PREVIEW: USWNT Takes on Jamaica as 2021 WNT Summer Series Pres. By AT&T 5G Continues in Houston

Coming off a 1-0 win over Portugal to start the 2021 WNT Summer Series, presented by AT&T 5G, the U.S. Women’s National Team returns to the field on June 13, taking on Jamaica at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. ET. The game against the Reggae Girlz, which will be played at Houston’s BBVA Stadium, will be broadcast on FS1, with official kickoff slated for 10:15 p.m. ET/9:15 p.m. CT.

Portugal and Nigeria will meet in the first match of the Sunday doubleheader, with kickoff at 7:15 p.m. ET. That game will be available via live stream at ussoccer.com/live.

The USA extended its unbeaten streak to 40 consecutive matches with last Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Portugal on the opening match day of the Summer Series. The victory marked the 16^th consecutive home win for the Americans and pushed the USA to 7-0-1 on the year while outscoring the opposition 23-1.

Following the game against Jamaica, the USA head to Austin to close out the Summer Series on Wednesday against Nigeria. The June 16 game against the Super Falcons (9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on ESPN2) will be the first soccer game at the brand new, state-of-the-art Q2 Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s newest club, Austin FC. The Summer Series finale, which is expected to be a sell-out, will be played three days before Austin FC plays its first MLS match at home.

 

Fans will also be able to follow the action via Twitter (@USWNT), Instagram (@USWNT), Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App.

 

USWNT DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 5), Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns; 4), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 70) 

DEFENDERS (8): Alana Cook (OL Reign, 2/0), Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City, ENG; 67/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 30/1), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 112/24), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 137/2), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 6/1), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 185/0), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit; 52/0) 

MIDFIELDERS (6): Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 94/20), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 54/14), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA; 3/1), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 22/4), Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage; 73/22), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 16/0) 

FORWARDS (6): Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 302/124), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 176/109), Christen Press (Manchester United, ENG; 145/60), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 176/59), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 5/0), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 35/10)

 

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski called up 23 players for the three games of the Summer Series, while forward Tobin Heath is also in camp as a training player as she continues her comeback from a knee injury. All 23 players were available for the match against Jamaica, in which Andonovski made five second-half substitutions.

Nine of the 23 players on the USA’s Summer Series roster have experience in the Olympic Games, while 15 were members of the 2019 Women’s World Cup champions. The Summer Series roster features 20 NWSL players and three from clubs in Europe.

 

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. JAMAICA

Sunday’s game will be the fourth meeting all-time between the USA and Jamaica and the first outside of a Concacaf qualifying event. The USWNT and Jamaica have played twice in World Cup qualifying – first in 1994 and again in 2018 – and once in qualification for the Olympics, in 2008. The USA has won all three previous meetings between the nations by a combined margin of 22-0.
 
The teams played most recently on October 14, 2018, in Frisco, Texas during qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USA defeated Jamaica, 6-0, in the semifinal of 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in France, where they went on to lift their second consecutive World Cup trophy. Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan scored a brace apiece in the victory over Jamaica, while Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe also found the back of the net for the USA. 

LAST TIME OUT

A late corner kick from Christen Press teed up Samantha Mewis for the lone goal in the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 1-0 victory against Portugal to open its 2021Summer Series slate. After controlling the entire match, the 76th-minute goal from Mewis capped off a hard-fought effort against a hardy Portugal defense that held strong for much of the hot and humid Texan evening, akin to the conditions the USWNT will face at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

 

While the USWNT didn’t get on the board until late in the second half, the team dominated the evening both offensively and defensively. The U.S. outshot Portugal 26-4, served in 32 open play crosses and racked up 15 corner kicks, meaning the USA put a service into the penalty roughly every two minutes keeping Portuguese goalkeeper Inês Pereira quite busy. She had a fine match of shot-stopping and cross-catching and thwarted several dangerous looks by the USA in the first half and the early stages of the second. However, the hosts’ persistence paid off in the 76^th minute when Press took her first corner kick of the evening. Her soaring service found Mewis just inside the near post, where she headed it home into the roof of the net from close range for the game’s lone goal.

