USWNT returns to action on Saturday to host Uzbekistan in Columbus, Ohio

With qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup and 2024 Summer season Olympics three months away, the U.S. Ladies’s Nationwide Workforce continues its preparations on Saturday, April 9, taking up Uzbekistan at Decrease.com Subject in Columbus, Ohio.

The match kicks off atc and will likely be broadcast in English on FOX, with broadcast protection starting at 5 p.m. ET, and in Spanish on Vix, TelevisaUnivision’s free streaming service.

These would be the first matches for the USWNT since profitable its third consecutive SheBelievesCup again in February. The USA clinche its fifth event title with a complete 5-0 victory over Iceland on February 23. The 2022 SheBelieves Cup marked the USA’s first matches of the yr and included a 0-0 draw vs. Czech Republic on Feb. 17 and a 5-0 victory over New Zealand on Feb. 20.

Following the match in Columbus, the USA will shut out its two-game set with Uzbekistan in Chester, Pennsylvania. The groups will meet at Subaru Park, residence of Main League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ViX.

USWNT DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Bella Bixby (Portland Thorns FC; 0), Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit; 0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Crimson Stars; 79)

DEFENDERS (7): Alana Cook dinner (OL Reign; 7/0), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave FC; 77/0), Imani Dorsey (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 1/0), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville FC; 11/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 10/0), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 0/0), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 150/2)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA; 108/25), Jaelin Howell (Racing Louisville FC; 4/0), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 69/18), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA; 15/5), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 36/5), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 5/0), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 25/2) 

FORWARDS (5): Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 6/3), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Crimson Stars; 70/21), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 12/2), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 13/1) 

The 22-player U.S. roster for these matches towards Uzbekistan options 17 gamers who helped the U.S. win the SheBelieves Cup in February. Veterans and World Cup champions Abby Dahlkemper and Lindsey Horan return to the roster after lacking the SheBelieves Cup resulting from harm whereas goalkeeper Bella Bixby and defenders Imani Dorsey and Naomi Girma are the opposite new additions from February. Midfielder Samantha Mewis was initially named to this roster when it was introduced on March 29 however was dominated out on April 1 as she continues to recuperate from a knee difficulty and was not changed.

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA VS. UZBEKISTAN

The matchup in Columbus would be the first assembly ever between the USA and Uzbekistan, making Uzbekistan the fifty fifth totally different nation the USWNT has confronted in its almost 37-year historical past. Uzbekistan is the eighth totally different opponent from Asia and the primary new AFC opponent for the USWNT since Thailand in 2016. That match towards Thailand was additionally performed in Columbus, a 9-0 victory of the USA in what was additionally the ultimate worldwide match for legendary USWNT midfielder Heather O’Reilly.

SUCCESS ON HOME SOIL

The USA heads into Saturday’s match in Columbus on a 65-game residence unbeaten streak, which incorporates 58 wins and 7 attracts. Throughout this unbeaten streak, the USA has outscored its opponents 237027 (what is that this quantity?), together with a 107-3 margin throughout its final 27 matches at residence, all however two of which have been wins save for a 0-0 draw with Korea Republic on Oct. 21 and a scoreless draw vs Czech Republic on Feb. 17. The match towards South Korea ended the USA’s residence profitable streak at 22 consecutive video games, the second-longest such streak in USWNT historical past. The USA’s longest residence profitable streak was 23 video games and spanned from April 1993 to February 1996.

The USA has not allowed a aim on residence soil in over two years, final conceding at residence on March, 11, 2020 in a 3-1 win over Japan within the ultimate match of the 2020 SheBelieves Cup. Since then, they’ve saved a program document 17 straight residence clear sheets, the longest such streak in program. The house shutout streak at the moment stands at 1,562 minutes which is over 26 hours of match play with out permitting a aim at residence. 4 totally different goalkeepers have performed a hand on this shutout streak, with Alyssa Naeher registering seven of the 16 residence shutouts. Jane Campbell (4 clear sheets), Adrianna Franch (3) and Casey Murphy (2) additionally registered shutouts throughout this span, with Naeher and Franch additionally pitching a mixed shutout on July 1 vs Mexico.

