While yes, I do believe it is good to see the next generation, we are going into a weird time where we just came off the Olympics and we’re still in a pandemic.
The World Cup is next year.
Ideally, the roster should be released in about a year and we should have a pretty good idea of who is going to be going on that roaster at this time. Your team is going to need chemistry. That means time on a field together as well off the field and with the pandemic still here you need the players that you will realistically looking to take with you playing together now.
On top of that, I don’t want what happened at the Olympics where Vlatko played his alternates more than some of his main roster. That was some real fucking bullshit.
So let me break down my thoughts on each position.
Also I think you need a couple more vets there to help mentor the next generation. But also, why have so many returning faces as only defenders? Kelley? I see her as an injury hazard right now. She needs to play and prove that she can be healthy while she isn’t with the national team.
So, let’s get into my actual thoughts about the positions.
Goalkeepers. I actually like this. Obviously I’m happy to see Alyssa is back. She needs reps and games especially after being out. I like Aubrey being there. Aubrey has been proving herself in the NWSL. I’m not that big a fan of Casey Murphy though. Maybe it’s just cause I don’t see a lot of her since I am not a fan of North Carolina, but I really want A.D. back I think A.D. or Aubrey is gonna be the goalkeeper after Alyssa retires.
The backline.
I really like how the backline is. I think it has a good distribution. You have three established vets in Becky, Kelley, and Abby. While I do believe Kelley is an injury risk, she is a very good defender. I feel like we can’t class Sonnett and Tierna as vets as I believe them to be in their prime. I would like to point out that I would also say that Abby is in her prime, but I am calling her a vet due to the role she played in the World Cup gave her a lot more experience than Sonnett has. I believe that Sonnett could possibly look to take a spot on the backline should Kelley retire or stop appearing for the national team soon. (I suspect this to happen after the 2023 World Cup especially if Kelley proves she can’t stay healthy.) Tierna, I believe, will take over for Becky when she retires. I also believe that Tierna is the future of the backline and we should start looking to see her playing more. I like Emily as one of the newbies. I think she’ll be with Tierna in being the future of the backline. Alana and Sofia, I don’t watch a lot of Reign games, but I do believe they are good choices especially for getting new blood in.
All in all, 3 vets/2 primes/3 newbies is a very good balance.
Midfielders.
This is where I find it a little tricky. There are no real established vets at all here. Moe is the only one I would consider as a vet and given her break from the team after the 2019 World Cup, it makes me hesitant to call her vet. Moe is a very good player and I’m happy she was able to prove that she deserves to be there again, but I don’t want to call her a vet because of the absence. Julie obviously isn’t there and she is the only other one I would say is a real vet. I look at Sam as a vet because she’s been with the team stably since 2015 and she was there for the 2016 Olympics along with the role she played in the World Cup. Sam is also much like Abby for me cause she is in her prime but she has that air and the experience to be a vet. I want Sam there. I think Sam is the real vet here for midfielders. Lindsey, Rose, and Kristie. These are your main actual prime players. I like Lindsey and Rose. I have since the World Cup. Kristie, I wouldn’t call as a vet because of the lack of national team experience, but the way she plays makes me call her a prime player because she plays like she’s in her mid-twenties. Don’t count Kristie out. She plays well and she does have years in the league under her belt. Cat, Ashley, and Andi. I don’t know how I feel about Cat yet. I definitely think she has a future with the team, but I worry because of how the Olympics went. Cat was an alternate and yet she played more than Kristie. What the fuck happened there? Why take Cat as an alternate only to play her more than your actual roster? I feel a little weird about Ashley as well. I just don’t know how I feel about her yet because we haven’t seen her on the national stage. Andi is also weird because obviously she’s a good player but she’s been an on the fence national team member due to injuries I feel like. I don’t want to give up on Andi, but I feel like if you’re looking to bring new people in, Andi is not the way to go. Andi is the same age as Rose and I just feel like she’s another Ally Long in the sense that I forget about her.
I am mixed with the midfielders. Say we go down to six midfielders (I’ll explain why in a moment), here’s who I want: Moe and Sam as the vets. Lindsey, Rose, and Kristie as the primes. Cat as your newbie (this is because I believe she’ll be our future in the midfield).
Forwards.
Oh, am I pissed about this. There are no real vets with the forwards. We’re gonna take new people? Fine. But where the fuck is Trinity Rodman? I know she was named as a training player, but she is going to be the future. I feel like Ashley Hatch and Mal proved they belong with this past season. Ashley was the golden boot winner of the NWSL and Mal proved herself this past year. Due to Mal’s ultimate lack of experience as far as the little about of time in the World Cup, I don’t consider her a vet. Mal is our prime player. Lynn is also a prime player, but I do not like Lynn. I don’t know what it is, but she just has failed to impress me anytime I’ve watched her on the national stage. Everyone else is a newbie. I like that Sophia and Midge are there along with Ashley as the new players. I also want vets. I would have liked to see either 2 vets, 1 prime, and 2 newbies, or 1 vet, 1 prime, and 3 newbies if we had kept with 5 forwards.
I’m going to change things. Going back to only selecting six midfielders, it now allows us to pick six forwards which is important. I would have called up 1 vet, 1 prime, and 4 newbies. (This is only with six forwards. I’m gonna explained what I really would have preferred after this.) I would have called up Tobin as the vet because she can also double a midfielder which also gives you an extra midfielder vet. Mal as your prime player. I would have stuck with Ashley, Sophia, and Midge as three of four of the newbies. I would have had Trinity as the fourth newbie and asked Lynn as a training player if you really want to add new people. (This is because Lynn has spent so much time recently with the team so I want to see how Mal has improved rather than see Lynn again.)
SO
What I would have actually done if. I had control over how many players in each position I could have.
Goalkeepers. (3)
Alyssa, Aubrey, A.D. (If A.D. didn’t want to attend because of her baby, then I would choose Casey)
Defenders (7)
Becky, Abby, Tierna, Sonnett, Emily Fox, Alana, and Sofia. (This way you have four players who were in the past World Cup and three new blood players)
Midfielders (6)
Moe, Sam, Lindsey, Rose, Cat, and Kristie. (I feel like this could actually be a midfield we see at the 2023 World Cup)
Forwards (7)
Tobin and Midge.
I put them by theirselves because both of them have proven that they can play multiple positions. Tobin has literally played as a defender, midfielder, and a forward for the national team. Midge has proven that she is versatile like Crystal and can play defender and forward. I give them 2 of the 7 forward spots because you can move them around and use them elsewhere.
The other five forwards.
Mal, Ashley, Sophia, Trinity, and either Alex or Christen.
My preferred choice would be Christen so you can get an idea of where she is after being off for 6 months, but I would take Alex in place of her. I fully expect Alex and Christen to go to the 2023 World Cup so they would be great vet players for the forwards.
If you guys are interested on my thoughts for the 2023 World Cup Roster as of right now, let me know and I will put my predictions out there and come back to review them at the end of the year and then reflect them when the 2023 Roster is actually announced.
