Ireland squad for USA games as one player misses out over family bereavement
Ireland head coach Carla Ward has named a 23-player squad for Ireland's friendly double-header away to the USA later this month - and there are some big-name absentees.
Arsenal's Champions League winning star Katie McCabe has been given permission to skip the games. Ward said earlier this month that the Tallaght native was 'on the verge of burnout' after a busy season for club and country.
Also unavailable for selection are Aoife Mannion, Heather Payne, Tara O'Hanlon, Jamie Finn, Lily Agg, Jess Ziu and Leanne Kiernan.
Shelbourne midfielder Aoibheann Clancy is also out. Ward, her staff and players have sent their condolences to Clancy following the passing of her mother, Siobhan.
'The WNT players & staff send their condolences to midfielder Aoibheann Clancy following the passing of her mother, Siobhan. She is being given the time to deal with this difficult period and has the full support of the WNT squad,' read a line in the press release detailing Ward's squad.
Ireland will take on the world's top ranked nation in two friendlies - on Thursday June 26 in Denver, Colorado (2am Irish time) and Sunday June 29 in Cincinnati (8pm Irish time).
Defender Hayley Nolan and midfielder Ellen Molloy receive their first call-ups under Ward.
Nolan last featured for Ireland on their most recent US tour in April 2023, while Molloy's return is on the back of impressive performances with Wexford.
'The two games against the USA are an opportunity for us to work together on a number of things – both on and off the pitch – as we build towards the UEFA Nations League Play-Off against Belgium in October,' said Ward.
'We will be coming up against the best team in women's football, so we will have a plan for those games but it's also important that we make the most out of this camp as a whole.
'When these games were first proposed to us we knew that we would be without certain players, but that opens the door for others to step up.
'We are building, camp by camp, so we are looking forward to getting together again and putting in some extra work that will stand to us moving forward.'
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Unattached), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Megan Campbell (Unattached)
Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Ellen Molloy (Wexford)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Emily Murphy (Newcastle United), Saoirse Noonan (Celtic), Erin Healy (Adelaide United), Izzy Atkinson (Unattached)
# Both games will be broadcast live on the RTÉ Player, with the second game also live on RTÉ2.
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