Colorado soccer: USWNT SheBelieves Cup Roster, Rapids Apple talent
Another camp for the United States Women’s National Team is around the corner, and it presents another opportunity for Coloradans to prove they belong on the final World Cup roster.
On Wednesday, U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski announced a 23-player roster for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup, a tournament with three fellow World Cup qualifiers — world No. 6 Canada, No. 8 Brazil and No. 11 Japan — from Feb. 16-22 in three cities. A pair of locals made the squad, while two were left off.
Lindsey Horan of Golden and Mallory Swanson of Highlands Ranch were named to the roster, while former CU alum Taylor Kornieck also got a call-in. All three earned starts in the January camp held in New Zealand, co-hosts of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Swanson and Kornieck each got on the scoresheet, and Swanson leads the team with three goals to start the year.
Not named to the roster were Fossil Ridge High School alum Jaelin Howell and Windsor native Sophia Smith, who is still recovering from a foot injury. Smith, the 2022 NWSL MVP, also missed out on the January camp. Andonovski told media she is back to running on the field with her team, Portland Thorns.
“I feel we could’ve rushed it a little bit and gotten some minutes from her, but I didn’t feel like this was a situation where we rush to get her back,” he said. “Our goal is not just to get her back, but to stay back, and that’s why she’s not in this camp.”
Howell hasn’t been called in since October. However, Andonovski, who said he had a productive conversation with her before the invites were released, said she’s still very much in the picture.
“She’s good at something that probably no other six (a defensive midfielder) in the league is, now with Julie Ertz absent. We want to see it on a consistent basis and that’s what’s going to get her back in the team. We’re excited about Jae. She’s not someone that we’ve given up on just because she’s not on the roster.”
The full team can be seen here.
Familiar faces return to Rapids’ broadcasts
Late Tuesday ahead of the Apple TV announcement, the Colorado Rapids announced their on-air talent for matches and Season Pass content, with Marcelo Balboa, Colorado native Jordan Angeli and fan-favorite Drew Moor all playing a role.
Marcelo Balboa will return as a match analyst, in addition to being a part of Apple TV’s Spanish-language broadcast team. Balboa, a three-time World Cup athlete, will return to the booth where he has been calling Colorado games for the last two decades.
Joining him will be Green Mountain High alum Angeli, who will be the team’s face of the Apple Season Pass and club channels. Angeli played from 2010-2015 in the NWSL before transitioning to the broadcasting side for Colorado from 2016-2019. She spent the last few seasons being the lead analyst for Columbus Crew in addition to NWSL and CONCACAF Women’s Championship matches.
“This is a new landscape for American soccer, to have a new platform where we get to showcase the best of the best,” Angeli told fans.
Moor, who retired at the end of the 2022 campaign “will serve in a multi-faceted role that includes an analyst role for club video content, radio broadcasts and in-game segments.” His debut was a voice-over for a 16-minute club profile, which can be viewed for free on Apple TV using an Apple ID.
Lastly, returning to the radio booth this season are lead play-by-play man Connor Cape and analyst Brian Crookham, Rapids 2’s general manager.
Colorado’s regular season begins Feb. 26.
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