The United States women's national team will take on France at 3 p.m. ET in the Women's World Cup quarterfinals (stream via fuboTV), but the team will be doing it without one of its most important players in the starting lineup. Lindsey Horan, the 2018 NWSL MVP, will start the game on the bench for the United States. Horan did not get the start in the previous game against Spain in the round of 16. It was assumed that Jill Ellis sat her for the Spain game in order to avoid a yellow card suspension. Horan had picked up a yellow in the group stage. Samantha Mewis will pick up the start in Horan's place.
USWNT starting lineup vs. France
- Alyssa Naeher (GK); Kelley O'Hara (DEF), Abby Dahlkemper (DEF), Becky Sauerbrunn (DEF), Crystal Dunn (DEF); Samantha Mewis (MID), Julie Ertz (MID), Rose Lavelle (MID); Tobin Heath (FWD), Alex Morgan (FWD), Megan Rapinoe (FWD)
No real surprises outside of Horan. According to Grant Wahl of SI, she isn't injured. Perhaps there is something tactically behind the decision. We'll probably know more at the end of the day when Ellis speaks to the media.
Horan gives the effort needed defensively and does a great job combining with Ertz to get the ball forward. Mewis has proven to be more than capable to step into the lineup, but it's just an odd decision from the outside looking in. For now, these are the 11 taking the U.S. into battle.
