U of M’s Katie Bethke Called Back To USWNT U-23 Team for Four Nations Tournament Squad Trial

Golden Gopher forward Katie Bethke just returned from a  U.S U-23 Women’s National Team camp in Germany.  She played in three matches over the ten-day trip including a pair of 2-2 ties against the German U-23 WNT and the Korean Republic U-20 WNT. The U.S. team also played an exhibition game against German club team TSG Wieseck to kick off the tour. It was Bethke’s first call up to the U-23s.

The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native must have impressed because she’s been called up again. U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team head coach Bill Irwin has brought 24 players to The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. from June 13-19, after which he will pick an 18-player squad for the Four Nations Tournament 2010 taking place in Leicester, England from July 7-12. Bethke is looking to make the squad of 18.

The U.S. team will leave for Europe on July 3 and face the England U-23s on July 7, the Norway U-23s on July 9 and the Sweden U-23s on July 12.

For years, the summertime destination of the U.S. U-23s (formally U-21s) was the annual Nordic Cup, but as that historically eight-team tournament has not been held the past two years, this competition will serve as the team’s end-of-the-year programming before the players head off to their college pre-season camps.

Irwin’s roster features some of the nation’s top college players and perhaps some top picks in next year’s Women’s Professional Soccer draft.

Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Kristin Arnold (Texas A&M; Centennial, Colo.), Katie Fraine (Florida; Titusville, Fla.), Alexa Gaul (Texas; Naperville, Ill.), Natalie Kulla (Marquette; St. Louis, Mo.).
DEFENDERS (7): Jackie Carron (Michigan; Rochester Hills, Mich.), Katie Deines (Washington; Issaquah, Wash.), Lauren Fowlkes (Notre Dame; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Meghan Klingenburg (UNC; Gibsonia, Pa.), Mariah Nogueira (Stanford; Westminster, Calif.), Mollie Pathman (Duke; Durham, N.C.), Jessica Schuveiller (Notre Dame; Plano, Texas).
MIDFIELDERS (6); Kelly Conheeney (Virginia Tech; Ridgewood, N.J.), Colleen Flanagan (Virginia; Philadelphia, Pa.), Katy Frierson (Auburn, Homewood, Ala.), Tori Huster (Florida State; Cincinnati, Ohio), Kat Reynolds (Santa Clara; San Clemente, Calif.), Rachel Shipley (Texas A&M; Plano, Texas),
FORWARDS (7): Katie Bethke (Minnesota; Eau Claire, Wis.), Kayla Grimsley (South Carolina; Lakeland, Fla.), Sarah Hagen (Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Appleton, Wis.); Melissa Henderson (Notre Dame; Garland, Texas), Laura Heyboer (Michigan State; Hudsonville, Mich.), Christen Press (Stanford; P.V. Estates, Calif.), Molly Thomas (Nebraska; Omaha, Neb.).