Sports stats



NWSL Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC Defender Midge Purce Named to USWNT Training Camp Roster for Friendly against the Netherlands

November 17, 2020 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Sky Blue FC News Release


Harrison, N.J. - Sky Blue FC defender Midge Purce has been named to the U.S. Women's National Team training camp roster for its first friendly in eight months. The USWNT will train for six days in the Netherlands before playing its final match of 2020. This call-up marks Purce's third under Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski.

"I am always thrilled to receive a call into a national team camp," said Purce. "It's an exciting opportunity to continue my growth as a player and truly a privilege every time."

Purce, 25, joined Sky Blue in January 2020 and was recently named the team's Newcomer of the Year. She made her debut for the Club in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, starting at right back in all five of the matches she played. Following the Challenge Cup, Purce showed her versatility by starting every match of the NWSL Fall Series at forward. She scored her first goal in a Sky Blue jersey during the opening match and notched two assists in the final match of 2020 while completing 76% of her passes.

"I love the challenge of bringing this group together, getting about a week of training and then playing the European champions on their home ground," said Andonovski. "We have a lot of experience on this roster, but also a few players who have never been through a match like this before, so the best thing is that we will learn. We'll learn about individuals and about the team. Consistent high performance is the most important factor in making rosters and starting lineups, and this trip will give our players the chance to show themselves in high level training and match environments."

The training camp roster includes 23 players, with the team training for six days before concluding the camp with a friendly against the Netherlands. The match will air on ESPN 2, Friday, November 27, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Sky Blue forwards Carli Lloyd and Mallory Pugh were unavailable for selection due to injury.

As they did during the training camp in Colorado, the U.S. players and staff will operate inside a highly controlled environment at the team hotel. The staging of the camp and the match will fall under the comprehensive U.S. Soccer Return to Play Protocols and Guidelines and in accordance with the UEFA Return to Play Protocols, with stringent collaboration by The Royal Netherlands Football Association. The U.S. delegation has received an exemption from quarantine provided to professional sports organizations. Everyone entering the environment will be tested for COVID-19 before traveling, upon arrival and every two days thereafter. The USA will not begin full team training until the results of all arrival tests are confirmed.

USWNT Netherlands Training Camp Roster (Club; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (4): Aubrey Bledsoe (Washington Spirit; 0), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 3), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 63)

DEFENDERS (10): Alana Cook (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 1/0), Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 61/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 26/1), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 104/24), Kelley O'Hara (Utah Royals FC; 131/2), Margaret Purce (Sky Blue FC; 1/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 177/0), Emily Sonnett (Orlando Pride; 45/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 102/20), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 86/19), Rose Lavelle (Manchester City, ENG; 45/12), Catarina Macario (Stanford; 0/0), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 15/1), Samantha Mewis (Manchester City, ENG; 67/18)

FORWARDS (6): Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Tobin Heath (Manchester United, ENG; 168/33), Alex Morgan (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG; 169/107), Christen Press (Manchester United, ENG; 138/58), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0), Lynn Williams (NC Courage; 28/9)

• Discuss this story on the National Women's Soccer League message board...

National Women's Soccer League Stories from November 17, 2020


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central