Philadelphia Charge defender Jenny Benson has been added to the U.S. roster for the Oct. 27-Nov. 9 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup in place of injured defender Danielle Slaton.
Slaton, the WUSA's Defender of the Year last summer as a rookie with Carolina, has been slowed with a knee injury. U.S. Soccer is expected to make an announcement concerning Slaton's injury and Benson's addition to the 18-woman roster on Tuesday.
Benson is widely considered the second-best American left back, after Slaton. She had a breakthrough season with the Charge and has seen action in three U.S. games this year, starting and assisting on one goal in an 8-2 romp Sept. 8 over Scotland.
The U.S. faces Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Panama in group play of the eight-nation Gold Cup. The finalists will earn berths at next year's Women's World Cup in China, and the third-place team will face the No. 3 squad from next spring's Asian qualifying tournament for an additional berth.
The Gold Cup will be held in Pasadena, Calif., Fullerton, Calif., Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia. The Nov. 9 final will be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.