The United States return to the Women’s World Cup as the favorites to win the trophy for the third consecutive tournament – a feat that has never been accomplished.
Only four teams in history have been able to go back-to-back as World Cup champions, which the USWNT has done after their 2015 and 2019 victories. Italy’s men’s squad did so in 1934 and 1938, followed by Brazil’s men’s team (1958, 1962) and Germany’s women's team (2003, 2007).
The expectations are stratospheric for this group, which means a target is also on their backs as every team they face will want to take them down.
That begins with Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand, on Friday night as their road to history begins.
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USA vs. Vietnam will kick off at 9 p.m. ET Friday on FOX, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in to watch the match here.
A star-studded roster includes:
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The roster includes:
As mentioned, the USWNT is the team to beat, having won back-to-back World Cups after victories in 2015 and 2019.
The latest victory came after a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final, which took place in France in 2019. Megan Rapinoe scored a penalty kick in the 61st minute of the match, and Rose Lavelle followed that up with a goal eight minutes later to take a commanding lead in the second half.
In 2015, it was Carli Lloyd becoming the first player to ever hat trick in a World Cup finals match, scoring in the third, fifth and 16th minutes against Japan. Lauren Holiday (14th minute) and Tobin Heath (54th) minute added goals of their own in the 5-2 victory.
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This is foreign territory for Vietnam, who became the first team in the country’s history – men’s, women’s or senior level – to qualify for the World Cup.
So, they will be making their World Cup debut in this Friday night match. They qualified in February 2022 and will certainly have a tough task going against this seasoned USWNT squad.
This match will also be the start to the end for Rapinoe, who announced this would be her final World cup of her illustrious soccer career.
Rapinoe has been a crucial piece of the success this USWNT team has seen over the years, scoring eight total World Cup goals, including six in five matches in 2019, as well as four total assists.
The 38-year-old is someone Lloyd told Fox News Digital should be proud of what she has been able to accomplish over the years. However, the journey is not over just yet – she wants to go out on top.
"There’s no one like Megan Rapinoe. They’ll never be anyone like Megan Rapinoe," Lloyd said. "She’s helped this team be so successful over the years, and we were a part of some amazing memories together. Definitely some disappointing moments as well together. But I think that she’s going to walk away feeling proud in what she’s meant to the team over the years. It’s been great to see her game continue to rise and was lucky to play with her for so long."
