The USWNT World Cup team brims with youth, charisma, and new stars in the making

As injuries to star players piled up for the U.S. women’s soccer team in recent months, manager Vlatko Andonovski faced immense decisions about how to make up for them.

When the moment of truth came, Andonovski turned to the instinct that earned him women’s soccer’s highest-pressure job four years ago. He put his faith in youth, trusting a new generation of American players who lack big-stage experience, but brim with talent and potential.

So while Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Crystal Dunn, and Rose Lavelle may get the world’s attention, they know it’s time to share the spotlight. With them on the trip to New Zealand, barring any more last-minute injuries, will be 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, 21-year-old Trinity Rodman, 22-year-old Sophia Smith, and 23-year-old Naomi Girma.

Here’s a look at who’s on the roster, and the big names who missed out.

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Penn State alum Alyssa Naeher, who backstopped the 2019 World Cup win, and Rutgers alumna Casey Murphy were the locks. Naeher is likely to start, though she has struggled for an admittedly poor Chicago Red Stars team this year. Murphy will challenge her.

Aubrey Kingsbury won the third spot with a great run of form for the Washington Spirit, while veteran Adrianna Franch has had a rough campaign with the last-place Kansas City Current.

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Captain Becky Sauerbrunn’s absence because of a foot injury opened multiple doors on the back line. Girma and Pennington School grad Alana Cook will be the starting centerbacks, and Dunn (on the left) and Emily Fox (on the right) the starting outside backs.

Emily Sonnett will be the third centerback. But the biggest surprise of Andonovski’s picks comes here: there’s no fourth. Tierna Davidson, a 24-year-old with 49 caps, the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics on her resumé, was left out. She’s also on the Red Stars, but played superbly in her April return to the national team after 13 months out with a torn ACL. Along with her defensive game, Davidson is renowned for her line-breaking long passes.

Not carrying a fourth centerback is a big gamble. Some coaches don’t like rotating them in tournaments, but depth is depth — and insurance against injuries.

“Tierna missed it by a little bit,” Andonovski said in a post-announcement news conference. “She’s an incredible player, and I have no doubt that she will be back on this team soon and in contention for roster spots for the next big tournaments. But right now, at this moment, we felt like there were other players that fit better in the needs that we may have for this World Cup.”

Sonnett also was in the running for an outside back slot, as she has lots of experience there. Sauerbrunn’s absence thus let Andonovski pick two backups for Dunn and Fox: Kelley O’Hara, a tenacious veteran, and Sofia Huerta, who finally gets to go to a World Cup after a career of waiting.

O’Hara recently returned from an ankle injury that kept her off the field with Gotham FC for nearly a month, but once the 34-year-old was ready to go, Andonovski was ready to call her.

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Huerta waited so long that she initially chose Mexico’s national team, thanks to her family’s roots there. She switched to the U.S. in 2012 while still eligible to do so. She is a terrific attack-launcher out of the back, though her defense isn’t as good as her offense at the international level.

Casey Krueger narrowly missed a World Cup squad for the second straight time.

Andonovski chose seven defenders instead of the traditional eight, opting for extra depth in midfield. He said defensive midfielder Julie Ertz could shift to centerback if needed since she played there earlier in her career, including as a starter at the 2015 World Cup.

There will be seven players for three starting spots in the area where the U.S. has the most experience. The top trio of Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, and Ertz were 2019 champions.

Andi Sullivan will back up Ertz, earning her first major tournament squad, though she’s got plenty of experience. Kristie Mewis makes her first World Cup trip after being part of the 2021 Olympic team, and showing in recent U.S. games that she can play multiple roles in midfield. And there will be two backup attacking midfielders in Ashley Sanchez and Savannah DeMelo.

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Sanchez is a former U.S. youth team phenom who needed some time to develop as a pro, but has flown to great heights over the last three years.

DeMelo earned her plane ticket with a scorching campaign for Racing Louisville, piling up eight goals and three assists this year. She is just the third player in U.S. history to make a women’s World Cup team with no games played for the senior squad, and the first in 20 years. Debbie Keller in 1995 and Shannon Boxx in 2003 were the others.

The top midfielder to miss out is Penn State alumna Sam Coffey. She fell down Andonovski’s depth chart last fall and never got a full chance to move back up it. When Ertz returned in April, Coffey’s fate seemed sealed.

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The front line always starts with Morgan, but this time it does so more than usual. She was to share striker duties with Catarina Macario, who was a centerpiece of Andonovski’s plans until she couldn’t recover in time from a torn ACL suffered last June.

Now, Morgan is the clear No. 1 up top, and it’s not clear who’s No. 2. Ashley Hatch, the other true striker on the board, didn’t make the cut — perhaps because while she’s a fine finisher for the Washington Spirit, she isn’t always with the national team.

Morgan’s top backups are the projected starting wingers around her: Lynn Williams on the left and Smith on the right. They both have ample experience in the center with their clubs, as does Rodman. Smith in particular is a lethal finisher, and many fans have clamored to see her play centrally for the U.S.

Williams, a NWSL and U.S. veteran, has had a terrific first year with Gotham FC. Along with her eight goals, she’s an elite defensive presser. She moved from World Cup backup to likely starter when star Mallory Swanson suffered a torn patellar tendon in April.

“Alex is a true No. 9, but also we see that in the league, most of our forwards actually do play as 9s, starting with Sophia Smith,” Andonovski said. “So we’re not worried about having someone to step in and do well if needed.”

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Rapinoe is on the squad, to no surprise. But if you’re just tuning in, know she won’t play much. She’ll turn 38 on July 5, then come off the bench as a late-game lock-picker, set-piece threat, and ice-cold penalty kick taker.

Then comes Rodman, daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, and Thompson. They have energy, charisma, and so much potential. Are they ready to meet the moment as the U.S. aims for an unprecedented third straight World Cup crown? That will be one of this tournament’s most captivating story lines.

Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders (7): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

Midfielders (7): Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville), Julie Ertz (Angel City FC), Lindsey Horan (Lyon, France), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards (6): Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)

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