Sources: USWNT in Preliminary Talks to Land Rising Star Damaris Egurrola of Lyon
Orlando-Born Defensive Midfielder Egurrola Has Played for Spain at Youth Level
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Damaris Egurrola, a rising-star 22-year-old defensive midfielder for the French powerhouse Lyon, has had preliminary talks with U.S. Soccer about the possibility of her representing the USWNT, Fútbol with Grant Wahl has learned.
Egurrola has made nine appearances and six starts already this season for Lyon after joining in January from Everton. She was born and spent her first seven years in Orlando, Fla., as the daughter of a Spanish-Basque jai alai player, Pablo Egurrola (aka Osa II), and a Dutch mother.
Eligible to play for Spain, the U.S. and the Netherlands, Egurrola has represented Spain at the youth level, winning the 2017 European Under-19 championship (where the 5’10” Egurrola scored on a header in the final against France) and earning the runner-up medal at the 2018 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
But Egurrola has made only one appearance at the senior level for Spain (in a 2019 friendly) and has yet to appear in a competitive game for that country. She is eligible to apply for a one-time switch with FIFA to represent the United States.
A U.S. Soccer source confirmed that some discussions have taken place with Egurrola’s camp but cautioned that they are very preliminary.
Egurrola made her professional debut as a 16-year-old in December 2015 with Bilbao’s Athletic Club (the Spanish champion that season) and appeared 104 times for the club over five campaigns. She moved in the summer of 2020 to Everton and was there for just four months before Lyon triggered her £100,000 ($136,670) release clause in January 2021 to bring her to France.
Egurrola appeared in one of the WICC games for Lyon in Portland, Ore., in August.
Why Spain has so far refrained from calling up Egurrola for competitive games remains unclear.
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As always, something I didn’t know. Thanks, Grant, and I hope US Soccer is successful. Julie Ertz won’t be around forever.