To the casual soccer fan, Savannah DeMelo’s rise to U.S. women’s national team stardom seemed to happen overnight, but to those who have been following closely, the 25-year-old’s inclusion on the World Cup roster comes as no surprise—although far from a foregone conclusion.
DeMelo’s place on coach Vlatko Andonovski’s squad is nearly unprecedented, with the midfielder the first uncapped player to receive a World Cup call-up since Hall of Famer Shannon Boxx in 2003. The Racing Louisville star was included in the USWNT’s September and October camps, but neither outing produced a senior national team debut.
Instead, DeMelo has taken a less obvious path to Australia and New Zealand, playing her way to the USWNT’s World Cup squad (a notoriously difficult group to break into) by fielding an emphatic performance with her NWSL club. Notching five goals and two assists through 12 matches, DeMelo is directing the goalscoring charge for Louisville, following up a solid rookie year with a sensational sophomore season.
