The United States heads into the Women’s World Cup with one aim – to win a historic third straight trophy.
But will the four-time World Cup champions be able do it again?
The goal for a three-peat seems harder in light of rivals like England and France.
Germany and Sweden remain strong, and neighbors Canada have won gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Americans look far different now that they did four years ago, when they beat the Netherlands 2-0 in the World Cup final and fans in Lyon, France, feted them with chants of “Equal Pay!”
The players did indeed achieve equitable pay with their male counterparts, coming to a historic collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer in 2022. As part of the deal, the men and women on the national teams will split World Cup prize money.
On the field, the team settled for a disappointing bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Afterward, U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski turned his attention to developing young talent.
Among the youngsters is 18-year-old phenom Alyssa Thompson and up-and-comer Trinity Rodman, the 20-year-old daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
There’s also Sophia Smith, who has made a quick ascent with the national team and with her club, the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League. Just 22, she was named NWSL Most Valuable Player and U.S. Soccer’s Player of the Year last year.
Smith was left off the roster for the Tokyo Games. Andonovski said it was a tough conversation when he let her know his decision, but he’s been impressed with how she responded.
Two other young players who were also part of Andonovski’s plans for the future, Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson, won’t join the team in Australia and New Zealand because of injuries.
Swanson, 25, was the team’s top scorer this year before she injured the patellar tendon in her left knee during an exhibition match against Ireland in early April.
Macario, 23, tore an ACL last year while playing for the French club Lyon. She tried to recover in time — she was even treated in Qatar at Aspetar, one of the world’s leading orthopedic hospitals — but ultimately time ran out on her return.
Arguably the biggest absence for the United States is captain Becky Sauerbrunn, who announced that a right foot injury suffered in April will keep her out of the World Cup.
Sauerbrunn, 38, has played in three World Cups and three Olympics. She is more than just the anchor of the team’s backline: She led the fight for equal pay and has acted as a moral compass, often speaking out on social justice issues.
The United States, which has won four World Cup titles overall, most of any nation, will play in Group E next month, along with Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal. The tournament as a whole kicks off July 20, but the U.S. doesn’t play until July 22 in Auckland against Vietnam.
The Americans will play their group stage matches in New Zealand. Should they top the group, they’ll travel to Sydney for the Round of 16.
There is still also a statement to be made: While the team has won its fight for equality at home, now players are advocating for the movement to go global.
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