While on international break, six members of the Orlando Pride swapped out their purple jerseys for those of their respective national teams.
Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris dawned the red, white and blue for the United States; Rachel Hill traveled to participate in the 2018 Nordic Cup with the U.S. U-23 team; Camilla and Monica competed for Brazil; and Shelina Zadorsky was with Canada.
Alex and Ash Dominate Chile
Morgan and Harris appeared for the U.S. WNT in the final two matches before the start of the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, the team’s qualifying tournament for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Morgan started in both games against Chile, registering 135 minutes between the two matches. In addition, she captained the squad in the second match.
Alongside Morgan, Harris started in goal in the second match of the friendly series, making one save to earn her fourth shutout in her 17th appearance with the national team.
In the first match of the series, the U.S. defeated Chile 3-0 with goals from Tierna Davidson and Christen Press, and an own goal. In the second match Carli Lloyd tallied a brace while Mallory Pugh and Tobin Heath scored in the 4-0 victory to secure the clean sweep.
The United States will next begin the process of qualifying for the World Cup with the CONCACAF Women's Championship in October. The team will play three group matches in Cary, N.C., at WakeMed Soccer Park against Mexico, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago, starting on Oct. 4 and concluding on Oct. 10. The elimination stage of the competition will take place at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on Oct. 14 and Oct. 17.
Hill and Yaxley Represent Pride in Nordic Cup
Hill and the U-23 team won the 2018 Nordic Cup during the international break. Hill played in two of the three matches. She started in the first match of the tournament, scoring the game-winning goal over Sweden and came on as a substitute in the final match against Norway.
Pride coach Lloyd Yaxley also traveled with the U-23 team, assisting with the coaching of Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash as well as goalkeepers Courtney Brosnan and Casey Murphy.
Shelina Zadorsky and Canada Outlast Brazil
Shelina Zadorsky and the Canada national team continued their preparations for the CONCACAF Women's Championship with a friendly against Brazil.
Zadorsky started and played all 90 minutes as the team beat Brazil 1-0, marking their first victory since March 7 when they defeated Japan to finish in fifth place of the Algarve Cup.
Nichelle Prince of the Houston Dash scored the lone goal of the game.
The Pride’s Brazilian duo of Camila and Monica all started for the Seleção against Canada. The two played the entire 90 minutes.
Brazil will next take on France on Nov. 11 in Nice, France.
Canada too will begin the process of World Cup qualification in the CONCACAF Women's Championship with games against Cuba, Costa Rica and Jamaica in the group stage in Edinburg, Texas. The top three teams of the CONCACAF tournament will automatically qualify for next summer’s World Cup.
But before then, the internationals will return to the Orlando Pride for the final match of the National Women’s Soccer League season on Sept. 8 against Sky Blue FC.
