The 2023 NWSL season kicked off this weekend.

The league itself offers plenty of storylines, from the Portland Thorns’ quest for a repeat championship to Gotham FC’s roster overhaul. But the season also serves as the runway to this summer’s World Cup, for U.S. soccer fans and U.S. women’s national team players alike.

Where do you catch your favorite USWNT stars in the domestic league? Just Women’s Sports offers the breakdown, by player and by NWSL team.

Note: While the USWNT will need to cut its roster to 23 players for the World Cup, more players than that remain in contention for roster spots. These lists include players who have featured on recent USWNT camp rosters and players who are working their way back from injuries.

Where do USWNT stars play in the NWSL?

Goalkeepers

  • Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
  • Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)
  • A.D. Franch (Kansas City Current)

Defenders

  • Alana Cook (OL Reign)
  • Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars)
  • Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns)
  • Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage)
  • Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave)
  • Sofia Huerta (OL Reign)
  • Hailie Mace (Kansas City Current)
  • Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC)
  • Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns)
  • Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

Midfielders

  • Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns)
  • Julie Ertz (Free agent)
  • Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais, Division 1 Féminine)
  • Taylor Kornieck (San Diego Wave)
  • Rose Lavelle (OL Reign)
  • Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, Division 1 Féminine)
  • Kristie Mewis (Gotham FC)
  • Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit)
  • Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards

  • Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit)
  • Tobin Heath (Free agent)
  • Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave)
  • Christen Press (Angel City FC)
  • Midge Purce (Gotham FC)
  • Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)
  • Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
  • Mallory Pugh Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)
  • Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)
  • Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)

Which NWSL teams feature USWNT players?

Angel City FC

  • Christen Press
  • Alyssa Thompson

Chicago Red Stars

  • Tierna Davidson
  • Alyssa Naeher
  • Mallory Pugh Swanson

Gotham FC

  • Kristie Mewis
  • Kelley O’Hara
  • Midge Purce
  • Lynn Williams

Houston Dash

  • N/A

Kansas City Current

  • A.D. Franch
  • Hailie Mace

North Carolina Courage

  • Emily Fox
  • Casey Murphy

OL Reign

  • Alana Cook
  • Sofia Huerta
  • Rose Lavelle
  • Emily Sonnett
  • Megan Rapinoe

Orlando Pride

  • N/A

Portland Thorns

  • Sam Coffey
  • Crystal Dunn
  • Becky Sauerbrunn

Racing Louisville

  • N/A

San Diego Wave

  • Naomi Girma
  • Taylor Kornieck
  • Alex Morgan

Washington Spirit

  • Ashley Hatch
  • Trinity Rodman
  • Ashley Sanchez
  • Andi Sullivan

Not in NWSL

  • Julie Ertz (Free agent)
  • Tobin Heath (Free agent)
  • Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais, Division 1 Féminine)
  • Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, Division 1 Féminine)

U.S. women’s national team stars Margaret Purce, Alana Cook and Naomi Girma recently sat down with soccer icon Briana Scurry to discuss why representation matters.

“Once I was on club teams, I was mainly only the Black player, and I think that was an adjustment for me coming from the community and family life,” Girma told Scurry. “I think being one of the only ones can make people hesitant to join when they don’t see themselves represented in that space.”

Now, as professional athletes, Purce, Cook and Girma are inspiring a younger generation of players to get involved in the sport.

“You go up to a little girl and she’ll either look at her mom or her parents will look at me and go, ‘She looks just like you!’ You see their eyes light up, and it’s that moment of them realizing this space could also belong to me. I could also be there,” Cook said. “When you see it, you believe it.”

As dynamic players on the pitch, Purce, Cook and Girma are changing what many young people see as possible for themselves while also changing America’s professional league.

Purce, a board member of the Black Women’s Player Collective, spearheaded the organization’s creation, which aims to advance the opportunities for Black girls in sport and beyond.

