Sky Blue FC defender Midge Purce has been named to the first U.S. Women’s National Team training camp roster in seven months. This call-up marks Purce’s second training camp under Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski after being named to the USWNT Identification Camp in December 2019.
Purce, 25, joined Sky Blue in January 2020. She made her debut for the Club in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, starting at right back in all five of the matches she played. In the Semifinal match against Chicago, Purce played an instrumental part in the Sky Blue comeback attempt after going down three goals. While not officially appearing on the box score for the goal, she sent in a cross that deflected off Chicago midfielder Julie Ertz for an own goal. Following the Challenge Cup, Purce has started every match of the NWSL Fall Series at forward, showcasing her versatility. She scored her first goal in a Sky Blue jersey during the opening match and has completed over 76% of her passes.
“We want to reward players who have done well for their clubs and give them a chance to step up and perform in our environment,” said Andonovski. “We have a lot of uncapped players and a few who have had the chance to earn a few caps, but we know that deepening our player pool is important as we head into 2021.”
Twenty-seven players were named to this roster, with the camp running from October 18-28 in Commerce City, Colorado. Sky Blue forwards Carli Lloyd and Mallory Pugh were unavailable for selection due to injury.
USWNT October Training Camp Roster (Club; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (4): Aubrey Bledsoe (Washington Spirit; 0), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 3), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 25), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 63)
DEFENDERS (10): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 61/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 26/1), Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 104/24), Naomi Girma (Stanford; 0/0), Sarah Gorden (Chicago Red Stars; 0/0), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride; 107/1), Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 131/2), Margaret Purce (Sky Blue FC; 1/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 177/0), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 32/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Shea Groom (Houston Dash; 0/0), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 86/19), Morgan Gautrat (Chicago Red Stars; 87/8), Jaelin Howell (Florida State; 0/0), Catarina Macario (Stanford; 0/0), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 15/1), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 0/0)
FORWARDS (6): Bethany Balcer (OL Reign; 0/0), Mia Fishel (UCLA; 0/0), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0), Kealia Watt (Chicago Red Stars; 3/1), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 28/9)
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