PARIS — Lindsey Horan is not in the United States’ starting lineup for the second game in a row as the defending champion faces France in a highly anticipated Women’s World Cup quarterfinal.
Horan is a key presence for the U.S. in the midfield and one of the team’s best headers of the ball on set pieces. She is also the reigning National Women’s Soccer League MVP.
No reason was given for omitting the 25-year-old, who has been a regular starter when healthy, from the lineup against either Spain in the previous round or France. Horan has battled injuries this year, missing the SheBelieves Cup in the spring with a quadriceps injury and a May friendly against South Africa with a hip injury. But she started each of the team’s three World Cup group games and scored goals against Thailand and Sweden.
Horan began her pro career with Paris Saint-Germain, which plays men’s games in the same stadium that hosts Friday’s quarterfinal and hosted the U.S. win against Chile in group play.
With Horan not in the starting lineup, Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis start together in the midfield for the second game in a row.
The remainder of the lineup also remains unchanged from Monday’s win against Spain, except that Alex Morgan will wear the captain’s armband instead of Megan Rapinoe. Those two and Carli Lloyd, not in the lineup, are the team’s three captains and rotate the on-field designation.