WPS Sky Blue FC

O'Reilly, Averbuch Named to National Team Roster

Published on October 5, 2009 under Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Sky Blue FC News Release


Piscataway, N.J. (Monday, October 5, 2009) - The U.S. Women's National Team named its 18-player roster for its upcoming match against Germany, and Sky Blue FC players Heather O'Reilly and Yael Averbuch have both received nods from head coach Pia Sundhage. The duo just completed a 12-day training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, and they now prepare to help the top-ranked American team take on the second-ranked German side at Impuls Arena on October 29th in Augsburg, Germany.

This meeting marks the first time since January of 2007 that the top two women's powers in the world have played one another, and this contest will also be the first time that the USA has played in Germany since the summer of 2000. The duo of O'Reilly and Averbuch will have additional support on hand at Impuls Arena, which is one of the venues for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, with Sky Blue FC CEO Thomas Hofstetter and team investor Philip Murphy there to cheer for them both. Just as Sky Blue FC was entering the 2009 WPS playoffs late this past summer, Murphy began a tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Germany, where he currently resides.

Forward Heather O'Reilly was named the Most Valuable Player of the Women's Professional Soccer championship game this past August after netting the game-winning goal against the Los Angeles Sol in the 17th minute of the match. The East Brunswick, New Jersey, native currently has 115 appearances with the U.S. National Team and has tallied 25 goals in international play. Her name has proven to be synonymous with winning, as O'Reilly has been a member of eight championship teams at virtually every level of the game. As an amateur, she won a state title while playing at East Brunswick (NJ) High School, a W-League crown with the New Jersey Wildcats and two NCAA College Cups at the University of North Carolina. In international play, the 24-year-old has won a FIFA U-19 World Championship and a pair of Olympic Gold Medals.

Midfielder Yael Averbuch has a pair of caps with the U.S. Full National Team and has been a mainstay with its development program since originally suiting up for the U-16 squad in 2002. She also played at the U-17 and U-19 level before earning MVP accolades when the U-23 National Team won the 2008 Nordic Cup, and the Upper Montclair, New Jersey, native received her first call-up to the full national team at the 2007 Four Nations Tournament in China. During her college career, Averbuch was instrumental in the University of North Carolina capturing two NCAA College Cups, including her winning the 2006 national championship alongside O'Reilly. She currently owns the Tar Heel record with 105 consecutive starts and earned NSCAA All-America honors on three occasions while playing at Chapel Hill.

This past week, significant developments were made regarding the 2010 Sky Blue FC season. In addition to the hiring of former Finnish international Pauliina Miettinen as head coach, the team exercised its options for Anita Asante, Averbuch, Karen Bardsley, Jenni Branam, Keeley Dowling, Francielle, Kerri Hanks, Meghan Schnur and a mutual option for Rosana. These players join national team members O'Reilly, Natasha Kai and Kacey White, who remain as part of Sky Blue FC.

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