A round-up of rosters for top national teams who will be playing during the October international window, whether in friendlies or Women’s Euro qualifiers.
Roster links and brief write-ups for the following other teams are provided in this article:
CONCACAF: Canada
CONMEBOL: Brazil
AFC: Japan
UEFA: England, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Spain, Norway
A write-up on the roster for the USWNT’s opponent this international window, Korea Republic, can be found here. For details on the USWNT’s roster, see USWNT on TV: October 2019 Friendlies vs. Korea Republic.
Some associations provide more useful write-ups about their rosters, such as noting injuries and new call-ups, while others just provide simple lists. Regarding the latter, Brazil and Spain are two teams that require more search-work to dig up information, so those roster capsules are more likely to be incomplete.
REMINDER: USWNT vs. Korea Republic Friendlies
-
- Thursday, October 3rd at 8:00PM EDT – Fox Sports 1 (pregame at 7:30 PM EDT)
- Sunday, October 6th at 2:00 PM EDT – ESPN
For the USWNT roster, please see (has yet to be formally announced).
A write-up on the Korea Republic roster is available here: Opponent Watch: Korea Republic Roster For October USWNT Friendlies Announced
NOTABLE MATCHES
Friendlies:
- Japan (#10) vs. Canada (#7)
- Sunday, October 6th at 1:30 AM EDT
- England (#5-T) vs. Brazil (#11)
- Saturday, October 5th at 7:45 AM EDT
Japan and Canada will also play a closed door “exhibition” match, which does not sound as if will count as an official international friendly (cf. the “closed door” friendlies that the USWNT would play from time-to-time in the 1990s).
UEFA Women’s Euro Qualifying
- Germany (#2) vs. Ukraine (#25)
- Saturday, October 5th at 8:00 AM EDT
- 1 vs. 2 match-up (Group I)
- Due to the odd scheduling, Germany and Ukraine have already played each other, with Germany winning handily 8:0 in an away match
- Netherlands (#3) vs. Russia (#24)
- Tuesday, October 8th at 2:00 PM EDT
- 1 vs. 2 match-up (Group A)
- Czech Republic (#28) vs. Spain (#13)
- Tuesday, October 8 at 1:00 PM EDT
- 2 vs. 1 match-up (Group D)
- Ireland (#32) vs. Ukraine (#25)
- Tuesday, October 8th at 2:30 PM EDT
- toss-up 3 vs. 2 match-up (Group I)
CANADA
Notables:
- Returning Players: Vanessa Gilles (uncapped), Jade Rose (uncapped)
- First Call-Up: Jessica De Filippo
Vanessa Gilles was a standout defender at the University of Cincinnati (college profile), who now plays for French side Girondins de Bordeaux. A dual-national, with Canadian and French nationalities, Gilles has one appearance with France’s U-23 WNT, but has not yet played in any matches for Canada. Gilles, who lived in Shanghai, China, for the first twelve years of her life, did not start playing soccer until she was a teenager, having focused on tennis until that point. (sportsnet.ca article, Canada Soccer profile)
At only 16, defender Jade Rose (Canada Soccer profile) is the youngest player called up. She was a core player for the Canada U-17 WNT in 2018, playing and starting in 5 of their 6 matches at the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay for an official total of 449 minutes (FIFA). Born in 2003, Rose is also eligible for next year’s U-17 WWC, plus the next two U-20 WWC, in 2020 and 2022.
Jessica De Filippo is a freshman forward at the University of Louisville (Louisville profile, Canada Soccer profile). Just 18 years-old, De Filippo is age-eligible for the 2020 U-20 Women’s World Cup. She has played in 8 matches with Canada’s U-20 and U-17 WNTs, including all six of their matches at the 2018 U-17 WWC, where she scored one of Canada’s seven goals.
