Rockville Centre's Crystal Dunn Picked For US World Cup Team

Rockville Centre's Crystal Dunn has been selected as a member of the U.S. Women's National Team, and will represent the country in the Women's World Cup, which kicks off in France next month.

This will be Dunn's first appearance on the National Team. She was previously part of the U.S. team that won the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan in 2012. She has also been a member of the National Team for years, and has represented the U.S. in the Olympics.

Dunn, who plays in the National Women's Soccer League for the champion North Carolina Courage, will be a defender on the National Team. The roster will not be official until it is submitted to FIFA on May 24.

“Selecting a World Cup team is a long process, and I want to thank the players – the ones that made the final team and the ones that didn’t – for all of their hard work over the past two and a half years,” said Head Coach Jill Ellis. “They all pushed each other in every training session and every game and challenged the coaches to make some tough decisions. These 23 players have been through adversity and success, and it’s a group that has the talent, confidence, experience and desire to help us win the World Cup.”

The Women's National Team has a long history of excelling during World Cups. Since the first Women's World Cup in 1991, the team has always placed, and has taken home three championship trophies. In contrast, the men's team has never done better than third place. The Women's National Team is currently ranked No. 1 in the world.