Megan Rapinoe Headlines July Team of the Month
The NWSL Team of the Month has been released as teams from across the United States return to action this weekend following an international break. The NWSL Team of the Month is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis.
NWSL Soccer News: Seattle Reign FC forward Megan Rapinoe leads the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Team of the Month voted by the NWSL Media Association for the month of July of the 2017 NWSL season.
Rapinoe earned NWSL Player of the Month honors for July while also being voted to the NWSL Team of the Month for the second consecutive month. She is joined on the squad by Sky Blue FC forward Samantha Kerr and Chicago Red Stars defender Casey Short – both of whom were named to the Team of the Month for the third-straight time.
North Carolina Courage defender Abby Dahlkemper and Orlando Pride midfielder Marta were also voted as one of the league’s best for the second month in a row, while Chicago Red Stars midfielder Julie Ertz makes her second appearance on the squad this season after also being honored in April.
The Courage and Houston Dash share the top spot for most players on the July team with three each, followed by the Red Stars with two representatives. The Pride, Sky Blue FC and Reign all had one player earn a place among the league’s elite for July.
Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell is the only rookie make the squad this month. She and teammates Amber Brooks and Andressinha are all first-time recipients of the accolade as Houston recorded the first undefeated calendar month in club history (for months with at least three games).
NWSL Team of the Month – July
GK – Jane Campbell, Houston Dash: Campbell made 18 saves and four catches in four appearances as she recorded one shutout and helped the Dash to a 3-0-1 record during the month – with Houston conceding just three goals in July.
D – Amber Brooks, Houston Dash: Brooks enjoyed a strong overall performance with 18 clearances, 14 interceptions and gained possession 27 times in four games for the Dash in July. She also notched an assist on the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over FC Kansas City on July 2.
D – Abby Dahlkemper, North Carolina Courage: Dahlkemper made 12 clearances and gained possession 16 times in three appearances for the Courage as she helped the club earn their sixth shutout of the season. The defender also made four tackles, two interceptions and five blocks during the three matches in July.
D – Casey Short, Chicago Red Stars: Short was at her energetic best during the month as she made 22 clearances, gained possession 18 times and recorded six interceptions to help the Red Stars finish July with the top spot in the NWSL standings.
D – Taylor Smith, North Carolina Courage: Smith put together a strong run of play that included gaining possession 11 times, nine clearances, six tackles and four interceptions in three appearances for the Courage in July.
M – Andressinha, Houston Dash: Andressinha scored the game-winning goal July 15 against Washington and assisted on the game-winning goal July 22 versus Boston. On July 18, she was named the NWSL Player of the Week for Week 13 of the 2017 season.
M – Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars: Ertz was involved in 41 total duels – winning 63.4 percent of them – in four appearances as she helped the Red Stars to their second undefeated calendar month this year with a 2-0-2 record in July.
M – Marta, Orlando Pride: Marta had two goals and an assist in four appearances for the Pride in July. She created seven chances for Orlando during the month to go along with 257 touches.
M – McCall Zerboni, North Carolina Courage: Zerboni turned in a tenacious performance in July with 21 tackles in three appearances for the Courage – including a game-high nine tackles July 1 against Sky Blue FC. Zerboni also scored in a 2-0 win over Seattle on July 8.
F – Samantha Kerr, Sky Blue FC: Kerr scored six goals in four games in July – including a July 8 hat trick in a 3-2 victory over FC Kansas City as Sky Blue FC became the first team in league history to rally from two goals down to win an NWSL match.
F – Megan Rapinoe, Seattle Reign FC: Rapinoe scored five goals in four appearances for the Reign during the month – including a two-goal effort in a 2-0 win July 1 against Portland and a hat trick in a 5-4 victory July 22 over Sky Blue FC.
The NWSL will return to action Friday, August 4, with a pair of games as the Boston Breakers host FC Kansas City and the Washington Spirit travel to face Sky Blue FC – with both matches kicking off at 7 p.m. ET. On Saturday, August 5, the Portland Thorns FC will go head-to-head with the Houston Dash at 3:30 p.m. ET in the NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime, before the Seattle Reign FC go on the road against the North Carolina Courage and the Orlando Pride host the Chicago Red Stars – with the two late games both starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Source: NWSL. Photo Credit: ISI Photos