TOWER OF POWER TAKING IT UP A NOTCH

The 2020 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year, Samantha Mewis, has continued to grow her game over the past few years and is currently second on the team in scoring with four goals in five games in 2021. Mewis scored her first career hat trick in the USA’s 4-0 win on Jan. 18 over Colombia –scoring the first three goals of the game for a “true hat trick.” With her game-winning header against Portugal on Thursday, Mewis now has 22 goals in 73 career caps, eight of which she has scored with her head.

 

Mewis’ four goals in 2021 are already tied for her second-most in a calendar year. She scored six times in 2019 and four times again in both 2016 and 2020.

Dating back to the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, Mewis has started seven of the last eight matches in which she’s been available for the USA and has also displayed excellent form in club play. Mewis played for Manchester City in England last season and was named to the PFA Women's Super League Team of the Year after scoring a remarkable 16 times in 31 total matches for the Cityzens and helping Man City win the FA Cup. Mewis has since returned to the NWSL and the North Carolina Courage.

Earlier this year, Mewis was named as the #1 player in the world on the ESPN FC and espnW Top-50 female players in the world list, one of 11 USWNT players to earn recognition on the 50-player list.

PRESS REACHES ATTACKING MILESTONE

With her assist against Portugal, the 40th overall assist of her international career, Press became just the 14th player in USWNT history with 100 combined goals and assists, amassing 60 goals and 40 assists in 145 caps with the USWNT.

Press is in the middle of one of the finest stretches of her career – and of anyone’s career for the USWNT – as she has been directly involved in 31 goals in her last 33 games for the USWNT, scoring 13 goals with 18 assists. She also served in the free kick that led to Rose Lavelle’s game-winner vs. Canada on Feb. 18 in the USA’s opening game of the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. Press has 11 goals in her last 17 games for the USA while making 12 starts during that stretch.

In fact, since the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, Press has scored or assisted in 17 or her last 21 appearances for the USA.

 

Press is currently tied with Shannon MacMillan for ninth on the USWNT’s all-time scoring charts and ranks 13^th in assists.

 

SUMMER SERIES GIVES USA MATCHES IN TEXAS HEAT, REPLICATES GROUP PLAY AT OLYMPICS

The U.S. Women’s National Team is 7-0-1 in this COVID-impacted year and has four matches left before kicking off play in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics: the two remaining friendlies in the 2021 WNT Summer Series, Presented by AT&T 5G, and two in the WNT Send-Off Series, Presented by Visa, which will see the USA play Mexico in Connecticut on July 1 and 5. All the matches will be played in heat and humidity, replicating the conditions the U.S. team will encounter in  Japan, while the Summer Series schedule also replicates Group play at the Olympics, where the USA will have two days of rest between matches.

 

After playing its first two games of the Summer Series in Houston, the USA will travel to Austin to face Nigeria on June 16 (8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2). The match in Austin at the home of Major League Soccer’s newest club, Austin FC, will be the first soccer game at the brand new, state-of-the-art, 20,500 seat Q2 Stadium. The two dates in Houston are doubleheaders, with Portugal playing Nigeria on June 13 (6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET). That match will be streamed live at www.ussoccer.com/live.

Each team will be allowed six substitutes during the matches of the Summer Series, in addition to two possible concussion substitutes in line with the established protocols.

SUCCESS ON HOME SOIL

With its 1-0 victory over Portugal to open the Summer Series, the USA extended its home unbeaten streak to 54 games. The current 54-game home unbeaten streak includes 49 wins and five draws. During this stretch of dominance on home soil the USA has outscored its opponents 190-27, including a 60-3 margin during its last 16 matches at home, all of which have been wins. The USA’s current 16-game home winning streak dates back to a 3-2 win over Sweden on November 7, 2019, which was also Vlakto Andonovski’s first match in charge of the USWNT.

The USA is also riding a 40-game unbeaten streak – 36 wins and four ties – across all matches and has scored multiple goals in 33 of those games. The current 40-game unbeaten streak is the third-longest in USWNT history. The USA’s longest unbeaten streak spanned 51 matches from December 2004 to September 2007. Most recently, the USA had a 43-game unbeaten run that began in March of 2012 and ran to March 2014.


