Update #3 (11-Dec-2019): Center back Kaleigh Riehl was added to the roster on Tuesday. For more about her, see the next article.
On Monday, U.S. Soccer announced that two players from the Washington State women’s soccer team, Morgan Weaver and Makamae Gomera-Stevens, have been added to the roster for this week’s United States Women’s National Team identification camp, while three players, Danielle Colaprico of the Chicago Red Stars, plus Madison Haley and Naomi Girma of Stanford, all due to unspecified injuries.
These changes are in addition to the previously announced replacement of North Carolina’s Emily Fox, due to an ACL injury, by Jaelin Howell of Florida State.
Summary capsules for the three additional players – Howell, Weaver, and Gomera-Stevens – are included at the bottom of this article.
For previous coverage of this camp, see:
- USWNT: December 2019 Identification Camp Roster Announced (Overview)
- USWNT: 2019 ID Camp Player Capsules – Forwards and Midfielders
- USWNT: 2019 ID Camp Player Capsules – Defenders and Goalkeepers
To recap, here are the subtractions:
- Emily Fox: Suffered a torn ACL during UNC’s quarterfinal match
- Danielle Colaprico: due to an unspecified injury
- Naomi Girma: due to an injury “suffered during the NCAA College Cup”
- Madison Haley: also due to an injury “suffered during the NCAA College Cup”
And, the additions:
- Jaelin Howell, Florida State (sophomore), holding midfielder (“6”)
- Morgan Weaver, Washington State (Senior), forward
- Makamae Gomera-Stevens, Washington State (Junior), midfielder/forward
- Kaleigh Riehl, Penn State (senior), center back
Gomera-Stevens is described in the roster release as a midfielder, but listed under the forwards in the updated roster. For the College Cup semifinal versus North Carolina, the ESPNU formation graphic placed her as the attacking midfielder.
CAPSULES
Data Notes:
- Age is as of the start of the identification camp (09-Dec-2019).
- The “Notable USA Youth Experience” line is only included for players who made an official U-17 and/or U-20 USWNT roster, e.g., a CONCACAF Women’s U-17 or U-20 Championship roster, and/or a FIFA U-17 or U-20 Women’s World Cup roster for the United States.
- Hometown, date of birth, and height information are pulled mostly from USWNT media guide player pool lists. Otherwise, NWSL and/or college team profiles were used.
JAELIN HOWELL – Midfielder (“6”)
Current Team: Florida State
Hometown: Windsor, Colorado
Date of Birth: November 21, 1999 (age: 20.05)
Height: 5’7″
Notable USA Youth Experience: 2016 U-17 USWNT, 2018 U-20 USWNT
College Team: Florida State (profile), 2018 National Champions
Links: Wikipedia
Notables:
- First called into the USWNT back in 2017, as a last-minute replacement
- A regular YNT call-up since U-14 ID camps in 2013
- U-23 call-ups in 2017 and 2019
- Father John Howell (Wikipedia) is a retired NFL safety, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Additional Details:
- Age as of 2020 Olympics: 20.67
- Age as of 2023 WWC: 23.62
- Expected Pro Year: 2022
- NCAA career statistics: 49 matches (47 starts), 6 goals, 8 assists
Further Reading:
- Tallahassee Democrat: Rising USWNT star Jaelin Howell waiting her turn at Florida State (August 2019)
- 9News (Denver): [TV Interview] Local players discuss call up to U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (April 2017)
- Daily Coloradoan: Freshman chasing soccer dream (September 2014)
MORGAN WEAVER – Forward
Current Team: Washington State
Hometown: University Place, Washington
Date of Birth: October 18, 1997 (age: 22.14)
Height: 5’10”
College Team: Washington State (profile)
Notables:
- Has attended several U-23 WNT camps, starting in late 2017
- No known YNT call-ups prior to U-23s
- Netted WSU’s lone goal in their 1:2 loss to UNC in the 2019 College Cup
- Scored the game-winner in WSU’s 1:0 upset victory over UCLA in 2018
Additional Details:
- Age as of 2020 Olympics: 22.76
- Age as of 2023 WWC: 25.70
- Expected Pro Year: 2020
- NCAA career statistics: 85 matches (85 starts; 6655 minutes, 78.3 minutes per match), 43 goals (0.51 goals per match; 0.58 goals per 90 minutes), 12 assists
“MAKAMAE” GOMERA-STEVENS – Midfielder (“10”) or Forward
Current Team: Washington State
Hometown: Kapolei, Hawaii
Date of Birth: n/a (age: 20-21)
Height: 5’5″
College Team: Washington State (profile)
Notables:
- “Makamae” is derived from her first name, Kapuamakamaemalamaonalani
- This appears to be her first USA call-up at any level
- Did track and field in high school
- Legal Issue:
- Arrested in April 2019, along with two Washington State football players, following an off-campus vandalism incident. (DailyEvergreen.com #1)
- Bill Stevens, WSU’s associate director of athletics: “We consider it a team matter and it will be handled internally.” (from same article)
- In July, they were charged with “third-degree malicious mischief” (dnews.com) (Washington state statute defining the crime, RCW 9A.48.090)
- In Washington state, third-degree malicious mischief is a “gross misdemeanor” (RCW 9A.48.090), with a maximum punishment of a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. (Washington state statute setting the maximum sentences/fines, RCW 9A.20.021)
- “On July 22, Gomera-Stevens pleaded not guilty to the charges and has waived her rights to an arraignment” (DailyEvergreen.com #2)
- One of the male football players, Christian Haangana, was kicked off the football team, and the other, Fa’avae Fa’avae, is no longer with the team (Spokesman.com)
- A court appearance was scheduled for Thursday, December 12th (dw.courts.wa.gov), which is during the camp (9th-14th)
- Update (13-Dec-2019): The next scheduled court appearance is on Thursday, January 16, 2020 (dw.courts.wa.gov)
Additional Details:
- Expected Pro Year: 2021
- NCAA career statistics: 64 matches (52 starts; 3625 minutes), 9 goals, 8 assists
Quotable:
“I started as a cheerleader, but my dad did not want me to be a cheerleader for a long time, so my parents signed me up for a random city team when I was young,” she said. “I guess I was pretty good at it, so I continued playing.” – From The Daily Evergreen: Proving them right… (September 2018)
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