Team USA is headed to Australia and New Zealand for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup from July 20 to Aug. 20. The US is currently ranked No. 1, followed by No. 2 Germany and No. 3 Sweden.
The World Cup only happens every four years, and the US won the last two tournaments in 2019 and 2015. If they win, they will be the first team ever to champion three consecutive World Cups.
Out of the team’s 26 players, seven hail from the Golden State.
Tierna Davidson – Menlo Park
Davidson, number 12, plays center back. She was the youngest player on the USWNT in 2019 at 20 years old. She played for the Chicago Red Stars and Stanford University. She studied management science and engineering, originally hoping to be an astronaut one day.
Naomi Girma – San Jose
Girma is a defender who played for the San Diego Wave FC and Stanford University. She graduated in 2021 and was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2022 NWSL draft. Girma, number 27, was named the 2022 NWSL Rookie of the Year. Both of her parents are from Ethiopia.
Ashley Sanchez – Monrovia
Sanchez, number 2, is a midfielder who played for Washington Spirit and UCLA. In 2020, she won the NWSL’s Challenge Cup Future Legend Award, and she played in the U-17 and U-20 World Cups. She has two older siblings and studied political science.
Alex Morgan – Diamond Bar
Morgan is a forward who has played for the San Diego Wave FC. Morgan, number 13, won the ESPY for Best Female Athlete in 2019. She has played in three Olympic games— 2011, 2015, and 2019— and won one silver and two gold medals. She was the youngest player on the 2011 World Cup roster, and this will be her 3rd World Cup.
Trinity Rodman – Laguna Niguel
Rodman, number 25, is a forward who has played for the Washington Spirit. When she was drafted in 2021, she was the youngest player ever drafted into the NWSL at 18 years old. In 2021, she was the NWSL Rookie of the Year and voted the 2021 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.
Alyssa Thomspon – Studio City
Thompson is an 18-year-old forward who was the No. 1 overall NWSL draft this year. She was selected by Angel City FC while still a senior in high school at Harvard-Westlake. She and her younger sister Gisele were the first high school athletes to sign a deal with Nike.
Lynn Williams – Fresno
Williams, number 6, is a forward who has played for NJ/NY Gotham FC and Pepperdine. In 2016, she won the NWSL Golden Boot and was voted as the league’s MVP. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and she has one sister named Jessica.
You can watch the team’s first game against Vietnam— ranked No. 32— on July 21 at 6:00 p.m. on Peacock, Telemundo and Universo.
Source: NBC Los Angeles