“In 2020 during the protests for Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the discourse, we were talking about race in this country, race relations and truthfully just what reality is for some Americans and that was when a lot of us decided it’s not about convincing other people to believe what I’m telling you is my experience, it’s not about that anymore. It’s about helping those who have those shared experiences and those feelings to just access the sport that has given so much back to us,” Purce said of the BWPC’s genesis.

Watch the full interview:

The U.S. women’s national team backline for World Cup qualifying will look a lot different than the defensive lineup for the Tokyo Olympics and 2019 World Cup.

USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski’s latest 23-player roster features a youthful group of defenders, signaling a changing of the guard.

Like much of the roster, the defense has been plagued by injury and absence, with center backs Abby Dahlkemper and Tierna Davidson both sidelined with injuries and Crystal Dunn out on maternity leave.

Kelley O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn will return as veteran defensive anchors, but the question of who will stand next to Sauerbrunn in the center of the pitch looms large.

Alana Cook appears to be the heir apparent for the center back role, with just nine caps to Sauerbrunn’s 202. At 25 years old, Cook already has international experience, competing with Paris Saint-Germain for the first three years of her professional career.

In her second season with NWSL club OL Reign, Cook has come into her own, helping her team to the least number of goals conceded per match at 0.8 and a league-leading four clean sheets.

Naomi Girma is the only other central defender on the roster, with a single national team cap. Emily Sonnett is capable of playing the position, but Andonovski has been vocal about the Washington star staying on the wings for the USWNT.

There are fresh faces on the flank as well, with Emily Fox and Sofia Huerta joining O’Hara out wide.

Andonovski has been quick to praise Fox, telling the Equalizer in late 2021, “She’s one of the most comfortable defenders that I’ve ever seen under pressure.”

The Louisville defender is also confident in getting up the field to overload the attack, a defining characteristic of the modern USWNT outside back.

Sofia Huerta is similarly attack-minded, known to whip in some of the highest quality services in the NWSL. Her chemistry with fellow OL Reign teammate Rose Lavelle is also notable, making the 29-year-old a contender for a starting spot.

How Andonvski will set up his backline is still up for speculation, but he will likely look to solidify a starting lineup quickly to give time for the players to gel. At this point, Sauerbrunn looks like the only sure starter as the team gears up for June camp.

OL Reign banked three points in the NWSL Challenge Cup standings, dominating Angel City 3-1 on Saturday at Titan Stadium.

The visitors put the pressure on Angel City early, opening up scoring in the 12th minute. Finding space in the middle of the field, Rose Lavelle laid off a well-placed ball to Veronica Latsko on the left side of the box before the OL Reign forward beat DiDi Haracic one-on-one to take the lead.

OL Reign doubled their lead in the 17th minute with Angelina finding center back Alana Cook, who nodded a header past Haracic to put the game at 2-0.

Things went from bad to worse for Angel City when Savannah McCaskill was shown a red card in the 31st minute, forcing the hosts to play down a player for the remainder of the match.

The goals kept coming after the break, with OL Reign finding the back of the net in the 50th minute. Lavelle spearheaded the buildup play, finding Latsko in the box, who pulled a cross back for Angelina, who was waiting on the back post for the tap-in.

Despite the scoreline, Angel City kept up the fight, with Simone Charley energizing Angel City’s attack in the second half.

Tyler Lussi cut OL Reign’s lead in the 67th minute, striking Charley’s cross into the box past Phallon Tullis-Joyce putting the scoreline at 3-1.

Angel City’s second-half goal, however, was too little too late, with OL Reign able to hold on for a comfortable win.

OL Reign rises to the top of the Challenge Cup’s West Division, while Angel City falls to fourth place.

Alana Cook plays as a defender for Paris Saint-Germain and has also appeared with the USWNT. The 23-year-old is currently on loan from PSG, after signing on to play with OL Reign in the upcoming NWSL Challenge Cup. We spoke to Cook about what went into that decision and how she’s feeling heading into the Cup. 

You’ve now been in camp with the Reign for a couple weeks. How is that going? 

