With five players away on international duty, the Philadelphia Independence preseason match on Sunday with WPS rivals Washington Freedom ended in a scoreless draw.

Amy Rodriguez, Heather Mitts and Lori Lindsey are all with the US national team. Holmfridur Magnusdottir is with the Iceland squad and Lianne Sanderson is with England. Rodriguez scored in the US friendly against Mexico on Sunday. Sanderson had a goal and an assist against Austria in a World Cup qualifier.

Even without key players, Independence general manager Terry Foley said the match was important for providing the Independence coaching staff “an opportunity to give some other players a second look. We have some things to work on, but overall I’m pretty pleased with our play today.”

The team will announce its final roster on March 31 ahead of the final preseason match against Penn State on April 1. The season opens on April 11 with the Independence facing fellow WPS expansion side Atlanta Beat.

Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Independence