By Amy Tennery
HARRISON, N.J. (Reuters) – Lynn Williams and Kristie Mewis combined to give Gotham FC a 1-0 win over Washington Spirit 1-0 in the Challenge Cup on Wednesday and the duo hope to have made an impression on U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski as he prepares to name his Women’s World Cup squad.
U.S. head coach Andonovski must soon submit his 23-player squad for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, which begins on July 20, leaving little time for those on the periphery to stake a claim.
The four-times World Cup winners would have hoped to have a crystal clear picture of their squad with less than 100 days before the event kicks off but the loss of striker Mallory Swanson to injury has been a huge setback.
Captain Becky Sauerbrunn told reporters last week it was the ideal time for an attacker to step forward and claim a place, and Williams did just that on Wednesday, scoring the winner from close range off an assist from Tokyo Olympics team mate Mewis.
“It’s definitely pressure and (Andonovski is) definitely watching,” said 29-year-old Williams, who notched her third goal in four National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) matches this year.
“But he’s watching all the time – World Cup or not. I think that this time is obviously a little more stressful, everybody’s doing the best they can to make the roster.
“Right now my focus is just doing what I need to do to help (Gotham FC) and that means being the best Lynn Williams I can possibly be,” said Williams, who was the MVP for the U.S. top flight in 2016.
“Being the best Lynn Williams I can possibly be will hopefully help me get on that team.”
The defending World Cup champions wrapped up their April camp with wins over Ireland in a pair of friendlies, with Mewis getting minutes off the bench while Williams did not feature.
Mewis, 32, hopes her performances at club level will help her nail down a spot as a midfielder in the squad, though the surprise return of veteran Julie Ertz could make places harder to come by.
“If you make too big of a deal out of it then you’re not going to perform well,” said Mewis. “What’s most important for me is to just try to be consistent and try to play the way I know how to play.
“So I’m still working on that and that’s all that I can do right now at this point.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
