AUCKLAND, New Zealand – The U.S. girls are able to go. All 23 of them.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski stated Friday that Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Rose Lavelle are all obtainable for Saturday’s World Cup opener towards Vietnam. Rapinoe and Lavelle will likely be on restricted minutes initially, however Ertz could have no limitations.
“They’re able to play,” Andonovski stated Friday. “From a medical standpoint, all people’s obtainable.”
The standing of all three U.S. stars has been a query for a number of weeks now, particularly after not one of the three performed within the USWNT’s send-off match two weeks in the past.
Ertz was thought of the closest to being prepared. Although she solely returned to aggressive soccer in April after having son Madden final August, Ertz has been taking part in frequently with Angel Metropolis FC. However Rapinoe has not performed since leaving an NSWL recreation June 10 with a calf harm and Lavelle has been out since injuring her knee in a pleasant towards Eire in April.
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“From minutes administration, Julie is 100%,” Andonovski stated. “Megan is in the identical boat as Rose, her minutes are in all probability going to develop because the event goes.”
Count on to see them, too.
The sport may seem to be a mismatch — the USWNT is the two-time defending champion whereas Vietnam is ranked No. 32 on the planet and is taking part in in its first-ever World Cup — and Vietnam’s coach likened the U.S. girls to “a mountain.” However the People know higher than to take something without any consideration.
They need to change into the primary staff, males’s or girls’s to win three consecutive World Cup titles, and that will not occur in the event that they’re even the slightest bit complacent. So they’ll discipline one of the best staff doable, in each recreation.
“We do have plenty of respect for (Vietnam). We anticipate nothing lower than that they’ll combat and can make it as exhausting as doable for us,” Andonovski stated. “We’re going into this recreation to play with one of the best staff and get the end result that’s favorable for us.”
