Rachel Daly can’t wait to play for England in the SheBelieves Cup. (Photo courtesy of St. John’s SID)

Former St. John’s University standout Rachel Daly has been selected to the England national team roster for the SheBelieves Cup in the United States next month.

Daly, who is a striker for the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League, has been listed as a defender on the English squad.

“Always a massive honor being selected to play for @England ☺️ can’t wait for the She Believes 🦁🦁🦁 #Lionesses,” Daly said on Twitter.

England will use the competition as part of its preparations for this summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 Championship in Netherlands.

“The SheBelieves Cup is a key opportunity for us to continue our learning on what it takes to win against the best teams in the world in tournament conditions,” England head coach Mark Sampson said. “We are grateful to U.S. Soccer for the invitation and look forward to contributing to what promises to be a great event for women’s football.”

England will kick off its participation in the tournament against France in Chester, Pa. March 1, take on the United States at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. March 4 and Germany in Washington, D.C. March 7.

“The SheBelieves Cup was a great tournament to play in last year with big crowds and tough opposition,” England captain Steph Houghton said. “It’s important we test ourselves against the best teams and players in the world and we’ll certainly do so there.

“I know we can compete with these teams, we’ve developed a lot in the last few years and hopefully will continue to do so ahead of the Euros.”

The roster:

Goalkeepers

Karen Bardsley (Manchester City)
Siobhan Chamberlain (Liverpool),
Mary Earps (Reading)

Defenders

Laura Bassett (Notts County)
Millie Bright (Chelsea)
Lucy Bronze (Manchester City)
Rachel Daly (Houston Dash)
Steph Houghton (Manchester City)
Jo Potter (Notts County)
Alex Scott (Arsenal)
Casey Stoney (Liverpool)
Demi Stokes (Manchester City)

Midfielders

Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City)
Jade Moore (Notts County)
Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal)
Jill Scott (Manchester City)
Fara Williams (Arsenal)

Forwards

Karen Carney (Chelsea)
Toni Duggan (Manchester City)
Nikita Parris (Manchester City)
Jodie Taylor (Arsenal)
Rachel Williams (Notts County)
Ellen White (Birmingham City)

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.