The U.S. women’s national team is abruptly moving into a new cycle, as it tries to shrug off a disappointing World Cup campaign and bounce back at the 2024 Olympic Games. The team has yet to name an official successor to head coach Vlatko Andonovski, and all assumptions about the USWNT player pool are off while the team resets.

A number of players on the World Cup roster this summer didn’t get the opportunities they perhaps deserved, but that doesn’t mean the future isn’t still bright for the four-time World Cup champions. So, what comes next for the USWNT’s bench players?

Let’s take a look at how they are currently contributing to their club teams, and why they’re still in the mix for permanent USWNT roster spots.

Ashley Sanchez, M, Washington Spirit

Sanchez explained to the media upon her World Cup return that she was a bit surprised by her role at the tournament. “Let’s just say the role [I was told I would fill] was not what I played,” she told the Washington Post after returning to the Spirit.

Sanchez is a player who can exploit space as both an attacker and a playmaker and isn’t afraid to take shots on goal. She made that clear with a ripper of a goal just 40 seconds into her first game back with Washington. Under Andonovski, Sanchez was frequently asked to sit on the backline of the USWNT’s opponent and as an additional attacker rather than a traditional midfielder. The finishing pressures placed on the player in that role have never suited Sanchez, who thrives when she has the freedom to collaborate with teammates like Trinity Rodman. As the U.S. works out its midfield shape, allowing Sanchez to create her own space will be paramount.

Alana Cook, D, OL Reign

Cook had one of the USWNT’s strangest World Cup experiences. After carrying the most minutes of any U.S. field player in 2022, she never saw the field at the World Cup, abruptly dropped in place of Julie Ertz at center-back. She’s since returned to a starting role at OL Reign, as she further develops her club partnership with Sam Hiatt.

Cook is a talented player who has struggled with the timing of the game at the international level. The Reign are currently battling for NWSL playoff position, sitting just above the playoff line and five points away from the top of the league table. The team is also on a two-game regular season losing streak heading into September, with an urgency to shore up their formation in defensive transition. Cook is now in the difficult position of needing to step up for her team at home without having gained the playing experience of a World Cup.

Alyssa Thompson, F, Angel City

Alyssa Thompson didn’t feature much for the U.S. during the World Cup, but she perhaps returned to a better situation at the club level than the one she left. Angel City is undefeated in nine games under interim manager Becki Tweed, rising in the NWSL standings and pushing for the club’s first-ever playoff berth.

Thompson has seen some of her scoring responsibilities lessened by the Angel City midfield and the team’s newfound tenacity on set pieces. She continues to stretch defenses with her speed and positioning, while benefiting from a team no longer dependent on getting her the ball on the dribble to have a shot at creating quality chances. The best-case scenario for Thompson is that she continues to grow in her rookie season without the weight of a playoff spot on her shoulders, and so far Angel City is succeeding.

Emily Sonnett, D/M, OL Reign

Emily Sonnett played the part of a World Cup hero in the USWNT’s Round of 16 matchup against Sweden. The 29-year-old has mostly excelled as a center-back at the professional level but also has experience at defensive midfield. After short stints at outside back for the U.S., Sonnett rediscovered her No. 6 roots when Andonovski turned to her unexpectedly to partner with Andi Sullivan and help shore up the team’s shaky formation in the knockout stage.

She has since returned to a Reign team that is firmly set on Cook and Hiatt as their center-backs, and she will likely continue to develop as a defensive midfielder as the Reign jockey for playoff position. Sonnett filled in for an injured Quinn in the early stages of OL Reign’s 2023 regular season, using her natural ability to command space from the midfield. She most recently paired with Quinn in a double-pivot shape, showing the respect she has earned as a midfielder in a very short period of time.

Sofia Huerta, D, OL Reign

Sofia Huerta didn’t see much of the field during the 2023 World Cup, as Andonovski took a conservative approach to his defense. The Reign defender is one of the most reliable contributors in the NWSL, bringing quality on the ball in attacking areas and the ability to drop crosses into the box on a dime. She likely doesn’t need further development as a player nor a confidence boost to be in the mix for the USWNT in 2024. She’ll always be a fair option for a USWNT call-up, depending on how the new coach wants the team to play.

