Ahead of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, we here at For The Win are previewing some key teams to watch in this tournament. Up first is the U.S. women’s national team. You can see the full list of team previews here.
The U.S. women’s national team heads to Australia and New Zealand as the undisputed top team in the world. But the road to a third straight World Cup title won’t necessarily be easy.
The USWNT will be welcoming a mix of new faces and familiar veterans to the squad, but it will also be without several key players due to injury. Can they three-peat at the sport’s biggest stage? Only time will tell.
Here’s what you’ll need to know about the USWNT ahead of the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
USWNT group and schedule
The USWNT is in Group E, along with the Netherlands, Vietnam and Portugal, and it should be favored heavily to emerge from the group. Here’s the group stage schedule for the USWNT:
- July 21 vs. Vietnam | 9 p.m. ET on FOX
- July 26 vs. Netherlands | 9 p.m. ET on FOX
- August 1 vs. Portugal | 3 a.m. ET on FOX
Key players for the USWNT
Lindsey Horan: As a versatile midfielder, Horan has developed into one of the most important player’s on this USWNT roster. She became a mainstay with the national team in 2016 and has since proven to be among the best distributors on the roster. She played a major part in 2019’s World Cup win and has taken on an even larger role within head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s system.
Alex Morgan: What else is there to say about Morgan? She’s a generational superstar who still has plenty left in the tank at 34 years old and 200-plus caps. Despite the young attacking talent brought into Andonovski’s roster, Morgan remains his go-to striker. Her experience and pedigree will be huge for the team as the tournament gets underway.
Trinity Rodman: She’s among the youngest players on the roster, but she might also be the most talented. Rodman — at just 21 years old — is already the highest-paid player in NWSL history where she has six goal contributions in 13 matches this season. Rodman will likely come off the bench at the World Cup, but she showed her potential for an immediate impact with two goals in the send-off win over Wales.
At 21 years and 50 days of age, @Trinity_Rodman is the youngest #USWNT player to bag a brace ✌️ pic.twitter.com/TIjuCL68NB
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 9, 2023
The USWNT's recent World Cup history
Simply put, the USWNT has been dominant at the World Cup. The team is looking to win its third straight World Cup after wins in 2019 and 2015 respectively. The USWNT avenged its 2011 loss to Japan with a convincing 5-2 win in 2015’s rematch. In 2019, Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle scored goals in a 2-0 win over the Netherlands.
What the experts are saying about the USWNT
While the separation between the USWNT and the rest of the world has closed as other federations invest in women’s programs, most would still consider the USWNT as clear favorites at this World Cup. That doesn’t mean they’ll go through the tournament untested as injuries and better competition will raise questions.
Via ESPN:
The gap between the USWNT’s talent pool and their European opponents has never been smaller. Sarina Wiegman’s England — the European champions — are a force to be reckoned with and the Lionesses have a similar excellent chemistry as the Americans, while a talented Spain, efficient Germany and relentless France will all be tough to overcome.
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