JAPAN
Links: Roster (jfa.jp/eng), accompanying write-up (jfa.jp/eng)
Notables:
- Returning: Doko Mayo, Matsubara Arisa, Miyzawa Hinata, and Tanaka Mina
- First Call: Takahashi Hani
A 2000’er, Takahashi Hani was a member of Japan’s squad at the 2016 U-17 WWC, who were runner-up to Korea DPR on penalties, and Japan’s U-20 WNT squad at the 2018 U-20 WWC. At the 2016 U-17 WWC, Takahashi scored 3 goals. Two years later, at the 2018 U-20 WWC, Takahashi, now a defender, played every minute of Japan’s six games during their march to their first U-20 WWC trophy, but did not have any goals or official assists.
Quotables:
Regarding her selection of Takahashi, who helped the U-20 Japan Women’s National Team win the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018, the coach described the talents of the newcomer, “she has great speed, height, and tremendous potential as a player.” When asked about Tanaka’s return to the squad, coach Takakura shared her take on the leading goal scorer of the Plenus Nadeshiko League, “watching her performance at the Nadeshiko League, I can tell that she has become more versatile as a player.”
In November, Japan will be hosting South Africa, who failed to qualify for the Olympics. (JFA – in Japanese)
England
Update (03-Oct-2019): On Wednesday, Bright and Stokes were replaced by Gemma Bonner and Lucy Staniforth ( TheFA.com – 2-Oct-2019)
Update (04-Oct-2019): On Friday, Kirby and McManus have been withdrawn. Melissa Lawley, who was one of three “training players” in the camp, will be added to the gameday roster for the Brazil match. (TheFA.com – 4-Oct-2019)
Update 12-Oct-2019): After the Brazil match, Jill Scott was withdrawn due to “a slight ankle strain.” She was replaced by Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly. (The FA.com – 6-Oct-2019)
Link: Phil Neville Names England Squad For Matches Against Brazil and Portugal (The FA)
Notables:
- Returning: Jordan Nobbs (ACL injury in November 2018), Alex Greenwood (minor injury), Jill Scott (minor injury),
Fran Kirby (minor injury) - First Call-Up: Alana Cook*
- Not Called In: Chioma Ubogagu
- Late Scratches: Defenders Millie Bright and Demi Stokes, who were both withdrawn from England’s camp due to injuries.
- Late Replacements: Defender Gemma Bonner and midfielder Lucy Staniforth
- More Late Scratches: Fran Kirby and Abbie McManus
- Another Late Scratch: Jill Scott (ankle strain during the Brazil match)
- More Late Replacements: Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly
Stanford Cardinal standout and current Paris Saint-Germain defender Alana Cook was called in as one of three “training players.” Cook, who was born in Massachusetts, is a dual national who has been in a number of USA youth camps, primarily during the 2013-2014 U-17 cycle, but also more recently with the U-23s, including their Nordic Cup victory in August, which was held in England. Cook played in all three matches, including against England’s U-23s (US Soccer – U-23 USWNT landing page). (Cook’s Stanford profile)
It does not appear that Cook has played in any official youth matches for the United States, so her FIFA nationality is likely not fixed to the USA, thus she should be eligible to play for both England and the USWNT in friendlies. As England is the host of the Women’s Euro in 2021, the earliest that the Lionesses could cap-tie Cook would likely be that tournament.
Regarding, Chioma Ubogagu, the former United States U-20 WWC champion, has not been called up by the Lionesses since April, after debuting for England in November 2018. Ubogagu was released by the Orlando Pride in late August, and subsequently signed by Madrid’s CD Tacon, who are now affiliated with Real Madrid. (BBC)
Brazil
Links: Roster Annoucement (CBF – in Portuguese), Press Conference Summary (CBF – in Portuguese)
Notables:
- Returning: Leticia/Lelê (GK), Daiane Limeira, Poliana, Giovanna de Oliveira, Maria Alves
Marta was originally on Pia Sundhage’s roster for her first matches in charge of Brazil (CBF), but was unavailable due to injury, so the England match should be Marta’s first match under Sundhage.