Lynn Williams, F, Gotham FC

Lynn Williams’ vulnerability as part of the USWNT player pool has never made much sense. Her understanding of the team’s defensive pressing triggers are better than almost any other available player. She can fit into both wide and central spaces, and she can thrive in high-volume shooting schemes and in taking key chances without controlling possession.

Williams is a legitimate NWSL Golden Boot and MVP candidate in her first season with Gotham. The forward should be a valued part of the USWNT’s plans going forward, rather than held at arm’s length by the program, as she has been in the past.

Kristie Mewis, M, Gotham FC

Kristie Mewis has always shown flashes of sophistication at the international level that she’s never had significant time to develop. Mewis is known as a galvanizing locker room presence and a versatile midfielder who can slot into a number of roles as a substitute. She also brings quality on set-piece delivery, and yet hasn’t been given many of those opportunities nor been relied upon to hone one particular position.

Mewis was a starting midfielder for what was arguably the USWNT’s best win in 2023, a 1-0 victory over Japan at the SheBelieves Cup. She was able to combat Japan’s quick-trigger possession approach with her defensive positioning to keep them off the scoresheet. Mewis’ prowess in that moment only takes on greater weight after the World Cup, where Japan was one of the best teams before losing to Sweden in the quarterfinals, and should be considered in future USWNT evaluation.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Ashley Sanchez’s World Cup experience did not match her expectations.

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski had laid out her role with the U.S. women’s national team ahead of the tournament, she said. But the 24-year-old midfielder did not receive any playing time across the USWNT’s four matches in Australia and New Zealand.

“Let’s just say the role (I was told I would fill) was not what I played,” she told the Washington Post on Wednesday.

Sanchez played in all eight USWNT matches in 2023 ahead of the World Cup, averaging 50 minutes per match. But at the World Cup, the attacking midfielder found herself supplanted in the depth chart, first by USWNT newcomer Savannah DeMelo and then by defender Emily Sonnett.

While Sanchez declined to elaborate on her World Cup playing time, she made a statement in her NWSL return with the Washington Spirit, scoring 40 seconds after she subbed into Saturday’s match.

“Revenge mode was coming,” Spirit head coach Mark Parsons said. “It came really quick, and I think that helps. Being involved, she’s now feeling good.”

While Parsons said he understands that Sanchez would not have fit in every USWNT formation, he does believe she would have been an asset to the game plan for some of the matches.

“There were at least a couple of games, tactically, that’s Sanchez,” Parsons said. “And some games would have been harder for Sanchez.”

The Spirit sent four players to the World Cup with the USWNT. Aubrey Kingsbury, a backup goalkeeper for the U.S. but a starter for the Spirit, also made her NWSL return Saturday. Trinity Rodman and Andi Sullivan, each of whom played significant minutes at the World Cup, received additional time off due to their workload, but both were happy to see Sanchez find her groove.

“I jumped off the couch and started screaming,” Rodman said of Sanchez’s goal. “That was so sick. I saw it coming from a mile away, as soon as she started dribbling up the field. I was like, ‘Yep, she’s back.’”

It took no time at all for some of the U.S. women’s national team players to settle back into their club teams.

Ashley Sanchez – who did not play a single minute during the USWNT’s World Cup run – entered the Washington Spirit’s match in the 62nd minute on Saturday. Exactly 40 seconds later, she scored to give her team the lead.

62': Ashley Sanchez enters the game
63': Ashley Sanchez scores a goal

The @WashSpirit take the lead in Houston! 👏 pic.twitter.com/9qcwnglJV5

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 20, 2023

The 24-year-old midfielder’s success provides another example of former head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s underutilization of substitutes during the tournament. Sanchez spent the entirety of her first World Cup on the bench for the USWNT.

The goal for the Spirit marked Sanchez’s 12th career regular season goal and her fourth-consecutive NWSL game with a goal – the longest such streak in her career. She entered the World Cup riding that hot streak, and while she did not see any game action at the tournament, her streak has continued upon her return to the domestic league.

USWNT goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury also made her club return, making her 100th appearance for the Spirit in the 1-1 draw. The Spirit hold a 6-3-7 (W-L-D) record in the 2023 season.

U.S. women’s national team players have become iconic figures in recent years, with their faces splashed across social media, TV commercials, magazine covers and more. They are characters in the ongoing story of the nation’s relationship with soccer, equal rights and more.

So it is fitting that many of the players are drawn to compelling narratives off the field. The USWNT team is full of readers, with interests spanning an array of book genres: science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, memoirs and more.

