England and Manchester City trio Karen Bardsley, Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze have been named in the FIFA Women’s World Cup All-Star squad.
Captain Houghton led the Lionesses to a bronze medal at Canada 2015, England’s best-ever finish at a World Cup.
The 27-year-old impressed with her performances in central defence, and even got on the scoresheet by nodding home the equaliser in the last-16 tie against Norway.
Houghton saves England with a goal-line clearance
Houghton’s goal-line clearance against Germany also paved the way for a historic England win and a third-place finish.
Fellow defender Bronze was another player who stood out in both boxes.
From starting the tournament as an auxiliary left winger, she was then moved back to her more familiar surroundings at right-back – but that didn’t stop her from netting twice.
Bronze hit a memorable 20-yard winner against Norway before heading the crucial second goal against host nation Canada in the quarter final.
England’s podium finish was aided by two player of the match performances by goalkeeper Bardsley.
She made a number of important saves against Norway and repeated her heroics in the third-place play-off in Edmonton.
England celebrate winning bronze at Canada 2015
The performances of all three players were noted by FIFA’s Technical Study Group, who selected them in their All-Star line-up.
World Cup winners USA provide five of the 23-strong ‘Dream Team’.
The Lionesses will now begin their Euro 2017 qualifying campaign next month when they take on Estonia in Tallinn on Monday 21 September.
Their first home qualifier is against Bosnia & Herzegovina at Bristol City FC on Sunday 29 November.
Tickets for the Bosnia match are on sale now priced £5 for adults and £2.50 for children.
A family ticket (two adults and two children) is available at £10 and group booking discounts apply.
Visit tickets.bristol-sport.co.uk or call 01179 630 600 to get yours
All-Star Squad
Goalkeepers:
Nadine Angerer, Karen Bardsley, Hope Solo.
Defenders:
Saori Ariyoshi, Lucy Bronze, Kadeisha Buchanan, Steph Houghton, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Wendie Renard.
Midfielders and Forwards:
Ramona Bachmann, Lisa De Vanna, Amandine Henry, Elise Kellond-Knight, Eugenie Le Sommer, Carli Lloyd, Anja Mittag, Aya Miyama, Megan Rapinoe, Mizuho Sakaguchi, Celia Sasic, Elodie Thomis, Rumi Utsugi.