Marta (Orlando Pride) and Debinha (NC Courage) are the only players currently on USA teams.
Quotables:
Continuity vs. New Names in List
Repeating the name means that they have done good things and also that they have experience. We know that if you want to create a winning team, you will need it. The United States, for example, is an excellent player who has been there for some time. They are repeated names. We can add new names over time.
–From the Press Conference Summary (via Google Translate)
Germany
Links: Roster announcement (DFB, in German), detailed roster (DFB)*
*This page always shows the most recent roster, so will only be accurate until November 2019.
(alternative link to Wayback Machine archive version)
Notables:
- First Call-Up: Isabella Hartig
- Not Available: Almuth Schult, Svenja Huth, Sara Doorsoun, Carolin Simon (all injury-related)
- Not Called In: Verena Schweers (but “on call”)
- Late Scratch: Anna Gasper (ankle ligament injury)
- Late Addition: Sophia Kleinherne (uncapped)
Outside back Anna Gasper suffered a torn ankle ligament during practice with her club team, Turbine Potsdam, earlier this week. (sportbuzzer.de) The 22-year-old uncapped player was replaced by another uncapped defender, Sophia Kleinherne of FFC Frankfurt (DFB_Frauen – Twitter)
Born in 2000, Kleinherne (DFB database profile) is age-eligible for the 2020 U-20 WWC and has an extensive youth career, playing in almost 50 matches, and has been on Germany’s squad for the 2016 U-17 WWC and 2018 U-20 WWC.
TSG Hoffenheim’s Isabella Hartig is another veteran of German’s youth national teams, including squads for the 2016 U-20 WWC and 2014 U-17 WWC.
Sweden
Update (04-Oct-2019): Elin Rubensson suffered a concussion in a league match on September 29th. She was replaced by Julia Karlernäs. (SvFF – 30-Sep-2019) Caroline Seger, who has an injury, was not cleared to play on Friday. (SvFF – 2-Oct-2019)
Link: Roster announcement (SVFF, in Swedish)
Notables:
- Returning: Sandra Adolfsson, Fridolina Rolfo,
- Out: Ronja Arronson (uncapped), Rebecka Blomqvist
- Not Available: Nilla Fischer (ankle injury)
- Uncapped: Jennifer Falk (GK), Emma Kullberg
- Late Scratch: Elin Rubensson (concussion)
- Late Call-In: Julia Karlernäs
- Questionable: Caroline Seger
In early August, Nilla Fischer, who is back in Sweden and now playing for Linköping, was injured in a match against Kristianstad (svt.se – in Swedish, with photo of her ankle wrapped) and is out indefinitely (corren.se – in Swedish).
Netherlands
Link: Roster announcement (onsoranje.nl – in Dutch)
Notables:
- Not Available: Lieke Martens (toe injury), Jackie Groenen (upper leg injury), Shanice van de Sanden (ankle injury), and Kiki Van Es (knee surgery)
- First Call-Up: Fenna Kalma
Striker Fenna Kalma, a veteran of the Netherlands’ youth teams, has a chance to debut for the OranjeLeeuwinnen before she turns twenty, which is not until after the November international window. Previously at SC Heerenveen, Kalma moved to FC Twente for the 2019-2020 season, where she has scored nine goals in five matches in Women’s Champion League matches so far, including a hat trick in the first leg against Austrian side SKN St. Pölten (UEFA). During her first full season at Heerenveen, she led the team in scoring with 21 goals in 24 matches.
France
Links: “Last Selection” Roster (FFF), (Wayback Machine archival link)
Notables:
- Uncapped: Perle Morroni, Élisa De Almeida
- Out: Justine Lerond (GK, uncapped), Khelifi, Emelyne Laurent
- Returning: Peyraud-Magnin (GK), Clemaron, Katoto
- Not Available: Amandine Henry (Achilles tendon)
- Not Included: Ève Périsset
This is Marie-Antoinette Katoto‘s first call-up since not being included in France’s WWC squad, essentially taking the spot of twenty-year-old Emelyne Laurent, who is just a few days younger than Katoto.
