Nigeria’s women national team, Super Falcons’ coach, Randy Waldrum has included ten home-based players in his latest list of invitees’ to the squad’s camp, megasportsarena.com reports.
The ten Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) players are part of a total roll call of 25 lasses called-up by Waldrum for the upcoming Summer Series Tour of the United States of America, where the nine-time African champions will play USA, Portugal and Jamaica.
The home-based stars invited by Waldrum are Inyene Etim (Abia Angels), Gloria Ogbonna (Edo Queens), Oluwatosin Dimehin (Sunshine Queens), Abidemi Ibe (Bayelsa Queens), Esther Ogbonna (Sunshine Queens), Celine Ottah (Bayelsa Queens), Amanda Mbadi (Bayelsa Queens), Vivian Ikechukwu (Rivers Angels), Gift Monday (Robo Queens) and Joy Bokiri (Bayelsa Queens).
Also included from the foreign scene is team captain Asisat Oshoala, fresh from becoming the first African player to win the UEFA Women Champions League with FC Barcelona Femeni of Spain, and she will be joined by veteran defender Onome Ebi.
Others are youthful goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, midfielder Halimatu Ayinde and forward Rasheedat Ajibade, but Waldrum stressed that it is only a provisional squad, as two will be dropped and 23 players will make the trip to for the competition, where their first match will be at BBVA Stadium in Houston, Texas, USA.
The Falcons will also have the pleasure of playing in a brand-new, $240million Q2 Stadium built by the newest club in USA’s Major League Soccer, Austin FC in the State of Texas and their clash with the American women’s team will be the first football match at the ultra-modern arena.
The glamour tournament will run from 10th to 16th June, with the Falcons also clashing with Jamaica in Houston on the 10th before taking on Portugal three days later at the same BBVA Stadium.
Their last match is against the USA squad, four-time winners of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and four-time winners of the Olympic Games’ female football gold, at Q2 Stadium on 16th June, with the Americans as only one of four teams in the Summer Series that will compete in the at Tokyo 2021in Japan.
The match against Nigeria will mark the first time the USA has ever faced the Falcons outside of a world championship and it will be just their third-ever friendly against an African country, with the previous two coming against South Africa.
Waldrum’s full roster has three goalkeepers in Tochukwu Oluehi (CD Pozoalbense, Spain); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Inyene Etim (Abia Angels FC), as well as eight defenders, which include Onome Ebi (Minsk FC, Belarus) and Gloria Ogbonna (Edo Queens FC).
Others are Osinachi Ohale (Madrid CFF, Spain); Oluwatosin Dimehin (Sunshine Queens FC); Chidinma Okeke (Madrid CFF, Spain); Abidemi Ibe (Bayelsa Queens FC); Patricia George (Sands FC, Germany); and Esther Ogbonna (Sunshine Queens FC).
Six midfielders are also listed, being: Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna FC, Sweden); Celine Ottah (Bayelsa Queens FC); Halimatu Ayinde (Eskilstuna FC, Sweden); Oyedupe Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); and Amanda Mbadi (Bayelsa Queens FC).
Eiught forwards complete the list, led by Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona, Spain); Vivian Ikechukwu (Rivers Angels FC); Uchenna Kanu (Linkopings FC, Sweden); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid FC, Spain) and Francisca Ordega (Levante FC, Spain), as well as Gift Monday (FC Robo Queens); Joy Bokiri (Bayelsa Queens FC) and Charity Adule (SD Eibars FC, Spain).
