Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd to lead the USWNT in France

The US women's national team's quest to defend their world champion title begins with coach Jill Ellis' announcement of the 23 names who will represent the United States in France this summer.

The roster will not be made official until it's submitted to FIFA on May 24, the deadline all teams have to submit their final squads. Twelve of the players Ellis has selected were part of the 2015 World Cup squad. 

"Selecting a World Cup team is a long process; 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," explained coach Ellis.

Road to France

The USWNT will have three more home games before departing to Europe for the World Cup, with Ellis' team facing South Africa on Sunday, May 12 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

The second match will be at St Louis, Missouri on Thursday, May 16 against New Zealand at Busch Stadium, before the team travels to New Jersey to face Mexico on Sunday, May 26 at the Red Bull Arena.

Group F

The US women's national team will start its World Cup journey against Thailand on June 11, at Auguste Delaune Stadium in Reims, later facing Chile on June 16 at Parc des Princes in Paris and finishing the group stage against Sweden on June 20 at Stade Océane in Le Havre.