Midfielder Léa Khelifi, who has a handful of caps, and uncapped goalkeeper Justine Lerond are two other young players from the September camp who have been excluded from this roster. Lerond, who was born in 2000, started all five matches for France in 2019 UEFA U-19 Women’s Championship, as they claimed their fifth UEFA title at that age level.
24-year-old Ève Périsset has not been called in since the 2019 WWC, as she has been recovering from an injury, but she did play in a Women’s Champions League on Thursday, September 26th. (LeEquipe.fr)
Other Links: EuroSport.fr article on October roster, previous roster (Twitter)
Spain
Links: Latest roster article – injury to Lola Gallardo (RFEF)
Updated 10-Oct-2019: On October 5th, Sampedro and Torrecilla were replaced due to injuries (RFEF). On October 7th, the RFEF announced that Nahikari García was released back to her club. García did not play against Azerbaijan, due to a right foot injury (scaphoid-related). (DiarioVasco.com article, in Spanish)
Notables:
- Not Available: Vicky Losada (injury)
- Returning: Jenni Hermoso, Marta Corredera, Esther González
- Out: Alba Redondo, Gemma Gili, Andrea Sánchez Falcón*
- First Call-Up(?): Marta Cardona (uncapped)
- Late Scratch: Lola Gallardo (GK)
- Late Replacement: Patricia Larque (GK)
- More Late Scratches: Amanda Sampedro, Virginia Torrecilla
- More Late Replacements: Maitane López, Bárbara Latorre
*It’s possible that some of these may be injury-related. The RFEF does not include write-ups with their rosters announcement, so injury news has to be searched manually.
Back-up goalkeeper Dolores “Lola” Gallardo had surgery on her left hand on Friday, September 27th (Twitter – post-surgery photo). One news service described the injury as a “lesión del fibrocartílago del carpo” (injury of the fibrocartilage of the wrist). (lavanguardia.com)
Her replacement, Patricia Larque appears to be uncapped. The other goalkeepers called up are first-choice goalkeeper Sandra Paños (who played every minute for Spain in the last WWC) and Sara Serrat, who has at least one cap for Spain.
Marta, Marta, Marta: After the WWC, then-captain Marta Torrejón retired from Spain’s national team, but continues to play professionally with Barcelona. She and Silvia Meseguer will be honored during the match against Azerbaijan (as.com – in Spanish).
Norway
Link: roster announcement (in Norwegian)
Notables:
- Retirement: Ingrid Hjelmseth (GK)
- Returning: Lisa Naalsund (uncapped)
- First Call-Up: Rikke Bogetveit Nygard
- Uncapped: Oda Maria Hove Bogstad (GK), Aurora Mikalsen (GK)
With the retirement of veteran goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth, following Norway’s 2:1 friendly victory over England last month, Cecilie Fiskerstrand takes over a spot that has been dominated by Hjelmseth for over a decade, and before her, Bente Nordby. At just 23 years of age, Fiskerstrand has the potential to serve as Norway’s top-choice goalkeeper well into the next decade. Fiskerstrand is not inexperienced at the senior international level, having earned over twenty caps, with her first back in 2014, when she was just 17 years-old, and has served as a back-up ‘keeper in the last two WWC’s plus the 2017 Women’s Euro final tournament.
Coincidentally, the two uncapped back-up goalkeepers were also born in 1996, with Fiskerstrand being the oldest by one day (March 20th, versus March 21st for Mikalsen and April 24th for Bogstad).
Quotables:
Rikke is a player we have followed early through the national team, and she has had a nice development all the way. She was with U23 last time and was very good in the fight against the USA, which is a strong international opponent. Rikke is a very exciting player, both for now and in the future, says Sjögren.
–From the roster announcement (via Google Translate)
Women's Soccer Express 