On May 1st, U.S. women’s national team head coach Jill Ellis released the 23 person roster for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. The roster features big names like Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe but also includes quite a few newbies like Tierna Davidson, Adrianna Franch, and Rosa Lavelle.
​
Notably, five former players for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were named to the team. Tobin Heath has the most experience of these alumnae with this being her third tournament. Ashlyn Harris will be playing in her second tournament, and with the loss of star goalkeeper Hope Solo she may see significantly more play time than in the previous World Cup. Crystal Dunn, Allie Long, and Jessica McDonald will each be making their debut in the tournament.

The U.S. women’s national team has a history of drawing on players with roots in North Carolina. With this newest lineup, 48 out of 166 roster spots have been occupied by former UNC players, averaging about six players in each tournament.

In the first World Cup in 1991, the team featured nine UNC players, including some of the biggest names in the sport like Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly. The team was led by Coach Anson Dorrance, who also coaches the UNC women’s team.

The 2011 Women’s World Cup featured the fewest number of UNC players with just two named to the roster: Tobin Heath and Heather O’Reilly. This was also the only year that UNC has been outnumbered by another college or university with Stanford placing three alumna on the roster: Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, and Kelley O’Hara.

​With the United States’ tournament beginning on June 11th against Thailand, this national team has a lot to live up to as they chase their fourth star.