The United States Women’s National Team opened up their 2023 World Cup Campaign on Friday night, going up against Vietnam in the process. The USWNT is looking to become the first nation in Women’s World Cup history to win three consecutive World Cups in a row. In 2019, the USWNT defeated the Netherlands in the final, and in 2015 they defeated Japan. The quest to become champions again started with a good start, as the United States was able to defeat Vietnam by a score of 3-0.
The Starting XI
USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski decided to go with a 4-3-3 formation for the match, and he also went with the youngest starting eleven that the USWNT has started since the 2007 World Cup. The Starting XI for the USWNT went as follows: Naeher, Dunn, Girma, Ertz, Fox, Horan, Sullivan, DeMelo, Smith, Rodman, and Morgan.
Six players in the starting eleven were making their World Cup Debut for the United States, so this starting XI was one that is not as experienced as everyone is used to. The bench for the squad went as follows: Rapinoe, Lavelle, Thompson, O’Hara, Huerta, Williams, Sanchez, Sonnett, Mewis, Cook, Bledsoe, and Murphy.
The Sophia Smith World Cup Debut
22-year-old Sophia Smith made her United States World Cup debut, and she did not disappoint at all. The Portland Thorns forward scored a brace in the match and also contributed an assist on the third goal for the United States. Smith’s first goal of the night came in the 14th minute when Alex Morgan sent a great ball into the box. Smith made no mistake with the finish, slotting it past Thahn, the Vietnam keeper. It was a great start for Smith on her World Cup debut, and her night would only get better.
In first-half stoppage time, Sophia Smith would get her second goal of the night, giving the USWNT a 2-0 lead right before halftime. It was more of a scrappy goal for the United States, but every goal counts on the scoreboard. Defender Naomi Gerba sent a cross into the box that the Vietnam keeper punched out. Smith hopped on the rebound and took a shot, which ended up trickling into the net. It was a World Cup debut brace for Smith, and the United States would end the half with a dominant 2-0 lead.
She would add an assist to her night in the 77th minute when she would find Lindsey Horan in the middle of the box. Horan would take the pass and slam the ball into the empty net to give the United States the 3-0 lead, which is where it would finish at.
It was a World Cup debut to remember for Sophia Smith, and it is one that manager Vlatko Andonovski would love to see.
Up Next for the USWNT
The next step for the USWNT in their World Cup journey will be a match against the Netherlands on July 26th at 9:00 PM. The Netherlands is the 9th-ranked team in the world, which means that they are the second-hardest team in the group. It is going to be a tough matchup for the United States. The Netherlands is definitely a team that they have experience playing.
This match is going to be an important one when it comes to who will win the group, as the winner of this match will most likely win the group. Now at this time, the Netherlands has not played their first game in the World Cup, with that being at 3:30 AM on Sunday morning against Portugal.
All in all, the USWNT got three points in their opening match, and while it was not the performance that they were expecting, three points is three points. The players know they could have done better, which will be important for the next match against the Netherlands!
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Tim Lovenguth | Regina Ham | Paul Frenzel | Jimmy King | Liam Jenkins
Mandatory Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Cornaga & AP Photo/Abbie Parr
