The U.S. women’s national soccer team goes for its third straight World Cup championship beginning Friday evening Pacific time (Saturday afternoon in Auckland, New Zealand), when it opens the 2023 tournament against Vietnam. No country has ever three-peated at the Women’s World Cup, and none has won as many as the Americans’ four out of the eight previous tournaments.
And that, strange as it may seem, might be the least interesting aspect of the USWNT’s impact, both nationally and globally.
Through the years, the players in this program have set examples as agents of change, and as strong women who stand up for what they believe — be it equal pay, diversity and inclusion, support for players who have young children (i.e. the ultimate Soccer Moms) or just challenging each other day after day to be their best, on and off the field.
