Americans rebound from 1st loss since 2017 with victory in Alicante

CHICAGO — Six Chicago Red Stars participated in the U.S. WNT’s January camp, which featured two friendlies against teams in this summer’s World Cup.

Up first was a matchup against France, ranked 3rd in the world. Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and midfielder Morgan Brian were named to the starting eleven while Danielle Colaprico and the first overall pick in the 2019 NWSL Collge Draft Tierna Davidson were available as substitutes.

The French’s 3-1 victory over the U.S. snaps a 28-game unbeaten streak dating back to July 2017. Naeher and Brian played the full 90 minutes in the match, while Davidson was subbed on in the 53rd minute. It was Davidson’s first minutes of action since suffering an ankle injury last September. It was Naeher’s 40th cap for the national team. She is the fifth goalkeeper in U.S. history to earn 30 or more caps.

Four days later, the U.S. had a chance to bounce back against Spain. Once again Naeher earned the start and this time Red Stars teammate Julie Ertz joined her in the lineup. Davidson was once again available on the bench.

The 1-0 victory for the WNT was Naeher’s 22nd career shutout in international play. In Ertz’s first minutes of action in 2019, she played 69 minutes. Davison entered the game at the start of the second half and played the entire 45 minutes on the defensive line.

The U.S. will continue preparation for the World Cup on February 27th, facing Japan in their opening matchup of the SheBelieves Cup.