As U.S. women’s national team fans scan through the team’s recently released roster for the Women’s World Cup this summer, they’ll see a number of familiar names.
Alex Morgan? Check.
Megan Rapinoe? Check.
Crystal Dunn? Check.
Trinity Rodman? Check.
Savannah DeMelo? Che– wait a second. Who?
DeMelo, who plays as an attacking midfielder for Racing Louisville in the National Women’s Soccer League, is the only player on the World Cup roster for the U.S. women’s national team who has yet to make her senior international debut.
She isn’t totally new to the USWNT picture: DeMelo was called into USWNT camps twice last fall, once in September as a replacement for Trinity Rodman and once in October. But neither of those call-ups resulted in any actual minutes. She hadn’t been called to any USWNT camps this year, either — until now, that is, when she was named on Wednesday to the USWNT’s World Cup team.
So why did a player with no appearances for the USWNT earn a coveted roster spot? Here’s what the 25-year-old brings on the field, and why she…
