USWNT Selects Three Utah Royals FC Members to Training Camp for Tournament of Nations

Becky Sauerbrunn, Amy Rodriguez, and Christen Press Selected for Tournament of Nations Training Camp;
Final 23 Player Roster Will Be Finalized Prior to Opening Match Against Japan;
Players Set to Miss NWSL Match Against N.C. Courage at Rio Tinto Stadium
SANDY, Utah (Monday, July 16, 2018) – Utah Royals FC FW Christen Press, DF Becky Sauerbrunn, and FW Amy Rodriguez have been called up to represent team USA at national camp for the Tournament of Nations, announced U.S. Head Coach Jill Ellis and the United States Soccer Federation. Ellis will slim the 25-player roster down to 23 in the days prior to the first contest against Japan on July 26. The annual tournament will be hosted in the United States from July 26 – August 3, and comes in preparation for CONCACAF cup play in the fall.
Following camp in Kansas City, Kansas, USWNT will play a round-robin style tournament against Japan, Australia, and Brazil. The team with the most points at the end of play will win, with tie-breakers determined by goal-differential. After winning the SheBelieves Cup in March, the number one ranked team in the world will return to the pitch featuring other NWSL stars such as Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), and Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride).

DF Becky Sauerbrunn returns to the squad with 139 caps, including play for a gold medal in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics. Sauerbrunn, a veteran for the squad, has won two CONCACAF Women’s Qualifying Cups (2010, 2014), and two NWSL championships with FC Kansas City (2014, 2015).

Another experienced player, FW Amy Rodriguez will also attend national camp this week, bringing with her 131 caps and 30 career goals. As one of the most heralded players to wear the USWNT crest, Rodriguez boasts two Olympic gold medals from the game in Beijing (2008), and London (2012) – where she set a CONCACAF Olympic qualifying record for scoring give goals in a single match against the Dominican Republic.

FW Christen Press will also be making her USWNT return, recently achieving the century-mark in June with 100 caps. Press has registered 44 goals since her national team debut in 2013, clenching the first-place trophy in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and gold medals in two Algarve tournaments (2013, 2015).
2018 TOURNAMENT OF NATIONS SCHEDULE

Meet Team USA
GOALKEEPERS (3):
Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC)
Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride)
Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS (7):
Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage)
Tierna Davidson (Stanford)
Jaelene Hinkle (NC Courage)
Merritt Mathias (NC Courage)
Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC)
Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars)
Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)
MIDFIELDERS (8):
Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars)
Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars)
Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC)
Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit)
Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC)
Samantha Mewis (NC Courage)
Allie Long (Seattle Reign FC)
McCall Zerboni (NC Courage)
FORWARDS (7):
Crystal Dunn (NC Courage)
Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC)
Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride)
Kealia Ohai (Houston Dash)
Christen Press (Utah Royals FC)
Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC)
Amy Rodriguez (Utah Royals FC)
The dynamic trio will miss Friday’s NWSL match between Utah Royals FC and N.C. Courage at Rio Tinto Stadium, and will be the final time the two teams meet in regular-season play. Utah, the only team in the league to beat the Courage this season, is currently seated in 6th place with 21 points. A win on Friday could bump the team up to the fifth-place position in the home-stretch of the playoff chase. Tickets are available now at rsl.com, or by calling 844.Real.Tix.