Take Sophia Smith, who is keen on reading romance novels and is one of many players on her NWSL club to dive into the popular Sarah J. Maas fantasy series “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” She has helped inspire many of her teammates’ own reading routines.

“It’s something for us all to connect over outside of the sport and have fun little conversations off the field,” Smith told the Washington Post’s Ella Brockway. “When you’re in a stressful, high-intensity environment, it’s nice to have something a little more chill and relaxing to go back to and a group of people to be interested in doing the same thing.”

Smith, Crystal Dunn and captain Becky Sauerbrunn – who is out of the World Cup with a foot injury – are all teammates on the Portland Thorns, a team full of “voracious readers,” as Sauerbrunn told Just Women’s Sports.

“It makes me so proud whenever I see someone walking with a book in their hand,” Sauerbrunn said. “We recommend a lot to each other, but we all read at different rates.”

@justwomenssports The @Portland Thorns are in their reading era 📖 #booktok #nwsl #beckysauerbrunn #woso ♬ original sound - Just Women’s Sports

Some USWNT players are even published authors: Alex Morgan (“The Kicks,” a children’s book series), Megan Rapinoe (“One Life,” a memoir) and Trinity Rodman (“Wake up and Kick It,” a children’s book in partnership with Adidas).

Reading provides a way for the players to decompress from the high pressure of national-level soccer – and, for a few moments at least, step out of the spotlight of their own stories.

“When you’re out of practice and you’re out of meetings, the last thing you want to do is talk about soccer,” Ashley Sanchez said. She and Trinity Rodman both are fans of romance author Colleen Hoover, and sharing paperbacks with Smith helped inspire their passion.

“It is nice to be able to have something in common,” Sanchez continued. “Sometimes it’s, like, eight of us reading the same book at the same time.”

Lynn Williams is one of four field players who have not appeared yet for the U.S. women’s national team at the 2023 World Cup.

After what she described as a “devastating” snub in 2019, the 30-year-old forward made the World Cup roster for the first time in 2023. But she is still awaiting her first minutes, alongside fellow debutantes Kristie Mewis and Ashley Sanchez. Emily Sonnett, who featured on the 2019 championship squad, also has not taken the field.

The USWNT used just one substitute in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against the Netherlands: Rose Lavelle, a regular starter in the midfield who is recovering from a knee injury. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski used the same starting lineup as he did in the opening match against Vietnam.

“Of course we thought about substitutes,” Andonovski told reporters after the match. “And Lynn was probably one of the first that would have been on if we needed to change something.

“But I thought that we had control of the game. And I thought that we were knocking on the door of scoring a goal. The players played well, we were around the goal the whole time. And I just didn’t want to disrupt the rhythm at that point.”

To Andonovski’s point, the USWNT did outshoot the Netherlands 18-5 in the draw. And after a shaky start, the attack stepped up in the second half, generating more and better chances.

“We just didn’t want to jeopardize anything,” he said of sticking with his lineup. “Because I thought all three of our forwards were very good today, dangerous, created opportunities.”

Yet the trio — Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman — did not make an impact on the scoresheet. While Smith finished with two goals and one assist in the 3-0 opening win against Vietnam, she did not have any goal involvements against the Netherlands. And Morgan and Rodman both looked uncomfortable at times in the run of play.

That made Williams’ absence stand out more than that of Mewis, Sanchez or Sonnett. Her fellow forwards Megan Rapinoe and Alyssa Thompson, both of whom came off the bench against Vietnam, also could have provided a shake-up on the frontline. But Williams brings speed and an unmatched defensive skill set — plus 10 goals scored across all competitions so far this year, second only to Smith (12) among USWNT forwards.

The lone USWNT goal against the Netherlands came from two midfielders: Lavelle sliced a corner kick into the box, and Lindsey Horan headed the ball into the net.

The U.S. women’s national team has named its 23-player roster for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer. From 37-year-old Megan Rapinoe — a two-time World Cup champion with the USWNT — to 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, the players vary in age and international soccer experience.

They also hail from different regions of the country. A team-leading eight players are natives of California, while two players each come from New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, Georgia and Colorado.

Find out which state every U.S. player calls home with our interactive map below.

Plenty of new faces are heading Down Under with the U.S. women’s national team for the World Cup. Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at a few of the newcomers and introducing them to fans new and old.

