Who is Savannah DeMelo: The Hidden Gem on the USWNT World Cup Roster
Coach Vlatko Andonovski set the USWNT Women’s World Cup roster, and there are plenty of new faces. Fourteen players, to be exact, will make their World Cup debut! Among those fourteen, only one player has not been capped, and that is Savannah DeMelo. One of the last times DeMelo was called up was last September when she filled the place of Trinity Rodman, who couldn’t train with the team due to a family commitment. She was also called up in October, but again, didn’t play any minutes.
Savannah DeMelo may be a new name to you since this is her second call-up to the senior WNT, but she’s clearly a talented player that we hope to see more of at the national level. Here’s what you need to know about the midfielder:
College Soccer
Savannah DeMelo delayed starting college to play in the 2016 U-20 Women’s World Cup. She played college soccer at the University of Southern California from 2016 to 2021. However, she suffered a torn Achilles tendon and redshirted her junior year.
During her career at USC, she scored 17 goals and played in 75 matches, regularly in the starting lineup.
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Her accolades include being a three-time All-Pac 12 selection and United Soccer Coaches All-American Honors.
Racing Louisville
After being drafted as the fourth pick in last the 2022 NWSL college draft by Racing Louisville, DeMelo made a big splash. Her first season, the rookie started in 22 games and scored four goals, including two from free kicks. She earned NWSL Best XI Honors in May and NWSL Rookie of the Month in July.
This season, her excellent form is undeniable. Despite Racing Louisville giving up possession and DeMelo not even getting a ton of touches on the ball, she’s been a source of energy in the midfield for Racing and has scored in nearly half the games she’s appeared in.
DeMelo is great in tight spaces with passing and dribbling; plus, she has great vision, creativity, and a tenacity that does not go unnoticed. She’s a pain for other teams, with both getting into defensive tackles and slipping sneaky through balls to the Racing forwards.
US Youth National Team
DeMelo has a history at the US National team level; she played for the Under-20 team from 2016 to 2018 and scored six goals throughout her 21 appearances. In addition, she was on the USYNT that won the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championships in 2015.
USWNT World Cup Call-Up
This is one of Savannah DeMelo’s first opportunities at the senior national team level. With this roster, Andonovski went the route of giving different players chances to prove themselves. Alyssa Thompson is the other wild card player.
She is the only player from Racing Louisville on the September roster. This call-up makes DeMelo only the third player in USWNT history to have made no appearances but made the World Cup team.
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DeMelo is one of seven midfielders on the roster, among the likes of Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, and Julie Ertz. Plus, she hasn’t trained with many of these players since last fall. But if she does get some minutes, she has all the experience and momentum on her side to be able to make her mark.
Featured image via @USWNT on Instagram
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