Sophie Ingle and Rachel Rowe to miss Wales' friendly in USA
- Published
Sophie Ingle and Rachel Rowe, two influential performers for Wales, are unavailable for the USA friendly
Wales will be without captain Sophie Ingle and fellow midfielder Rachel Rowe for their friendly against four-time World Cup winners United States of America on Sunday, 9 July.
Ingle is suspended after being sent off in Wales' draw with Portugal in April, though she will travel to the USA.
Wales say the versatile Rowe is unavailable due to a calf injury.
Jess Fishlock, who plays in America for OL Reign, is in the 22-player squad, as is uncapped forward Mary McAteer.
"When you play the world champions, you want to take some of your stronger players," said Wales boss Gemma Grainger.
"We want to travel with [Ingle and Rowe] for sure. It's disappointing. But we have to take the positives. We are hoping it's going to be an opportunity for some other players."
Blackburn Rovers midfielder Chloe Williams is a late addition to the squad.
Wales' women side will play their first ever game outside Europe when they meet the USA, winners of the last two World Cups, at the PayPal Stadium in San Jose.
It will also be the first meeting of the two nations.
The game will conclude Wales' preparations for the Nations League, which begins in September, and will be USA's final warm-up match ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
"For us, when the US ask to play you, for me it's an easy answer - it's a yes," Grainger said.
"To play the back-to-back world champions in their final preparation game, I think that's a sign of respect to our players.
"They can take huge credit for that - that the US want to use us as a team to prepare. And for us, we want to see what the level is like. This is how we learn."
Chelsea's Ingle, 31, is included in Wales' travelling party as a training player.
Grainger says she is yet to decide who will captain her team against USA in Ingle's absence.
McAteer, who is unattached after finishing last season at Coventry United, is involved with the senior squad for the first time having played for Wales at under-19 level.
"She is very exciting," Grainger said. "She was a shining light for Coventry in the Championship last season.
"She is a goalscorer and she is a player we want to bring into our environment early and really invest in, because we think she'll be a starting player in this team in the future."
There are three other players - Charlie Estcourt, Esther Morgan and Kayleigh Green - in the squad who are currently unattached having left their clubs at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
Rhiannon Roberts was in that bracket but signed for Real Betis on Thursday.
Grainger's side are in League A of the inaugural women's Nations League, where they will face Germany, Denmark, and Iceland.
Wales squad to face USA: Laura O'Sullivan, (Cardiff City Ladies), Olivia Clark (Bristol City), Safia Middleton-Patel (Manchester United), Rhiannon Roberts (Real Betis), Charlie Estcourt (Unattached), Hayley Ladd (Manchester United), Gemma Evans (Reading), Lily Woodham (Reading), Esther Morgan (Unattached), Ella Powell (Bristol City), Josie Green (Leicester City), Anna Filbey (Crystal Palace), Angharad James (Tottenham Hotspur), Jess Fishlock (OL Reign), Ceri Holland (Liverpool), Ffion Morgan (Bristol City), Megan Wynne (Southampton), Carrie Jones (Manchester United), Hannah Cain (Leicester City), Kayleigh Green (Unattached), Elise Hughes (Crystal Palace), Mary McAteer (Unattached), Chloe Williams (Blackburn Rovers).