On Friday, US Soccer announced the roster of players who have been invited to a training camp which runs from April 18th to April 30th in Florida. Twenty-seven players were invited, including all 23 players who traveled to Portugal, for the Algarve Cup, and Japan, for the Women’s Kirin Challenge Cup. Additional players invited to the camp include goalkeeper Jill Loyden; midfielders Kristie Mewis (the only player still in college) and Keelin Winters; and forward Christen Press.
This is Press’ first senior WNT camp call-up. However, her club team, K/Göteborg FC has three matches during the camp, and this is not an international match window, so it remains to be seen if Press is released for the camp, and for how long.
K/Göteborg FC’s schedule:
2012-04-18 19:00 Piteå IF (Away)
2012-04-25 19:00 Vittsjö GIK (Home)
2012-04-28 15:00 KIF Örebro DFF (Away)
(source: SvFF website)
What will probably happen is that Press will be released for the period after the Piteå match and before the Vittsjö match. which would give her about four days in camp (the 20th to 23rd) sandwiched in between two trans-Atlantic travel days.
Update: Göteborg FC has allowed Press to attend the camp, and will allow her to miss one match, versus Vittsjö. Press arrived into camp on Thursday, April 19th, after the Piteå match (where she scored the game-winner, via a header, for her third goal in two matches). She will probably leave for Sweden on the 26th, which would give her a full week in camp.
Press, the 2011 MAC-Hermann Trophy winner, was a member of the U-23 USWNT, where she played international matches in 2009 and 2010. Her last USWNT youth camp was a U-23 camp in October, which was presided over by April Heinrichs, Jill Ellis, and USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage. In her first (and only) WPS season, Press scored eight goals, which was only two behind league leaders Christine Sinclair and Marta. At her alma mater, Stanford, Press is the leading career goal-scorer (71) and the career assists leader (41).
Here’s a short interview by US Soccer with Christen Press, from January 2011:
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The full roster:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Nicole Barnhart, Ashlyn Harris, Jill Loyden, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (9): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Whitney Engen, Meghan Klingenberg, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (9): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, Keelin Winters
FORWARDS (5): Lauren Cheney, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Abby Wambach
Women's Soccer Express 