Vlatko Andonovski names his 20-player roster for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers

New United States Women’s Team coach Vlatko Andonovski left out four of the country’s world champions when he named his 20-player squad for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament beginning on the 28th January. With Alex Morgan unavailable due to pregnancy, the NWSL coach of the year included 18 of the 23 World Cup winning squad but omitted Tierna Davidson, Allie Long, Morgan Brian and Mallory Pugh.

 

“Tierna was injured and she did not practice or train with the team throughout the camp so it was hard to have to evaluate her. By all indications, she will not be able to play a 90-minute game until the middle of February, that’s the main reason why she is not on this roster” explained Andonovski.

 

On Pugh, he said, “Mal was competitive and she did well but there were other players that I believed performed better than Mal. I want to be clear, she is a very talented player. She has a big future in front of her so I’m pretty sure if she keeps on developing, going forward, she will be on this roster”.

 

“For Mal, consistency is crucial to be on this roster, she needs to be consistent from day to day, which is extremely hard. In fact, just because of her potential and how good she can be, I invited Mal to come and train with us even though she is not on the roster. As coaching staff we want to be able to be there for her and we want to provide the best opportunity for her to develop”.

“With Allie Long and Morgan Brian, the thing it came down to was the structure of the roster. If you look at it, we had six defenders, five midfielders and six forwards so the opportunity for midfield was a little bit less. I had a great conversation with both of them. The bottom line is there’s certain things that I feel that they can do better. Definitely, the opportunity is still there for them. They’re both great players. Now it’s on them, their club environment and ourselves to help them reach their best”.

 

Leaving out Long who played for him at Reign FC was particular hard. “She played for me for two years and I consider her a friend and it was extremely difficult. What I believe, like I said earlier, it was the right thing to do. I also believe that Allie does have quality to be a world-class player. She proved that especially in 2018, when she came to Seattle. I think that she was one of the best midfielders in the league”.

 

For the other World Cup winner not included, Alex Morgan, Andonovski offered words of encouragement. “She’s an incredible player and we would love to have Alex at her best back on the team. At this point, we don’t have to talk much about it because we first want to wish Alex the best in her pregnancy and delivering a healthy baby. Once the time comes, we’ll focus a little bit more on it and see what the time-line looks like for Alex and the team”.

 

Elsewhere 37-year-old Carli Lloyd was included in her fourth Olympic cycle. “Her mentality in training was absolutely incredible. A true example of what a pro competing for a national team spot should look like. She was first on the field, last off the field and she performed at her best in every single second she spent on the field”.

 

The past week has seen Megan Rapinoe, already the winner of 2019 The Best FIFA award and Ballon D’Or nominated for the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year. However Andonovski said she has lost none of her focus, “She is the best player in the world and at her best she is extremely valuable for the team. She came into camp, ready to perform, mentally refreshed and ready to play. I would say, she did not train all the time because she had a couple of injuries she had to take care off. Overall, I think that her performances in camp has shown she is very valuable for the team”.