Carli Lloyd to return to U.S. women's soccer team in July

Two months to the day after Delran native Carli Lloyd suffered a sprained MCL in her right knee, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced that the midfielder is set to return to the women's national team.

Lloyd is one of 24 players named by coach Jill Ellis to the roster for a training camp in Chicago ahead of the July 9 game against South Africa at Soldier Field.

Lloyd has not played for her club team, the National Women's Soccer League's Houston Dash, since the injury - and she still won't have when national team camp begins on July 1. Houston's last game before the report date was Thursday night against the Orlando Pride, and Lloyd did not participate.

"Not that I'm counting [the time]," she quipped. "I do still feel the knee [injury]. I don't know if that's something that over the next couple of weeks I'll just feel here and there, but it's getting better."

U.S. Soccer's press release on the roster said Lloyd is expected to be available to play against South Africa. She confirmed to me that she intends to be ready.

I asked Lloyd if she's worried about going straight into national team action without having gotten back on the field for the Dash. She replied that she is not.

"Of course I would have liked to helped my Dash teammates out and been with them - it just didn't work out that way," Lloyd said. "There's no sense of rushing back and [the rehab] going backward, especially with the Olympics ahead... If anything, I think it's going to be good, because I'm just going to go out there, not think too much, play, and gain more and more confidence as each game goes on."

Lloyd equated the situation with years when there was no active professional women's league in the United States.

As for the rest of the roster, the most intriguing name is wing midfield wizard Megan Rapinoe. She has been sidelined since early December with a torn ACL in her right knee.

U.S. Soccer's official announcement of the roster said that Rapinoe will be in camp only "for training and evaluation" and won't play against South Africa.

The U.S. team has fared well in Rapinoe's absence, thanks in part to the explosive rises of youngsters Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh. But Rapinoe is still one of the team's best creative talents. If she can play in the Olympic sendoff game - July 22 against Costa Rica in Kansas City, Kan. - don't be surprised if she's on the plane to Rio.

Also on the roster is Lehigh Valley native Gina Lewandowski, one of only two players on the roster who doesn't play in the NWSL. The 31-year-old had a great season with Germany's Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga for the second straight season, but the odds that she'll be on the Olympic roster seem slim.

(The other non-NWSL player is 18-year-old Pugh, who hasn't turned pro yet. She is expected to be on the Olympic team.)

Olympic rosters can have only 18 players, of whom two must be goalkeepers. Teams are also allowed four alternates, who can join the roster only if a player is injured during the tournament. One of them must be a goalkeeper.

Expect the official announcement to be made some time between the South Africa and Costa Rica games.

Here's the full July training camp squad:

Goalkeepers (3): Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)

Defenders (9): Whitney Engen (Boston Breakers), Jaelene Hinkle (Western New York Flash), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Meghan Klingenberg (Portland Thorns FC), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Gina Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Kelley O'Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)

Midfielders (8): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC), Samantha Mewis (Western New York Flash), Heather O'Reilly (FC Kansas City)

Forwards (4): Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Mallory Pugh (Real Colorado)