Whitehill, Osborne return from injuries to join US team

Whitehill, Osborne return to US team

CHICAGO — U.S. team mainstays Cat Whitehill and Leslie Osborne will rejoin the squad for two games later this month.

Both Whitehill and Osborne have been sidelined from national team duties by knee injuries since before the 2008 Olympics, which the United States won without them. They were chosen for the games against Canada on July 19 in Rochester, N.Y., and three days later in Charleston, S.C., by coach Pia Sundhage.

Also chosen Monday was striker Abby Wambach, who will be seeking her 100th U.S. goal in her hometown of Rochester. She has 99 goals in 128 international games.

On May 25, Wambach played her first match for the national team since breaking her leg almost 12 months ago.

Neither Whitehill nor Osborne has played for the U.S. team in more than a year. Both have recovered fully from operations on their anterior cruciate ligaments and have been regular starters for their Women’s Professional Soccer clubs.

The roster features 18 players from the WPS and three collegiate players: midfielders Christine Nairn (Penn State) and Tobin Heath (North Carolina), and forward Lauren Cheney (UCLA).

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Nicole Barnhart, Hope Solo.

Defenders: Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Lori Chalupny, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Cat Whitehill.

Midfielders: Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Angela Hucles, Carli Lloyd, Christine Nairn, Heather O’Reilly, Leslie Osborne, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley.

Forwards: Lauren Cheney, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach.