We officially know the 23 players who will represent the United States in this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
Soccer legend Alex Morgan will lead the squad, in what will be her fourth World Cup tournament. Other notable veterans on the roster are forward Megan Rapinoe, midfielder Rose Lavelle and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
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The World Cup beings Thursday, July 20, and will hopefully end with team USA in the finals on Sunday, Aug. 20 in Australia. The United States Women’s National Team is looking to make history with their third World Cup win in a row. The team previously won in 2015 and 2019.
The roster just dropped, so let’s go over who officially made the squad.
Forwards: Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Lynn Williams, Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson
Morgan and Rapinoe will be heading to their fourth World Cup, which is insanely impressive. Rapinoe is nursing a calf injury right now, so I won’t expect her to be starting many matches. She’s on the squad as a leadership presence.
Williams, Smith, Rodman and Thompson will be going to the World Cup for the first time, but Williams has been to an Olympics before, so she’s used to playing in a high pressure tournament. I think the starting forwards will be Smith, Morgan and Williams.
Midfielders: Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Andi Sullivan, Kristie Mewis, Ashley Sanchez and Savannah DeMelo
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski decided to take seven midfielders to the World Cup, and Ertz, Lavelle and Horan will most likely be the starters in this position. All of the midfield backups will be fantastic subs during tough games, especially DeMelo, who has had a fantastic season for her club team in the NWSL, Racing Louisville.
Defenders: Crystal Dunn, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox, Alana Cook, Kelley O’Hara, Emily Sonnett and Sophia Huerta
This is the position that I am most worried about. Team captain and USWNT veteran, Becky Sauerbrunn, is unable to play due to an injury, which is a huge blow to the backline of the squad.
With Sauerbrunn out, I think the starting lineup will be Girma and Cook as centerback, and Dunn and Fox on the wings.
I would have preferred to see Carey Krueger make the squad over Sofia Huerta as a backup winger. Also, it’s a shame that Tierna Davidson didn’t make the squad either. She’s still not playing up to her potential after tearing her ACL last year, but she would have been a great centerback backup, and she can play on the wings.
Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Casey Murphy and Aubrey Kingsbury
Naeher has been the No. 1 goalkeeper for the USWNT since the last World Cup, so it wasn’t a surprise to see her make the roster. She has tons of veteran leadership, and with Sauerbrunn out on defense, she will have to lead the backline more than ever.
Murphy was also expected, but the real surprise is Kingsbury. She’s had call ups to the national team before, but I really thought AD Franch was going to take the final goalkeeper spot. Kingsbury is a great goalkeeper for her club team, Washington Spirit, so it’s great that she made the final roster.
The USWNT plays their first match on Friday, July 21 at 9 p.m. ET against Vietnam. We’ll see you then!
