Did you know that the United States has a kick-ass women’s soccer team? The most successful team in international soccer, the USWNT has won 4 Women’s World Cup titles and 4 Olympic gold medals. Will “The Stars and Stripes” make it a 5th in the coming weeks at the 9th FIFA Women’s World Cup?
How do the women’s results compare to their male counterparts? Well … American men have none of the above. Their best result was 92 years ago, when the team reached the World Cup semi-finals. In the modern era, “The Yanks” reached the quarter finals in the 2002 World Cup.
The coach of the women’s team is Macedonian Vlatko Andonovski. Andonovski has a lot to prove, as his contract is up after the World Cup. His performance will be evaluated by Kate Markgraf (USWNT General Manager, former Defender), Cindy Parlow Cone (USSF President, former Forward, Midfielder) and JT Batson (USSF CEO, former venture capitalist and soccer Finance Committee member).
“Our goal is to win the World Cup. There’s no question about it. And I don’t think that anyone on our team thinks anything different.” (USWNT Coach, Vlatko Andonovski)
“It’s sort of a compliment to the Country that (the expectation to win is) our standard.” (UNC Coach, Anson Dorrance)
Midfielder Lindsey Horan and Forward Alex Morgan are World Cup team co-captains. When both are on the field, Horan will wear the captain armband.
Morgan has 207 USWNT caps (another word for an international appearance), 121 goals and will play in her 4th World Cup. Horan, has 129 caps, 27 goals and will play in her 2nd World Cup.
Alex Morgan is 34 years old and 5 ft. 7 in. tall. She grew up in California and was the youngest player on the national team at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. During the 2012 London Olympics she scored the match-winning goal against Canada. She was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in both 2019 and 2022. She is married to Defensive Midfielder Servando Carrasco and has been a mother since 2020. She currently plays for the San Diego Wave FC.
Lindsey Horan is 29 years old and 5 ft. 9 in. tall. She grew up in Golden, CO, and was one of the youngest players when she joined the under-17 women’s national team at age 15. She was named the top-ranked college prospect by ESPN, earned a scholarship to attend UNC but decided to skip the opportunity and sign immediately with Paris Saint-Germain FC. She currently plays for Olympique Lyonnaise in Paris. Her experience playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League against the best European teams in the World have made her a very technical player who understands how important it is to be the most threatening team on the field.
Morgan and Horan will be joined by 21 other World Cup team members, including 38 year old superstar Megan Rapinoe who will hang up her professional soccer cleats at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season, leaving the game immensely better than when she found it 17 years ago. Here’s a great homage to her from Nike:
Here's a link to the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The first U.S. match will be held on July 21st. The final, hopefully with Americans on the ticket, will be held on August 20th. Fox Sports, Telemundo and Peacock are providing U.S. coverage. Just remember, Australia and New Zealand are in different time zones!
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