Loan players Jessie Gale and Cecily Wellesley-Smith have been chosen by Lydia Bedford, while a number of current and former Arsenal players miss the cut.
Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images for DFB
Lydia Bedford has announced her squad for the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, which will be held from September 5 to September 27, pending UEFA’s boycott decisions.
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Two Arsenal players have made the squad, both currently on loan.
Striker Jessie Gale, currently on loan at Newcastle United, and center-back Cecily Wellesley-Smith, who is spending the year on loan at FC Rosengård, have earned their spots.
Two former Arsenal prospects did not make the cut.
Laila Harbert and Vivienne Lia have not been chosen, likely because their respective clubs, San Diego Wave and Eintracht Frankfurt, opted not to release them under tournament rules.
Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
Additionally, two Arsenal players who were eligible have been sidelined due to injury.
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Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang are both recovering from ACL injuries, and their availability would likely have led to selection, assuming Arsenal granted permission for their release.
Sophie Harwood, who participated in the previous training camp in Portugal, is also absent from the squad.
Other significant omissions include Lexi Potter from Chelsea, who was anticipated to play a major role in the tournament.
If not for an injury, she might have been kept available for Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League matches, with Chelsea in the third qualifying round, similarly to Lia’s situation at Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Another contender, Chloe Paxton of Sunderland, also did not make the team.
Layla Drury of Manchester United, who was on the edge of the squad, is also not included.
The complete squad comprises:
Goalkeepers: Eve Annets (Manchester City), Katie Cox (Chelsea, on loan to Nottingham Forest), Kaiya Jota (Stanford University).
Defenders: Ria Bose (West Ham United), Sacha Lewis (Manchester City), Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), Lucy Newell (Manchester United), Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea), Zara Shaw (Liverpool), Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Arsenal, on loan to FC Rosengård).
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Midfielders: Lola Brown (Chelsea), May Cruft (Rangers), Chloe B. Hylton (Carolina Ascent), Vera Jones (Chelsea, on loan to Watford), Erica Meg Parkinson (North Carolina Courage).
Forwards: Princess Ademiluyi (Gotham FC, on loan to Ipswich Town), Lily Dent (Brighton & Hove Albion, on loan to Sunderland), Jessie Gale (Arsenal, on loan to Newcastle United), Eva Hendle (Chelsea, on loan to Rangers), Eleanor Klinger (Stanford University), Lauryn Thompson (North Carolina Courage).
This is a robust squad, well-positioned to aim for at least a semi-final berth.
The group stage schedule is as follows:
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England vs. Canada – Saturday, September 5, 17:00 BST at Stadion Miejski, Bielsko-Biała
England vs. Tanzania – Tuesday, September 8, 17:00 BST at Stadion Miejski, Bielsko-Biała
England vs. Brazil – Friday, September 11, 14:00 BST at Stadion Miejski, Bielsko-Biała
It’s unfortunate that some players haven’t been released by their clubs, similar to situations we’ve witnessed with the French and U.S. squads.
The final issue remains regarding UEFA’s stance on the FIFA competitions boycott, with only Poland and France confirmed participants as of now.