USWNT head to Scotland for final game of 2018 calendar

USWNT head to Scotland for final game of 2018

LISBON, PORTUGAL - NOVEMBER 8: (L-R) Crystal Dunn of USA Women, Mallory Pugh of USA Women, Jessica McDonald of USA Women during the International Friendly Women match between Portugal v USA at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on November 8, 2018 in Lisbon Portugal (Photo by Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

One final game is all that stands between the USWNT and the end of the 2018 season. Here are three things to look out for as the U.S. face Scotland.

The USWNT will play their final game of 2018 on Tuesday afternoon in Paisley, Scotland. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. Last week, the U.S. picked up win number 500 with a 1-0 victory over Portugal. It has been five years since the U.S. and Scotland last faced off, a 4-1 and 3-1 victory in a pair of February friendlies.

How much rotation will we see for the roster?

In five of the past six games, Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn and Alyssa Naeher have been the center-back-goalkeeper trio. Heading into 2019, this is probably the most locked down three spots on the starting XI. These three have put in a lot of minutes this year between club and country, and it will be interesting to see if head coach Jill Ellis will rotate them at all in the final game of the year. There’s very little to gain from this game, and so it would be a good time to let others shine.

Do players like Jess McDonald really have a chance at the World Cup roster?

Last week against Portugal, Jess McDonald scored the lone goal for the U.S. That came off the back of an MVP performance in the NWSL Championship game, capping record-breaking season as part of the North Carolina Courage. But is that enough to get her to break into the World Cup roster? Probably not unless there are substantial injuries. That’s not a knock on McDonald, it’s just that the forward corps is so deep. This final game of 2018 though could be a huge audition for McDonald going forward.

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An early look at 2019

This trip (including the game against Portugal last week) is the first time the U.S. have played off home soil all year. Heading into 2019, the U.S. will play a game in France in January. It’s important the squad plays some away games to get a feel for more hostile environments. The game against Scotland will be played in an 8,000-seat stadium, on the smaller side of venues they have played in this year. Still, it will teach the team a lot about how to play in different setups, and will be very important heading into France next summer.

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