Houston Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbelland midfielders Shea Groom andKristie Mewis were called in to the October U.S. Women’s National Team training camp in Denver under head coach Vlatko Andonovski, U.S. Soccer announced today.
“I think Jane (Campbell) is the best goalkeeper in the league. Kristie (Mewis) and Shea (Groom) have been phenomenal for us – they’ve been right up there,” Dash Head Coach James Clarkson said. “It’s important for us as a club – it can be a recognition for the hard work that the staff do to help the players get better. Hopefully people start to see that Houston is a destination where you can improve as an individual, raise your level of play and create new opportunities for yourself.”
Campbell joins the USWNT after playing a crucial role in Houston’s first league title during the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup. Throughout the tournament, she held it down in goal, earning four clean sheets, three of which happened during the knockout rounds. The goalkeeper stopped two penalty kicks against Utah Royals FC securing the ticket into the semifinals.
The Georgia native has earned three caps with the U.S. Women’s National Team, two of which have come in Houston at BBVA Stadium. She made her senior international debut in Houston during a 5-1 USWNT victory over Russia in April 2017. Since then, Campbell has earned two more caps for the national team, including an appearance in a 6-2 win over Mexico in Houston in April of 2018. She was most recently called in to the national team in December 2019.
Groom, who played under Andonovski for four years during her tenure with FC Kansas City and Reign FC, earned her first call-up with the national team in a pair of friendlies in October 2016. The Missouri native joined Houston in February and has established herself as a key attacker for the club, currently leading the team with five goals and three assists. Groom earned 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Final MVP honors after a dominant 90-minute performance which she capped off by a stoppage-time goal to clinch the title in a 2-0 victory.
The Texas A&M alumna made her international debut with the United States Women’s Under-23 team in the 2015 La Manga Tournament where she started in all three games, scoring the first goal of a 2-0 victory against Norway. The 26-year-old earned her first call-up with the senior U.S. Women’s National Team for a pair of friendlies against Switzerland in October of 2016.
Mewis, who signed a multi-year contract with the club that is set to go through the 2023 season, has scored three goals and tallied three assists for the Dash in 2020. The Boston native earned NWSL Player of the Week honors on Oct. 6 after scoring a goal and providing three assists in Houston’s 4-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL Fall Series. Mewis played in every game of the Challenge Cup, scoring a goal in Houston’s 2-0 victory over OL Reign and drawing a penalty that resulted in the tournament-winning goal in the Challenge Cup Final against the Chicago Red Stars.
In the 2019 NWSL season, Mewis logged 20 starts in 22 appearances and scored four goals and one assist for Houston after recovering from a torn ACL that ended her 2018 campaign early. Her return from the injury culminated with a call-up from Andonovskiin November of 2019. Mewisearned her first call-up with the national team in 2014 and has scored one goal in 15 appearances for the United States.
