Lineup Notes: Road to France Begins with Mexico in Cary, N.C.

USA vs. MEXICO
Date: Oct. 4, 2018
Venue: Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
Broadcast: FS2 & UDN
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

Tonight’s Starting XI vs. Mexico: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 16-Rose Lavelle, 9-Lindsey Horan; 17-Tobin Heath, 13-Alex Morgan, 15-Megan Rapinoe
Substitutes Available: 2-Emily Sonnett, 3-Samantha Mewis, 6-Morgan Brian, 10-Carli Lloyd, 11-Mallory Pugh, 12-Hailie Mace, 14-Casey Short, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 20-Christen Press

U.S. Team

• The USA is 11-0-2 in 2018, with wins against Denmark, Germany, England, Mexico (twice), China PR (twice), Japan, Brazil and Chile (twice); and ties against Australia and France.
• The USA is unbeaten in its last 21 matches (18-0-3), and has outscored its opponents 65-17 through that stretch, scoring in all 21 games.
• Forward Alex Morgan is the only player to start every game so far in 2018.
• Tonight marks the first World Cup Qualifying appearance for: Alyssa Naeher, Abby Dahlkemper, Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle.

Starting Lineup

• Alyssa Naeher has 16 career shutouts and will earn cap No. 34 tonight, her 11th in 2018. 
• Kelley O’Hara makes her second appearance for the U.S. WNT since the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. She started and played 31 minutes against Chile on Sept. 4 as she came back to fitness following an injury that kept her out of the WNT roster for five months. She will earn her 109th cap tonight in her fifth start and appearance of 2018.
• Abby Dahlkemper will earn her 24th cap tonight. She has played in 10 games this year, starting nine.
• Becky Sauerbrunn has played in eight games this year, starting six, and will earn her 144th cap tonight. Sauerbrunn is in 20th place on the all-time caps list. Sauerbrunn was one of only two players to start all games in 2017.
• The always versatile Crystal Dunn came off the bench to play outside back against France on March 4 after Casey Short was injured about 30 minutes after coming on as a sub herself and has been playing in that position ever since. Dunn played center back at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and right back at the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which the USA won. Dunn was named to the roster for the World Cup qualifying tournament in 2014, but then missed the competition due to injury.
• Julie Ertz will earn her 67th cap and has scored 16 international goals, most recently against Brazil on Aug. 2. She was on the roster for the 2014 World Cup qualifying tournament, but did not play.
• Lindsey Horan, recently named the 2018 NWSL MVP, has played in all games for the USA this year. She will make her 12th start tonight and has scored two goals with three assists in 2018. Against Mexico on April 5, she set up two critical goals - for Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd - that blew the game open early in the second half. She started on April 8 vs. Mexico and scored in the 6-2 U.S. win. In the Tournament of Nations, she scored the equalizer in the 90th minute against Australia to put the USA in position to win the tournament. It was her sixth WNT goal.
• Rose Lavelle will earn her 14th career cap tonight and makes her fourth consecutive start this year. She has scored three international goals, most recently the game-tying goal vs. Brazil on Aug. 2. Lavelle made her U.S. WNT debut on March 4, 2017 against England.
• Tobin Heath will make her fifth consecutive start for the U.S. WNT this year. Before taking the field during the 2018 Tournament of Nations, Heath’s last start had come on March 7, 2017. She has scored 21 international goals, the most recent one against Chile on Sept. 4. Heath will earn cap No. 139 tonight and is in 25th place on the USA’s all-time caps list.
• Alex Morgan comes into the match with 90 goals after scoring her fourth career hat-trick against Japan on July 26 and will earn her 148th cap tonight. At age 29, she sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA's all-time goal scoring list. She’s scored 17 goals over her last 20 WNT matches. She leads the WNT with 10 goals in 2018. Morgan scored a brace in each friendly game the WNT played vs. Mexico earlier this year, first on April 5 in Jacksonville, and again on April 8 in Houston.
• Megan Rapinoe had a monster game earlier this year on April 8 vs. Mexico, getting four assists and a goal while also setting up the other goal in the match. Rapinoe joined Carli Lloyd as the only two players to record four assists in a match, and score a goal and add 3-plus assists in a match, since the start of 2016. She has scored 38 international goals and is 15th on the all-time goals list. Rapinoe leads the USA with nine assists on the year and now has 53 for her career, moving ahead of Lloyd and Shannon MacMillan and into a tie for sixth in U.S. history with Heather O'Reilly. She will earn cap No. 140 tonight and make her 12th start of 2018. Besides wearing the armband for her 100th cap celebration in 2015, this will be the first time Rapinoe captains the WNT.