New mother Alex Morgan, Catarina Macario join U.S. women in Europe
Alex Morgan, who is currently playing for Tottenham after giving birth to her daughter in May, is among the players included on the U.S. roster in advance of the final match of the season against the Netherlands.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski named 23 players Tuesday to the six-day training camp in Europe before the Nov. 27 match in Breda, the team’s first game since March. Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, two mainstays who were on the 2019 World Cup-winning team, were left off the roster, but both are expected to be in January’s camp.
The United States beat the Netherlands 2-0 in Lyon, France, last year for the Americans’ fourth World Cup title and second in a row. Rapinoe converted a penalty kick and Rose Lavelle scored following a solo run.
Morgan, a Cal alum who has 107 international goals, has not played for the U.S. since the World Cup final. In a conference call, Andonovski said Morgan is not yet fit for a full 90 minutes, but praised her willingness to join Tottenham this season to get in work.
“I personally have a great respect for her, for her decision to go overseas and play, because it’s a tough time,” he said. “It’s a tough time for everyone, and for her to have a newborn with her, go to another country in the middle of a pandemic, just to be able to get back and play the game that she loves and prepare for the next big tournament. I think that deserves lots of respect and lots of credit.”
Stanford’s Catarina Macario is the lone non-professional on the roster. Although the Brazil native recently became a U.S. citizen and was issued a passport, the FIFA process that would allow her to compete with the United States has not been completed.
“We don’t think she’s going to be able to get the permission before this game. But we felt like with...