Sauerbrunn, O’Reilly called up to U.S. women’s national team for September friendlies

The latest U.S. women’s national team call-ups include two FC Kansas City players: defender Becky Sauerbrunn and midfielder Heather O’Reilly. The U.S. will play two friendlies in the coming weeks, Sept. 15 against Thailand (in Columbus, Ohio) and Sept. 18 against the Netherlands (in Atlanta).

For O’Reilly, who announced her retirement from international soccer, Sept. 15 will be her last time in the uniform.

Sauerbrunn is expected to be available for both matches, but O’Reilly plans on closing her career against Thailand. According to U.S. Soccer, the plan is to honor O’Reilly before the match, which will serve as her 231st and final appearance for the national team. She will also be team captain for the night.

“One of the most important things in this first game against Thailand is to celebrate Heather O’Reilly’s wonderful career and honor her with a send-off befitting her tremendous contribution to our program,” national team head coach Jill Ellis said in a statement. “I am certain the fans and our players will make sure it’s a very special day.”

O’Reilly, who plans on continuing to play for FCKC, announced her retirement from the national team last week. A 31-year-old midfielder, O’Reilly has 46 goals at the international level, and has been a part of the national team since she was 17. Most recently, she was one of four alternates on this year’s Olympic squad.

Meanwhile, Sauerbrunn has 113 total caps for the national team as a defender. She was on the final 18-woman roster for the Olympics last month, although the U.S. lost in the quarterfinals for the first time.

Neither Sauerbrunn nor O’Reilly is expected to miss FCKC games because of national team duty. FCKC plays this Sunday against Chicago, and will conclude the season Sept. 24 at Orlando.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Sauerbrunn, O’Reilly called up to U.S. women’s national team for September friendlies."