New-look U.S. women’s national soccer team displays more diversity

The U.S. women’s national team set the standard high for the squad in the first Women’s World Cup in 1991, capturing the title in China with 2-1 win over Norway.

Not a single player on that team, however, was a minority. With notable exceptions, such as goalkeeper Briana Scurry, midfielders Shannon Boxx, Christian Press and Lorrie Fair, forward Sydney Leroux, defenders Stephanie Lopez, Crystal Dunn and Tina Ellertson, that trend continued through other editions of the USWNT roster, including the squads that replicated the success of 1991 by winning World Cup championships in 1999, 2015, and 2019.

While around the world soccer is viewed as an egalitarian game, requiring at the most basic level only a single ball, an open field and willing players, in the United States, it has often been perceived as a suburban sport. Expensive youth clubs and travel teams have contributed to the exclusionary reality of many top-level players being those whose families could afford the best coaching, equipment, and training opportunities.

The failure of two women’s professional soccer leagues, the Women’s United Soccer Association (2000-03) and Women’s Professional Soccer (2007-12), also didn’t provide much in the way of economic stability for aspiring professional players. The latest U.S women’s pro circuit, the National Women’s Soccer League, which formed in 2013, finally reached a collective bargaining agreement that covers all players in the league this year. The CBA offers players basic protections such as minimum salaries and health insurance.

» READ MORE: U.S. women bounce back in dominant 5-0 win over New Zealand at SheBelieves Cup

Philadelphia-area women’s pro teams, the Charge and the Independence, existed in the defunct leagues, but the closest NWSL squad to the city now is NJ/NY Gotham F.C. It’s the club team that USWNT soccer legend Carli Lloyd (who grew up in nearby Delran) just retired from, the same year she announced her international retirement after the American team claimed a disappointing bronze medal at the delayed Tokyo Olympics.

USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski has vowed to revamp the squad as it transitions to a new generation of players. The first look fans have had of the new players to the roster has been at the SheBelieves Cup tournament. After a dour opening scoreless draw against the Czech Republic, the Americans had an excellent performance against New Zealand (which despite its small size, has a respectable women’s team program and participated in the 1991 World Cup as well), winning, 5-0.

“They’ve done well every time they’ve been on the field,” Andonovski said of the group of young players given the majority of tournament minutes. “All of them are single-digit [international] caps.”

A sizable number of the squad is also representative of more diverse population groups in the United States. With the African American population of the United States at over 12% (which would be three players out of a typical international roster of 23) and the Hispanic population at over 18% (four players), a closer approximation of the country represented in one of its top teams is notable.

No one watching the dribbling moves of Catarina Macario, the slashing runs of Sophia Smith or the precise crosses served in by Sofia Huerta would believe Andonovski chose them for the team for any reason beyond their obvious ability.

“Cat and Soph [Smith] are phenomenal players and they’re fantastic to play with,” said Margaret Purce, the forward who played a part in two of the goals for the U.S. against New Zealand. “Those two will have the tools and the skills to get out of any situation.”

» READ MORE: Catarina Macario and Sophia Smith are part of a new era of young USWNT rising stars

However, when a team is winning as steadily as the USWNT has for so long, the incentive to try out new players is small, especially in major international tournaments. Andonovski acknowledged the stakes are lower at the SheBelieves Cup, which gave him more freedom to offer chances to new blood.

“We want to win every game, every tournament, but the development of these players is what is taking priority,” he said.

“Every practice, there’s a lot of high intensity,” said forward Ashley Hatch, who scored the fourth goal for the U.S. on Sunday. “With the young players coming in, everyone wants to prove themselves.”

The U.S. faces Iceland, which has not lost or drawn in two games thus far, on the final night of the tournament Wednesday at 9 p.m. The USWNT must win to claim the SheBelieves championship.

Andovoski sees the young squad improving with every game. “One thing we did better was that final pass, the distribution in the box,” he said. “I wanted us to be a little bit more sophisticated, a little bit more creative in certain situations. We were able to force own goals or even create nice goals as well.”

Purce is a Harvard graduate who plays in the NWSL for NJ/NY Gotham FC and is also the executive director of the Black Women’s Players Collective, a group of league players who aim to advance opportunities for Black girls in sport and beyond. She noted how the current USWNT roster was a contrast to youth teams she played on while growing up in Maryland.

“It’s definitely different from how I grew up playing,” said Purce. “It’s wonderful that there are people on the [U.S. women’s] team representing tons of different demographics on all sorts of different spectrums.”

Purce’s second statement was likely also a nod to the USWNT’s greater openness and inclusion in recent years of LGBTQ athletes, who in the early days of the national team often hid their orientation. Now icons such as Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe are well-known advocates and players have worn rainbow jerseys.

“That’s the beautiful thing about the United States in general,” Purce said. “It’s great.”