USA Retool Squad to Chase Third-Straight World Cup Title By Greg Oldfield
T
he United States Women’s National Team will make its World Cup defense this July with a few new names and faces. The two-time defending World Cup champions have endured a bit of a change since the last title, with head coach Vlatko Andonovski seamlessly bringing in younger players while relying on an experienced core to maintain the high expectations. Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Kelley O’Hara will represent the U.S. for a fourth World Cup, while Alyssa Naeher and Julie Ertz will make their third appearances. Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, Lindsay Horan, and Rose Lavelle will be playing in their second World Cups. Meanwhile, 14 players will be making their World Cup debuts, including Sophia Smith, Lynne Williams, Trinity Rodman, Ashley Sanchez, Andi Sullivan, and Alyssa Thompson, the second-youngest player to be named to a U.S. World Cup roster behind assistant coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak. Naeher likely will be the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. The former Penn State AllAmerican shined in the last World Cup, earning four shutouts while only conceding 3 goals in 7 games. Her penalty save in the 84 th minute preserved the U.S.’s 2-1 win over England in the semifinals in 2019. Either Morgan (206 caps) or Dunn (131 caps) will wear the captain’s armband with Rapinoe and O’Hara likely to feature off the bench. The U.S. will be without stars Mal Swanson and captain Becky Sauerbrunn. Swanson injured her knee during a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in April while Sauerbrunn injured her foot in May and has not been able to fully recover in time. Sauerbrunn’s absence means Alana Cook and Naomi Girma will likely be the preferred back pairing. The duo, with just 39 combined caps compared to Sauerbrunn’s 216, played together in the U.S.’s 1-0 win over Japan in the She Believes Cup. Dunn, the unsung hero of the 2019 title, and Emily Fox will likely start as the outside backs. Swanson’s injury, though a major blow due to her experience, may not be as big a loss as Sauerbrunn’s. Sophia Smith, the reigning NWSL Player of the Year and potential breakout star of this World Cup, will start on one side of the front three alongside Morgan while Rodman, Thompson, or Williams will play the other side, giving the U.S. one of the best attacking trios in the world no matter the combination. The U.S. midfield will feature Andi Sullivan, who took over Ertz’s six role, and Rose Lavelle, who could be one of the best players in this tournament. Lindsay Horan, who recently announced her permanent move to Lyon, has been a regular in the lineup for the past five years. Ertz, Ashley Sanchez, and Kristie Mewis will add experience and depth in the midfield. The U.S., currently ranked number 1 in the FIFA world rankings, will open the group stage in New Zealand, facing Vietnam (No. 32) on July 21 st . The U.S. will then face Netherlands (No. 9) on July 26 th in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final in Lyon, France. The U.S. won that game 2-0 on secondhalf goals by Rapinoe and Lavelle to claim their fourth title. The group stage will conclude for the U.S. August 1 against Portugal (No. 21). Expected to finish top-two in the group, the U.S. will face its greatest test in the knockout rounds. In the 2020 (2021) Summer Olympics, they lost to Sweden in the group stage 3-0 before rallying against New Zealand and earning a draw against Australia to finish second. In the quarterfinals, they beat the Netherlands on penalties (2-2: 4-2) before falling to Canada 1-0 in the semifinals. The women topped Australia 4-3 to claim the Bronze Medal while Canada beat Sweden 2-1 for the Gold. In the second round, the U.S.’s group will face Group G, which includes Sweden (No. 3) and Italy (No. 16), who reached the quarterfinals in 2019. Should the U.S. advance to the quarterfinals, potential opponents could be New Zealand, Norway, Japan, or Spain. The U.S. beat Japan in the 2015 final, and it took a late Rapinoe penalty, her second of the game, to get past Spain in the 2019 quarterfinals. If both teams win their groups, the U.S. will not see Sweden until the semifinals. On the bright side, the U.S. will avoid Australia, Canada, England, Brazil, Germany, and France, essentially all their other rivals until the finals.
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