Today, Mark Sampson has announced the 23 player squad for England's final warm-up matches at the Cyprus Cup next month. As top seeds in Group B, Sampson's team will begin the tournament against Finland on 4 March, before matches against Australia and Holland over the following week. Depending on the group standings, England will then play a final match against a team from one of the other two groups, possibly World Cup hosts Canada, which will determine their final positioning in the tournament.
Chelsea Ladies defender, Claire Rafferty is the only change from the team that recently lost to USA, as she continues her come back after her third ACL surgery. Rafferty has seven previous international caps but, despite being named in the friendly against Germany at Wembley last year, hasn't played for England recently. She will replace FC Rosengard defender/midfielder Anita Asante, who although being included in the USA squad wasn't permitted to travel to England for the match by her Swedish club, as the match was played outside of the allocated FIFA international dates.
England have attended the Cyprus Cup every year since their debut in 2009 and have a strong history at the tournament, having won it on two occasions and been runner up once. In their most recent win, 2013, England beat Canada 1-0 in the final with many of the same players that are named in this squad.
Speaking of his choices, Sampson said "this is a big opportunity for the players to stake a claim for a spot [at the World Cup]". He continued, "The Cyprus Cup gives us a unique opportunity to simulate tournament football, which is key to our World Cup preparation. We will potentially face a variety of opponents from different continents at this tournament, which will be excellent preparation for the type of challenges we face at the World Cup this summer."
England play France, Mexico and Colombia in Group F at the World Cup, with their first match in Moncton on 9th June.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal), Carly Telford (Notts County)
Defenders: Laura Bassett (Chelsea), Gemma Bonner (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Notts County), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Claire Rafferty (Chelsea), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Casey Stoney (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Karen Carney (Birmingham City), Katie Chapman (Chelsea), Jade Moore (Birmingham City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jo Potter (Birmingham City), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Liverpool)
Forwards: Eni Aluko (Chelsea), Jess Clarke (Notts County), Fran Kirby (Reading), Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal), Jodie Taylor (Portland Thorns)
Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal), Carly Telford (Notts County)
Defenders: Laura Bassett (Chelsea), Gemma Bonner (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Notts County), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Claire Rafferty (Chelsea), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Casey Stoney (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Karen Carney (Birmingham City), Katie Chapman (Chelsea), Jade Moore (Birmingham City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jo Potter (Birmingham City), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Liverpool)
Forwards: Eni Aluko (Chelsea), Jess Clarke (Notts County), Fran Kirby (Reading), Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal), Jodie Taylor (Portland Thorns)