It’s been going really well. I think one of the awesome things about Reign is they have quite a few established veterans who are, I think, very vital to the team culture, the team environment. And I think everyone kind of follows their lead, in terms of looking after each other, helping each other be better. I’m enjoying the time here, and I think I’ve learned a lot. I’m continuing to develop under another staff and the leaders here.

When did you first realize there was an opportunity to play for OL Reign and how did that come about? 

We kind of just had to monitor the situation as the pandemic evolved, to see what the French league was doing and if there was going to be a NWSL season. Almost as soon as this tournament was put together, we were able to put together some of the terms of the loan deal and get it worked out with both Reign and PSG. Speaking with Bill [Predmore, OL Reign owner], it was clear that this was a win-win. We’re both hoping I can contribute and help the team, and that playing with the team can help me continue to develop as well.

How long have you been back in the U.S.? 

I think the French season was officially canceled maybe in May. But we had been suspended since probably the first or second weekend of March. And once things started to get a bit crazy in France, when they started looking at doing a total shutdown, I decided it was best to just come home. So I’ve been home in the U.S. since I think March 12 or 13. Right when things started to really pick up in France with the pandemic.

After you got out, were you just training at home and waiting to see what would happen?

I think when they first suspended league play, they were very much taking it day by day, week by week. We were told to be ready to come back at any time to continue playing. So I was just at home in New Jersey, doing my best to kind of train, and if there were any fields open, try to go to those. Obviously, New Jersey was hit pretty badly with its proximity to New York. So most of the public parks and everything shut down, so then it was kind of just, how much fitness can I do in my backyard and in my basement?

How much were you able to do? I can’t imagine your basement had enough space for full on soccer workouts. 

It was a bit difficult. I mean, I used all the online resources I could to find workouts and all that kind of stuff. You know, you make it work, you do what you can.

How does PSG feel about you playing in this tournament? 

I think they’re happy for me to be able to continue training and continue developing. And hopefully if I get some game time I think that will only benefit me when I go back to playing with PSG.

After a few practices with OL Reign, are you seeing differences in the French game versus the American game? 

It’s kind of the stereotype we all kind of assume between the French game and the American game. I think here it’s a little more athletically based. There’s a lot more, I would say, focus on counter-attack and the transition game. Whereas I think over in France, maybe Europe in general, it’s a little more, I don’t know… not necessarily possession based, but I think you’re less looking to strike on the counter-attack. Less looking to use your athleticism and speed to get behind unbalanced defenses.

Having grown up in the U.S., something I’ve noticed is that I think we focus a little more on just the tactics. And I think we spend more time specifically nailing down every detail of a defensive scheme, how things work. And I think over in France, maybe it’s just a little more ingrained in how they grew up playing. They don’t necessarily focus on it as much in training. It’s more assumed that you understand the relationships between the positions and stuff like that, and I think it’s just assumed that you then can apply that to different formations and different tactics.

So I would say here we’ve spent more time just slowing things down. We’re in our spots, looking at what we’re doing. Whereas in France, if you get told we’re playing a 3-4-3 or 4-4-2, you’re kind of expected to just know how that functions.

Would you say you’re more comfortable in one style? 

I mean, I’ve played at lot of 4-3-3. At PSG, we played some 3-4-3, 3-5-2. So I think either way, I’ve gotten used to those formations and I feel comfortable. And I think a lot of my coaches have done a good job teaching me the relationships and how to apply them in any formation. With that said, I am a big fan of a 4-3-3.

How are you feeling heading into the tournament? What are your thoughts on going into the bubble?  

I feel good. I think we’ve been doing really well in training, and I think the coach has been happy with the progress we’ve made. Obviously, it’s not a long preseason. We had to put the pieces together as quickly as possible. But I think we have a really good chance of doing well in the tournament, so I think morale is pretty high over here.

In terms of the bubble, I think everyone is doing the best they can to keep all the players safe and make sure the proper environment is maintained so that we can just play. With that said, I think everyone’s a little uneasy about being so secluded. I think we’re all willing to try to make it work. But it will definitely be an experience. There may be some character building along the way.