USA Kicks Off Pre-World Cup Domestic Schedule vs. Japan at 2019 SheBelieves Cup

USA vs. Japan 
Date: Feb. 27, 2019
Venue: Talen Energy Stadium
Broadcast: FS1
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET

Starting XI vs. Japan: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 12-Tierna Davidson, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 11-Mallory Pugh, 16-Rose Lavelle; 17-Tobin Heath, 13-Alex Morgan (capt.), 15-Megan Rapinoe

Subs: 2-Emily Sonnett , 3- Samantha Mewis, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 6-Andi Sullivan, 10-Carli Lloyd, 14-Casey Short, 20-Jessica McDonald, 21-Adrianna Franch, 22-Emily Fox, 23-Christen Press, 24-Ashlyn Harris, 25-McCall Zerboni

Starting Lineup

• Since the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, the USA has failed to score in just one game (vs. Australia at the 2017 ToN). That’s a 34-game span.
• Alyssa Naeher will earn her 42nd career cap tonight. She has 22 career shutouts and is the fifth goalkeeper in U.S. history to earn 40 or more caps.
• Kelley O’Hara makes her first appearance of 2019. She did not play in either of the January matches vs. France and Spain, as she was still recovering from ankle surgery. She will earn her 113th cap tonight, tying Rachel Van Hollebeke for 32^nd on the all-time caps list.
• Abby Dahlkemper will earn her 33rd cap tonight in what will be her third consecutive start of 2019.
• Tierna Davidson makes her first U.S. WNT start since Sept. 4, 2018. Davidson suffered a broken ankle late in 2018 which caused her to miss WCQ with the WNT and the November friendlies in Europe. She returned to the roster for the 2019 January training camp and played 82 minutes as a substitute over the games vs. France and Spain. She will earn her 15th cap.
• Crystal Dunn will earn her 78th WNT cap tonight and makes her third consecutive start of 2019.
• Julie Ertz makes her 75th international appearance tonight in front of her adopted hometown of Philadelphia where her husband Zach Ertz plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. She has scored 18 career goals and will make her second appearance and start of 2019.
• Mallory Pugh will earn her 46th cap of her WNT career. It will be her third appearance and second start. She scored the USA goal vs. France on Jan. 19 in Le Havre. She has 13 career goals.
• Rose Lavelle makes her second start and appearance this year. It will be cap No. 22 for Lavelle, who has scored six career goals.
• Tobin Heath will earn her 144th international appearance for the USA. Tonight, will mark her second appearance and start of the year. In 2018, Heath scored 7 goals in only 10 appearances. She has scored 25 goals in her career.
• Alex Morgan scored 18 goals in 2018 and now has 98 career goals in 155 caps. At age 29, she sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA's all-time goal list. Morgan has scored 25 goals over her last 28 WNT matches, a span that runs from the end of 2017. The 25 goals have included six braces and one hat trick. Morgan will earn cap No. 156 tonight surpassing Michelle Akers for 18th all-time in caps. She will be captaining the USA today.
• Megan Rapinoe will earn cap No. 147 for the U.S WNT. She was the team-leader in assists last year, earning 12 in 2018.