..according to the sidebar of this attached article (see the box).
"All the tournament's group play will be on ESPN+, and ESPN networks will carry the quarterfinals and semifinals on a channel to be determined, with the championship game on ESPN. The World Cup winner gets an automatic berth into the 2020 Summer Olympics."
The Americans' other Group D games are against China on Sunday and Latvia on Tuesday (both also we be on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. ET).
US team. I for 1 believe Jewell is deserving to be on the team. I also understood her decision to forgo her last year at ND to turn pro and become the #1 pick. It has certainly worked out for her prioritizing her professional career. I hope ND embraces her as a ring of honor entry soon. I also think Ace is deserving as well.
Absence of some team regulars (Maya Moore) and/or strong contenders for the squad (notably Skylar Diggins, K-Mac) presented opportunities for others (Kelsey Plum, Layisha Clarendon, Morgan Tuck) to join perennials such as Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Elena Della Donne, Tina Charles, Brittany Griner, etc. And A'ja Wilson, the WNBA rookie of the year, is also on the team.
Jewell is in the overall pool of players that has played in friendlies, but she was no lock for team if all eligible players had reported. As it was, she missed most of the training camp playing in the WNBA playoffs, joining the team for only one scrimmage against Australia. However, she was named along with her Seattle Storm teammates, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Once again, congrats to her.
Everyone has their own reasons for deciding to play/not play, but all power to Della Donne for soldiering on after suffering a deep bruise to her knee in the WNBA semis that knocked her out for a game. And to Bird, the oldest player in the WNBA who finished the playoffs with another broken nose (her 5th, I believe).
if they didn't include World cup but she was never put on a World cup team (thanks Geno). Seven of the 11 with those four championships are from UConn-the others Swoopes (Texas Tech), Catchings (Tennessee), Cooper (USC), and Griner (Baylor). Geno was on this selection committee again as well.
Ruth did win a Eurocup Championship for the Greek team Athinaikos in 2010 and I am not sure too many of those 11 players accomplished that. Still Ruth is on a more elite list of champions who also earned the WNBA MVP for the chammpionship and NCAA MOP for the championship which include only Swoopes, Ruth, Cash, Taurasi, Moore, Candace Parker, and now Stewart. BTW Candace Parker also has never played on a World Cup team which is hard to understand unless it's because she didn't play at UConn.
Edited to add Candace Parker: 2006 & 7 MOP & 2016 MVP. She also won 2 Gold medals.
...trying to capture active Domers, but -- hey -- anything on Ruth is AOK with me.
BTW, I also think Candace Parker is one fine player on all fronts (regardless of what anti-Parker folks think.).
stated "After helping the Seattle Storm capture the 2018 WNBA title, Stewart becomes the 11th athlete in history to have earned Olympic and World Cup gold medals, a WNBA title and NCAA Championship. The first 10 members of that exclusive group include 2018 USA teammates Bird, Griner and Taurasi; as well as Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes and Kara Wolters."
It's not clear to me why neither Ruth nor Parker got a chance to play in a World Cup which would have put them on that list. Since Ruth was on the 2004 Gold Medal Olympic team, I don't know why she wasn't on the 2002 WC team which won the World Cup or even 2006 where she could have made a difference since that team only got Bronze. Parker was on the 2008 & 2012 Olympic Gold medal teams so could have been on the 2010 and 2014 World Cup teams which the US won both.