SEATTLE (April 14, 2015) – With 55 days until the USA’s opening match of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the U.S. Women’s National Team (U.S. WNT) have announced the roster who will represent the United States on women’s soccer’s grandest stage. Included in U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis’ 23-player roster is Seattle Reign FC goalkeeper Hope Solo and midfielder Megan Rapinoe.

Solo has 161 starts with the U.S. WNT and has amassed 82 shutouts in her career, both leading marks for a goalkeeper in WNT history. She will be competing in her third World Cup and has played a total of 10 World Cup games. In 2011, Solo has a standout performance at the Women’s World Cup in Germany where she played ever minute of the tournament and won the Golden Glove award.

“It’s funny because I am a veteran now and it’s my third World Cup, but still, when the roster was released, when Jill called me up and said ‘Congratulations, you’ve made the World Cup roster,’ I still felt emotional, happy, filled with joy and proud,” said Solo. “Anything can happen. You work for four years to make another roster and another roster and so it was just a nice dose of reality to know that I officially made the roster.”

This will be Rapinoe’s second Women’s World Cup of her career. One of the USA’s most skillful attackers and goal scorers, Rapinoe jumped to the forefront of women’s soccer after sending the cross that Abby Wambach headed home in the dying seconds of extra time against Brazil in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal. The midfielder recently received her 100th cap, becoming the 31st woman in USWNT history to achieve the century mark.

“It’s so exciting. The World Cup is everything. To be able to say that in my career, this will be the second one I am going to go to is really special. It definitely doesn’t get old by any means,” said Rapinoe. “I am thrilled and I can’t wait. It feels like it’s getting to that time and the energy is really rising. Everyone is really excited.”

The roster, which features three goalkeepers, eight defenders, seven midfielders and five forwards, is the product of nearly 11 months of player evaluation since Ellis was named head coach in May of 2014. During that time, she has been on the bench for 23 international matches (including two as interim coach before being officially named head coach) and has seen 34 players in training camps, 29 in international matches and many more in NWSL matches. Ellis selected 14 players who were part of the 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning team in London.

The Women’s World Cup roster will make up the squad for the USA’s final three matches before departing for Canada. The three-match Send-Off Series takes place in May and will start when USA faces the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, May 10, at 11:30 a.m. PT at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California, the new home of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes. From there, the USA will travel down the coast for its second Send-Off Series match, facing Mexico on Sunday, May 17, at 6 p.m. PT at StubHub Center in Carson, California. Both California matches will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

The U.S. heads to the East Coast to conclude the Send-Off Series against Korea Republic on Saturday, May 30, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. The match will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN and WatchESPN. Fans can follow all the upcoming WNT matches on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp.

This summer, the USA will face Australia, Sweden and Nigeria in Group D at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USA opens against Australia on June 8 at Winnipeg Stadium, followed by Sweden on June 12 in Winnipeg and Nigeria on June 16 at BC Place in Vancouver.

The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup runs from June 6–July 5 and all 52 games will be shown live on FOX, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and on tablets and mobile devices through the FOX Sports GO app and FOXSportsGO.com.

2015 United States FIFA Women’s World Cup Roster By Position

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ashlyn Harris* (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Naeher* (Boston Breakers), Hope Solo*** (Seattle Reign FC)

DEFENDERS (8): Lori Chalupny** (Chicago Red Stars), Whitney Engen* (Western NY Flash), Julie Johnston* (Chicago Red Stars), Meghan Klingenberg* (Houston Dash), Ali Krieger** (Washington Spirit), Kelley O’Hara** (Sky Blue FC), Christie Rampone***** (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn** (FC Kansas City)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Shannon Boxx**** (Chicago Red Stars), Morgan Brian* (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath** (Portland Thorns FC), Lauren Holiday** (FC Kansas City), Carli Lloyd*** (Houston Dash), Heather O’Reilly*** (FC Kansas City), Megan Rapinoe** (Seattle Reign FC)

FORWARDS (5): Sydney Leroux* (Western NY Flash), Alex Morgan** (Portland Thorns FC), Christen Press* (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez** (FC Kansas City), Abby Wambach**** (unattached)

* First Women’s World Cup

** Second Women’s World Cup

*** Third Women’s World Cup

**** Fourth Women’s World Cup

***** Fifth Women’s World Cup