ROAD TO DOWN UNDER

A brand new cycle is effectively underway with lower than three months till the beginning of qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup, which will likely be co-hosted in Australia and New Zealand starting in July of 2023. The Concacaf qualifying event is scheduled to happen in Monterrey, Mexico from July 4-18, 2022, with the highest 4 groups guaranteeing their spot within the 2023 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup. Two extra Concacaf representatives will advance to a 10-team intercontinental playoff event to find out the ultimate groups within the broaden 32-team subject for 2023.

The draw for the 2022 Concacaf W Championship will likely be held on April 19 in Miami (7 p.m. ET). The occasion will place the eight competing nations – the USA, Canada and the six qualifying group winners – into two teams of 4 groups every. The USA, which is able to head Group A, and Canada, which is able to head Group B, have obtained byes straight to the ultimate event because the highest-ranked groups within the area. The six qualifying group winners will likely be decided throughout the April FIFA window.

The eight group Concacaf W Championship will encompass group play, adopted by semifinal and championship rounds. Together with qualifying for the World Cup, at conclusion of the Concacaf W Championship, the profitable nation may also assure its place within the 2024 Paris Summer season Olympic Video games Ladies’s Soccer Match and the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. The runner-up and the third-place nations will progress to a Concacaf Olympic play-in to be performed in September of 2023. The winner of the play-in may also assure their place within the 2024 Paris Summer season Olympic Video games and the 2024 W Gold Cup

The USA is seeking to qualify for its ninth consecutive FIFA Ladies’s World Cup, having performed in each event because the competitors’s inception in 1991 and profitable a document 4 titles. The USA may also have the chance to qualify for an eighth consecutive Summer season Olympics.

USA ROSTER NOTES

• Essentially the most capped participant on the roster is Kelley O’Hara (150) whereas the least capped gamers are Aubrey Kingsbury (0), Bella Bixby), Naomi Girma (0), Imani Dorsey (1) and Trinity Rodman (2).

• Simply two gamers have 100+ caps: Kelley O’Hara and Lindsey Horan (108).

• Alyssa Naeher is the oldest participant on the roster (33.9 years previous) whereas O’Hara is the oldest subject participant (33.6 years). Rodman is the youngest (19.8 years previous) and was eight years previous when O’Hara made her USWNT debut.

• 9 gamers on the roster are beneath the age of 25: Alana Cook dinner, Mallory Pugh, Emily Fox, Ashley Sanchez, Catarina Macario, Jaelin Howell, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma and Trinity Rodman.

• Lindsey Horan is the highest scorer on the roster with 25 objectives. Mallory Pugh has 21 objectives for the USWNT whereas Rose Lavelle has 18. Nobody else on the roster has greater than 5 worldwide objectives (Macario and Kristie Mewis).

• 4 totally different gamers have scored for the USWNT up to now in 2022 – Mallory Pugh (3), Catarina Macario (2), Ashley Hatch (1) and Kristie Mewis (1). The USA’s different three objectives this yr got here by way of personal objectives.

• Seven totally different gamers have registered an help for the USWNT this yr. Ashley Sanchez leads the best way with two assists whereas Macario, Pugh, Hatch, Margaret Purce and Sofia Huerta every have one help.

• In whole, eight totally different gamers have been instantly concerned in objectives for the USWNT this yr, tallying both a aim or an help.

• Defender Alana Cook dinner leads the USA in whole minutes performed up to now in 2022 with 266 minutes of motion, adopted by midfielder Andi Sullivan (231) and defender Emily Fox (226).

• Head coach Vlatko Andonovski is 30-2-6 in 38 video games (two on the finish of 2019, 9 in 2020, 24 in 2021, and three up to now in 2022), setting a document for finest begin for a head coach in USWNT historical past. His first ever recreation answerable for the USWNT got here in Columbus, Ohio in a 3-2 win over Sweden on Nov. 7, 2019 at MAPFRE Stadium.

• Of Andonovski’s first 38 video games, 27 have been at residence and 17 have been towards groups ranked within the top-13 on this planet.

• Eleven totally different gamers have earned their first cap beneath Andonovski, seven of whom are on this roster.

