to know about the U.S. WNT's upcoming AFC opponent: 

USA vs. Korea Republic
The USA is 7-0-2 all-time against Korea Republic, which is ranked 16th in the world. The two teams first played in 1997 and most recently met in 2015, a 0-0 draw in Harrison, New Jersey in the final game before the USA traveled to Canada for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. All nine games between the teams have taken place on U.S. soil. Like the USA, Korea is in a rebuilding stage. Korea has eight players on this roster from the 2015 WWC: Lee Eunmi, Cho Sohyun, Jeon Gaeul, Lee Geummin, Yoo Younga, Lee Sodam, Kim Hyeri.

Growth in South Korea
Korea Republic played the first match in its history in 1990, against AFC rival Japan. While its rise to prominence in the women’s game has been a bit slow-going, since the turn of the century, Korea has made significant strides, qualifying for both the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where it was eliminated after the group stage, and most recently the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where it advanced to the Round of 16 – its best performance to date – before bowing out against world-power France, 3-0. South Korea finished second in Group E at the 2015 FIFA women’s World Cup, rebounding from a 2-0 loss to Brazil in its opening game to defeat tie Costa Rica 2-2 and then edge Spain, 2-1. The four points was good enough to earn a Round of 16 match, but it turned out to be against France, which sent the Koreans home with a 3-0 loss. Ji Soyun scored on a penalty against Costa Rica while Jeon Gaeul added the other goal. Cho Sohyun and Kim Sooyun scored their countries goals against Spain, the second coming in the 78th minute to qualify for the knockout round.

One Step Towards France
In April of this year, Yoon's South Korea team won Group B at the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup qualifying tournament in Pyongyang, North Korea, where they competed against North Korea, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong and India. South Korea needed to win the group to qualify for the final eight-team 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup tournament that will be held in Jordan and will serve as the final World Cup qualifying tournament for France 2019. South Korea and North Korea finished tied at 10 points each with three wins and a draw (1-1 against each other), but South Korea had a better goal difference (+20 to +17 for North Korea) to claim the top spot in Group B, which eliminated North Korea, which won both the U-17 and U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2016, from World Cup contention. 

As the winner of Group B, South Korea will compete at the 2018 Asian Cup in Jordan, which also doubles as the regional qualification for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the top five teams will punch their tickets to the main event. The teams competing in that tournament will be: Host Jordan, Japan, Australia, China PR, Korea Republic, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Korea made 10 changes on this roster set to face the USA from the Asian Cup qualifying squad that played in North Korea: Park Chorong, Ji Sunmi, Choe Yuri, Son Hwayeon, Kim Hyeyeong, Kim Hyeri, Kim Minjung, Han Chaerin and Jang Chang were not a part of that squad.

Goal Getters
Of the 21 goals scored by South Korea in the preliminary qualifying tournament, eight were scored by Ji So-yun (4) and Lee Geum-min (4). Cho So-hyun and Yoo Young-a scored three each. At that qualifying tournament, South Korea and North Korea tied 1-1 and both defeated Uzbekistan by 4-0 scores. That meant it came down to the goals scored against India and Hong Kong. South Korea beat Hong Kong 6-0 while North Korea beat them 5-0 and South Korea beat India 10-0 while North Korea beat them 8-0, which accounted for the three-goal difference which eventually sent South Korea to the final round of the 2018 Asian Cup, and most likely to France.

CHICAGO (Oct. 11, 2017) – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis has named 22 players to the roster for two matches against the Korea Republic, taking place Oct. 19 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans (7 p.m. CT on FS1) and on Oct. 22 at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. (2 p.m. ET on ESPN). Ellis will name 18 players to suit up for each of the two matches.

• UPDATE: Heath and Smith Ruled Out of WNT Matches vs. Korea Republic

SAID ELLIS:
“South Korea is a team that is well positioned to qualify for the upcoming World Cup in France, a former world champion at the Under-17 level and a team that gave us a battle when we played them before the last World Cup,” said Ellis. “They fit perfectly into the mold of the kind of team we wanted to play this year and will be an excellent opponent for our group coming out of the NWSL season.”

The USA most recently played Korea Republic on May 30, 2015, drawing 0-0 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., in the last match before the historic run to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup title.

WELCOME BACK
Of the 22 players Ellis named, 20 were with the U.S. team for the two wins against New Zealand in September. Ellis added co-captain Carli Lloyd, who is still working her way back from an ankle injury that kept her out of the September matches against the Football Ferns and the last five matches of the NWSL season. Lloyd, the reigning two-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, who is up for the award again this fall, is the most capped player on the roster with 242 games played and highest scorer with 97 career goals. Twenty-one-year-old midfielder Andi Sullivan, a senior at Stanford, gets her first call up since the fall of 2016, when she earned her first four caps before tearing her ACL in a college playoff match. 

TICKETS
Tickets for both games are on sale through ussoccer.com and by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets may also be purchased for the game in New Orleans at the Smoothie King Center ticket office (open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and at the Superdome ticket office only on the day of the event. For the game in North Carolina, only a limited number of tickets remain. Tickets will not be sold at the stadium ticket office except on the day of the event, if any remain.

Groups of 20 or more can order at ussoccer.com. To receive notifications directly and for early ticket access, join U.S. Soccer’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat.

Coaches Circle and Presidents Circle members supporting the U.S. Soccer Development Fund can receive individual customer support and concierge services for their ticketing needs. Contact circles@ussoccer.org for more information.