GEARED UP FOR GROUP G

The Final Draw for the 2021 Olympic Football Tournament was held – virtually – on April 21 to determine the groups and schedule for the 12 teams competing in Tokyo. The U.S. was drawn into Group G and will open Olympic play on July 21 – two days before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies – against Sweden (5:30 p.m. local / 4:30 a.m. ET) at Tokyo Stadium. The Americans will play their second match in Saitama against New Zealand on July 24 (8:30 p.m. local / 7:30 a.m. ET). The USA will finish group play against Australia on July 27 (5 p.m. local / 4 a.m. ET) at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium in Kashima.

 

The Olympic Football Tournament runs from July 21-Aug. 6 with six group games taking place on each of the first-round dates -- July 21, 24 and 27 -- giving all nations only two days of rest between matches. The Olympics is an intense tournament as there are also only two rest days between the second and third group games, between the end of group play and the quarterfinal, and between the quarterfinal and the semifinal. Teams that make the Final will be gifted with a third rest day before squaring off for the gold medal. 

The 12 countries that have will be playing in the Olympic women’s soccer tournament are the USA and Canada from Concacaf; Australia, Japan and China PR from Asia; Great Britain, Netherlands, and Sweden from Europe; Brazil and Chile from South America; New Zealand from Oceania and Zambia from Africa. 

U.S. SOCCER UNVEILS DEIB INIATIVES AROUND USWNT AND USMNT MATCHES

Under the umbrella of ‘One Nation,’ U.S. Soccer’s social responsibility platform, the Federation is focused on taking specific actions to inspire greater inclusion and generate real change in the communities it visits. In each city that the senior National Teams play, U.S. Soccer will connect with minority-owned business, organizations and individuals serving marginalized populations in the area and recognize an individual making an impact in the community as its “Game Ambassador.” Free coach education opportunities in underserved communities will also be available with support from state and local members. At the stadium, U.S. Soccer is partnering with Vote.org to drive voter registration for important state and local elections that happen every year and is working with KultureCity to make all matches sensory inclusive, providing sensory bags to ensure a positive experience for all fans with a sensory issue. 

 

2021 USWNT MEDIA GUIDE

The 2021 U.S. Women’s National Team Media Guide is available for download. The Media Guide features all the history and statistics of the USWNT, as well as full bios on technical staff and the current top players, information on the USA’s Youth National Teams, and general important information on U.S. Soccer.

USA ROSTER NOTES

• The average age for this travel roster is 28 and the average caps per player is 76.

• Forward Carli Lloyd, who earned her historic 300th cap on April 10 vs. Sweden in Stockholm, is by far the most experienced player on the roster with 302 caps. Lloyd will be honored for the achievement prior to the USA’s June 16 match vs. Nigeria in Austin. The next most experienced player -- defender Becky Sauerbrunn – is 117 caps behind her with 185. The other players on the roster with over 100 caps are forwards Alex Morgan (176), Megan Rapinoe (176), Christen Press (145), and defenders Kelley O’Hara (137) and Crystal Dunn (112). 

• On the other end of the spectrum, ten players on this roster have 35 caps or fewer, though every player on the Summer Series roster has at least one cap.

• The USA has scored in 69 consecutive matches and has averaged just more than three goals per game in that time. The run of 69 consecutive matches with a goal is the longest such streak in USWNT history and began following a 1-0 loss to Australia in the 2017 Tournament of Nations.

• The USA is riding a 40-game unbeaten streak – 36 wins and four ties – which is the third-longest in USWNT history. The USA’s longest unbeaten streak spanned 51 matches from December 2004 to September 2007. Most recently, the USA had a 43-game unbeaten run that began in March 2012 and ran to March 2014. 

• So far this year, 11 players have scored the USA’s 23 goals: Megan Rapinoe (7), Samantha Mewis (4), Alex Morgan (2), Kristie Mewis (2), Christen Press (2), Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Catarina Macario, Margaret Purce, Lynn Williams and Carli Lloyd.  