• 5 of the final six objectives the USWNT scored within the SheBelieves Cup have been scored by gamers beneath 24-years-old (Mallory Pugh – 3, Catarina Macario – 2). Solely 4 of the earlier 115 objectives the USWNT has scored (excluding personal objectives) have been scored by gamers earlier than their twenty fourth birthday courting again to the beginning of 2020.
• Seven of the 12 NWSL golf equipment have gamers on the roster with the Washington Spirit having six and OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC having three every.

IN FOCUS: UZBEKISTAN | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

Present FIFA World Rating: 48
AFC Rating: 10
FIFA Nation Code: UZB
2023 World Cup Qualifying: N/A
World Cup appearances: None
Greatest World Cup End: N/A
File vs. USA: 0-0-0
Final Assembly vs. USA: None
Coach: Midori Honda (JPN)
Championship Honors: None

UZBEKISTAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Tilovova Laylo (PFK Sevinch), 12-Saidova Zarina (FC Bunyodkor), 13-Uzganova Nigora (FC Sogdiana) 

DEFENDERS (7): 2-Nabieva Yulduz (FC Bunyodkor), 3-Kuchkarova Ugiloy (FC Sogdiana), 9-Irisboeva Ziyoda (FC Bunyodkor), 11-Mirzayorova Mukhlisa (FC Metallurg), 17-Zarbieva Tanzilya (FC Sogdiana), 21-Tojiddinova Shokhida (FC AGMK), 22-Khusniddinova Solikha (Kocaeli Bayan FK, TUR)

MIDFIELDERS (7): 4-Zaynitdinova Shakhrizoda (Trabzonspor, TUR), 5-Panjieva Maftuna (FC Sogdiana), 6-Turdalieva Irodahon (FC Sogdiana), 10-Ablyakimova Ilvina (FC Bunyodkor), 14-Takaboeva Setora (Trabzonspor, TUR), 15-Vokhidova Madina (FC Qizilkum), 19-Kamoltoeva Nozima (FC Sogdiana)  

FORWARDS (6): 7-Kudratova Nilufar (PFK Sevinch), 8-Ergasheva Dildora (FC Sogdiana), 16-Juraboeva Diyora (FC Metallurg), 18-Norboeva Aziza (FC Bunyodkor), 20-Zaripova Kamila (Trabzonspor, TUR), 23-Khabibullaeva Diyorakhon (FC Sogdiana)

UZBEKISTAN ROSTER NOTES

• Uzbekistan gained its independence and have become a rustic in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

• Uzbekistan performed within the Turkish Ladies’s Cup throughout the February FIFA window, defeating Lithuania 1-0, falling to Ukraine 2-0 and drawing with Venezuela, 0-0.

• In 2021 in pleasant video games, Uzbekistan defeated India, 1-0, misplaced to Belarus, 3-1, drew Belarus 1-1, and defeated Iran 5-0. In Asian Cup qualifying, the Uzbeks downed Mongolia 12-0 and misplaced to South Korea, 4-0.

• All of Uzbekistan’s gamers play domestically (19 gamers) or in Turkey, the place three gamers play for Trabzonspor and one for Kocaeli Byana.

• Two gamers compete for PFK Sevenich, which gained 11 First Division titles in a row from 2006-2016, earlier than the streak was damaged by FC Metallurg, which has two gamers on the roster.

• Reigning champions FC Bunyodkor have 5 gamers on the roster whereas FC Sogdiana eight gamers on the roster.

• This summer time, the Uzbekistan will play the qualifying rounds for the 2023 Asian Ladies’s Cup in China PR and was drawn into Group C with Thailand, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The group winners and the highest 5 second place groups within the 24-team pre-qualifying event will advance to the ultimate event.

• Uzbekistan’s head coach is famed Japanese participant Midori Honda. In 1991, she performed for Japan within the first-ever Ladies’s World Cup. Now 56, she debuted for Japan on the age of 17 in 1983 and performed 44 instances for her nation.

• She has been teaching in Japan’s high league since 2001 and was additionally an assistant coach for the Japan U-20s on the 2012 FIFA U-20 Ladies’s World Cup in Japan, a event that the USA gained and at which Japan completed third.