A men’s World Cup champion has been crowned, 2022 is coming to an end and ’23 is right around the corner, which means the women’s World Cup cycle is officially underway. The U.S. women’s national team has endured plenty of trials and tribulations through ’22, with the Vlatko Andonovski–led squad ushering in a new generation of talent. Injuries have also plagued this young USWNT, impacting personnel decisions going forward.
News also broke this month that FIFA has rejected a proposal to expand the World Cup rosters to 26 players, as had been done for the men’s tournament. Instead, as it stands today, the women will have to make do with a 23-player team, making roster decisions all the more critical.
Looking to the year ahead, which culminates with a July World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, there is already plenty of speculation on who will be Andonovski’s final 23. Here is a perhaps-too-early forecast of who will make up the USWNT’s core come 2023.
USWNT 2023 World Cup Roster Predictions:
Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Casey Murphy, Adrianna “AD” Franch
Alyssa Naeher has undoubtedly earned the USWNT’s starting goalkeeper spot, imbuing a less experienced backline with a sense of confidence.
The veteran goalie has vital major tournament experience, with Naeher’s breakthrough on the international stage coming at the 2019 World Cup, where her clutch PK save during the team’s semifinal stand against England helped the USWNT to a title. Naeher followed up her World Cup performance with another compelling outing at the 2020 Olympics before suffering a knock in the semifinals. Since Naeher’s tournament-ending injury at the Tokyo Games, Andonovski has appeared eager to bolster the USWNT goalkeeping pool, giving Courage keeper Casey Murphy a series of starts throughout ’21 and ’22. The 26-year-old impressed national team insiders, posting a dominant shutout against Australia in her first cap, but Naeher’s commanding run has prevented Murphy from usurping the veteran goalkeeper, rather slotting in as her heir apparent.
Defenders: Naomi Girma, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alana Cook, Sofia Huerta, Emily Fox, Crystal Dunn, Kelley O’Hara, Tierna Davidson
Naomi Girma, perhaps more than any other newcomer, has quickly emerged as a mainstay on the national team roster. The NWSL Rookie and Defender of the Year is a near lock for one of the two center-back spots, frequently slotting in next to Becky Sauerbrunn or Alana Cook. What sets the 22-year-old apart is her unique ability to distribute out of the back, providing the team with a creative playmaker in the defensive lineup.
As the spine of the pitch comes together, Sofia Huerta and Emily Fox look to be the go-to fullbacks, with Huerta a force on the flanks, spurring the team’s attack with well-placed balls from out wide. Fox is also confident on the ball and, crucially, is a disciplined one-on-one defender. Veterans Crystal Dunn and Kelley O’Hara will likely fill out Andonovski’s defensive roster, with the experienced outside backs working their way back into the fold, returning from pregnancy and injury, respectively.
Tierna Davidson, who had an impressive run at the Olympics, is the biggest question mark of the group, with the 24-year-old rehabbing a torn ACL. Should she be healthy, Davidson will likely be part of Andonovski’s roster come 2023, with the Red Stars defender providing the USWNT with another look at center back.
Midfielders: Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Andi Sullivan, Ashley Sanchez, Kristie Mewis, Sam Coffey
The midfield has been a conundrum for the USWNT as of late. Andonovski has struggled to fill the giant Julie Ertz–sized hole at the No. 6 position, with the 30-year-old away from the team first with injury, then due to pregnancy. Ertz brought a specific type of physicality to the defensive midfield role that has been hard to replicate—the foundation on which the center of the USWNT’s lineup was built.
The national team has also been without Sam Mewis, who has been sidelined due to injury, and with her rehab more complex than initially accounted for, the 30-year-old’s presence at this summer’s World Cup is not likely.
In Mewis’s and Ertz’s absence, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Andi Sullivan have emerged as Andonovski’s starting midfield trio. Lavelle and Horan have extensive experience sharing the pitch, with both players looking to follow up their explosive 2019 World Cup debuts with a second trophy. Adapting to new personnel around her, however, Lavelle has struggled to consistently get involved in the team’s attack, with the squad left wanting for the OL Reign star’s creativity in the final third.
The supporting players in Andonovski’s midfield lineup are harder to pin down, with the Spirit’s Ashley Sanchez likely to get a nod as a like-for-like replacement for Lavelle, with the 23-year-old sharing a similar innovative attacking instinct. The national team will also need a clear reinforcement at the No. 6, which, as of now, appears to be Portland’s Sam Coffey. The final midfield roster spot could go several ways, with Kristie Mewis and Taylor Kornieck providing Andonovski with different looks. Gotham FC’s Mewis is an experienced utility player, while Kornieck is, among other things, an aerial set-piece threat at 6'1".
Forwards: Sophia Smith, Mallory Pugh, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Catarina Macario, Trinity Rodman
Andonovski’s forward pool is less of an enigma, with all roster spots essentially accounted for—barring injury, of course. NWSL MVP Sophia Smith, NWSL Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan and Red Stars striker Mallory Pugh headline the team’s frontline, with veteran Morgan flanked by the two young NWSL stars.
Reigning World Cup Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe has transitioned from starter to supporting player rather seamlessly, emerging as an energizing presence off the bench. Her cold-as-ice ability to bury penalty kicks will also be essential come World Cup time. Trinity Rodman joins Rapinoe in the game-changer category. Seventeen years her teammate’s junior, the former NWSL Rookie of the Year injects Andonovski’s roster with essential youthful energy. Touted as the future of the USWNT, Rodman has yet to break into Andonovski’s starting 11, but the 20-year-old’s uncanny positional awareness and vision, combined with her unparalleled work rate, makes Rodman hard to leave off the roster.
Catarina Macario, arguably the most indispensable player on the squad, has not appeared with the USWNT since tearing her ACL in a match with her club, Lyon, in June. Andonovski & Co., however, have been invested in the 23-year-old’s recovery, with the team hopeful Macario can return to training in early 2023. The generational talent is one of the most technically proficient athletes in the game, with Macario providing a creative flare in the final third, linking up with the likes of Lavelle as a malleable No. 9. Macario is also a proficient finisher, with the USWNT missing her lethal presence in front of goal as she rehabs for a maiden World Cup run.