• Twelve different players have also tallied an assist in 2021: Carli Lloyd (4), Lindsey Horan (4), Christen Press (2), Crystal Dunn, Ali Krieger, Samantha Mewis, Megan Rapinoe, Emily Sonnett, Rose Lavelle, Kristie Mewis, Casey Krueger and Alex Morgan.  

• U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski is 18-0-1 in his first 19 games (two at the end of 2019, nine in 2020 and eight so far in 2021), setting a record for best start for a head coach in USWNT history. In his 11 events as head coach, Andonovski has called up 57 different players for training camp, with 57 of those players earning at least one cap. Andonovski has given 16 players their first senior team call-ups and, so far, five players their first senior team caps: Alana Cook, Margaret Purce, Sophia Smith, Jaelin Howell and Catarina Macario.

IN FOCUS: JAMAICA| FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

FIFA World Ranking: 51
UEFA Ranking: 5
World Cup Appearances: 1 (2019 – Group Stage)
Olympic Appearances: N/A
Record vs. USA: 0-3-0
Head Coach: Hubert Busby Jr.


JAMAICA DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Sydney Schneider (Washington Spirit, USA), 13-Rebecca Spencer (Tottenham Hotspurs FC, ENG), 23-Yazmeen Jamieson (Unattached)    

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Chantelle Swaby (Glasgow Rangers FC, SCO), 5-Konya Plummer (Orlando Pride, USA), 11-Satara Murray (Austin Elite, USA), 12-Sashana Campbell (Maccabi Hedera, ISR), 16-Gabrielle Gayle (South Alabama University, USA), 17-Allyson Swaby (AS Roma, ITA)  

MIDFIELDERS (8): 4-Vyan Sampson (Charlton Athletic, ENG), 6-Havana Solaun (North Carolina Courage, USA), 7-Chinyelu Asher (Washington Spirit, USA), 14-Deneisha Blackwood (Houston Dash, USA), 15-Tiffany Cameron (Ferencvaros FC, HUN), 18-Tierney Wiltshire (Maccabi Emek Hefer, ISR), 19-Drew Spence (Chelsea FC, ENG), 22-Peyton McNamara (Ohio State University, USA)  

FORWARDS (6): 3-Mikayla Dayes (University of Maryland, USA), 8-Shania Hayles (Aston Villa FC, ENG), 9-Kayla McCoy (Glasgow Rangers FC, SCO), 10-Jody Brown (Florida State University, USA), 20-Cheyna Matthews (Racing Louisville FC, USA), 21-Sade Adamolekun (University of Southern California, USA)  

 

JAMAICA ROSTER NOTES

• Jamaica won its first Summer Series match 1-0 over Nigeria as Houston Dash midfielder Deneisha Blackwood scored in the 51^st minute. Jamaica out-shot Nigeria 12-8 and 8-4 in shots on goal. It was an excellent win for Jamaica against a team that is 13 spots above them in the FIFA rankings.
• Jamaica is without arguably its top player in Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who led France’s Division I Feminine in scoring this season with Bordeaux, pounding in 22 goals. Shaw layed her college soccer at University of Tennessee.
• Jamaica became the first Caribbean team to qualify for a FIFA Women’s World Cup, securing a berth at France 2019 with a dramatic penalty kick shootout over Panama in the third-place match of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying in 2018.
• At the World Cup, Jamaica were drawn into a difficult Group C with Italy, Australia and Brazil and lost all three games by at least three goals, but made history just with its appearance.
• Forward Havana Solaun, who played for the USA at the youth levels, made more history by scoring the first World Cup goal in Jamaica history in the 4-1 loss to Australia.
• Six players on Jamaica’s roster currently play in the NWSL – Solaun (North Carolina Courage), Sydney Schneider (Washington Spirit), Chinyelu Asher (Washington Spirit), Konya Plummer (Orlando Pride), Daneisha Blackwood (Houston Dash) and Cheyna Mathews (Racing Louisville).