Trinity Rodman accepts first USWNT call-up for January camp
[ad_1]
U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski has called in 25 players for the team’s first training camp of the year, a group that includes Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman.
Rodman, 19, the NWSL’s 2021 Rookie of the Year, is accepting a call-up for the first time. But she isn’t alone in terms of uncapped players, with Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury also taking part in the camp. San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma is joining the team for the second time at the camp, which will be held in Austin, Texas.
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
The camp will run from Jan. 19-28, and while there are no friendlies scheduled in conjunction with the gathering, Andonovski is keen to get a look at some rising stars ahead of the SheBelieves Cup, which will take place in mid-February.
“Without any matches that we need to taper for, we can get in some more intense trainings and full-field scrimmages, which is great as we need to give this group as many chances as possible to play together in a national team environment,” said Andonovski said.
“We understand that some of the players are coming off a break, so we’ll keep that in mind as we hit the ground running in 2022 for what will be a very important year for these players and our team.”
Andonovski’s roster also sees the return of several veterans, including goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, defender Kelley O’Hara, midfielder Samantha Mewis and forward Mallory Pugh. Naeher has been out since injuring her knee in the Olympic semifinal.
Rodman, the 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year and 2021 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, at 19 is still age-eligible for the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. She was called up for the Australian friendlies in November, but opted out.
The daughter of former NBA player Dennis Rodman, she has nine career U20 international goals in just seven caps and likely would have played in the 2020 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup had it not…
[ad_2]
Source : espn
