Ian Decker
Washingtonspirit.com
Leesburg, VA., (02/1/21) – U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski has named Spirit defenders Kelley O’Hara and Emily Sonnett to the 23-player roster for the 2021 SheBelieves Cup set to be held February 18 – February 24 in Orlando, Florida.
The SheBelieves Cup features the top-ranked United States, Brazil and Canada (tied for 8th in the FIFA World Rankings) and No. 31 Argentina, who replace Japan after they withdrew from the tournament. All of the USWNT’s matches will be shown on FS1 and TUDN. Of the four participating teams, only Argentina failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. For more information on the tournament, including rosters for the other three teams, visit US Soccer.com
The USWNT will play Canada on February 18 (7 p.m. ET on FS1, TUDN), Brazil on February 21 (3 p.m. ET on FS1, TUDN) and Argentina on February 24 (7 p.m. ET of FS1, TUDN). For the USWNT, SheBelieves follows successful back-to-back contests against Colombia in January.
O’Hara, who was acquired by the Spirit in a December trade from the Utah Royals, has been an active participant on the national side since the team returned this past fall. During the shortened year for the WNT, O’Hara appeared in eight games, starting in six of those matches for a total of 523 minutes played. She started the first of two games against Colombia in January and was subbed off in the 72 minute. The veteran fullback is aiming to make her third Olympic roster after appearing for the U.S. at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics.
Sonnett, another acquisition by the Spirit in December, has also been called into multiple national team camps in recent months. Sonnett recently logged 108 minutes in the two friendlies against Colombia, starting the second match and playing the full 90 minutes. After being named an alternate for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sonnett is hoping to make her Olympic debut in Tokyo. In 2020, she played in six games, starting four and racked up 384 minutes in total. She also was a vital member of the Kopparbergs/Göteborg team that won the Damallsvenskan this past season.