LOS ANGELES — So much of this is new to Savannah DeMelo, and there are many more firsts to come for the Bellflower native and USC graduate as she settles in among the 23 women named to the U.S. roster for the World Cup tournament that will start next month in Australia and New Zealand.
So DeMelo had to share a laugh with teammate Casey Murphy on Tuesday, while traveling to a news conference for the U.S. team at Dignity Health Sports Park, when she found something familiar at the Carson complex where she had spent many hours training with youth national teams.
"It still smells the same," she said, smiling. "We remembered that on our first day we'd get our gear. We'd be super excited, taking pictures in front of the crest. It's so awesome because I've done that with a lot of girls…. I think it's just awesome. It's a full-circle moment."