Ashley Sanchez

Age: 24 years old
Position: Midfielder
USWNT debut: Nov. 30, 2021 vs. Australia
Total caps: 25

How has she looked in her NWSL season?

Sanchez has had a strong start to the NWSL season with the Washington Spirit, who sit two points out of the top spot in the standings at the World Cup break. She’s developing into her role as a midfielder in her third season, and her growth can be credited in part to the Spirit bringing back Mark Parsons as their head coach. Yet while Parsons has directed his players to funnel the ball through Sanchez, from there the attacking midfielder has taken the role and made it her own.

Through 13 matches, Sanchez has four goals and one assist. In 19 matches last season, she had three goals and five assists; through 25 matches in 2021, she had five goals and no assists. She also been creating chances, with 31 shots, 13 of those on target. Her pass completion has been solid as well, with the midfielder completing 68.6% of her passes. Where Sanchez thrives, though, is in the air, having controlled 71 aerials.

What does she bring to the USWNT?

While Sanchez is still coming into her own, she brings a pressing ability to the midfield that the team could use. She also brings instant chemistry with best friend, Spirit teammate and USWNT forward Trinity Rodman, who could prove just as valuable in Australia and New Zealand. Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan and goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and also join the pair on the USWNT roster, which Sanchez has said will be helpful as she navigates her first World Cup.

“There’s not a lot of people that have that many players on their club team on this team,” she told Just Women’s Sports. “But it’s just been nice having people that can relate and you can go to that you’re close with. And it is a special experience being that it’s all of our first World Cups are kind of going through and navigating with each other.”

Sanchez possesses similarities in technical control to Rose Lavelle. While she’s not as smooth, she does hold the ability to move and shift quickly, giving her a skillset that varies from Lavelle just enough to make it difficult for opposing defenses to know what to look for between the two.

The way she pays attention to those around her, and moves accordingly, should be a boon for a USWNT offense as it looks to break down opposing defenses. And Sanchez’s ability to match her teammates helps her to know how to create those chances.

“I feel like, being in the midfield, we’re obviously always moving off each other. But I feel like sometimes in the game, when you might not have had too many attacking opportunities, just try something different,” she said. “Even if it doesn’t work out, you try something once and maybe the defense steps because they think you’re gonna do it again, or that might move them in certain ways. So even if it doesn’t work out initially, it might work out the next time, or it might open up something different.

“So I feel like we’re in a unique position where we can kind of do stuff like that. Obviously defense is probably not going to play the risky paths. It’s nice to be able to be in a position where you can win.”

What have USWNT coaches and teammates said about Sanchez?

Vlatko Andonovski, head coach: “She’s got special qualities on the ball. It’s not easy to synchronize her movements right away because she hasn’t played much with Alex (Morgan]) but when they do it, I think it worked very well. We are very happy where she’s at, positionally and happy where she’s at in the time of her stage of development.”

Kelley O’Hara, defender: “She’s a player than I think has a really bright future and has already done some really big things. As a player, you’ve gotta decide, like, who do I want to be, what do I want to become. And I think that’s something that she’s doing right now. … I think the way I describe her is really crafty, super technical, fun player to watch. … When everybody thinks of Ashley Sanchez, that’s what they think of.”

Just Women’s Sports is keeping tabs on all of the NWSL players who are competing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Of the 23-member USWNT squad, 22 players compete domestically in the NWSL (all save Lindsey Horan).

As of July 9, 2023, 57 current NWSL players — representing 15 nations — are slated to compete at the World Cup.

NWSL players competing at the World Cup were released from their teams on June 26. The NWSL doesn’t take a break for the World Cup, but teams will have a lighter workload during the tournament, with no games scheduled from July 10-20 and from Aug. 7-17. The World Cup window will also feature more Challenge Cup games in order to have less of an impact on the regular season NWSL standings.

See below for a team-by-team NWSL breakdown. Please note that list only includes players who are currently on NWSL rosters.

Angel City FC

• Jun Endo (Japan)
• Julie Ertz (USWNT)
• Alyssa Thompson (USWNT)
• Ali Riley (New Zealand)
• Note: Amandine Henry was initially expected to compete for France, but she is missing the World Cup due to injury

Chicago Red Stars

• Alyssa Naeher (USWNT)
• Cheyna Matthews (Jamaica)

Houston Dash 

• Michelle Alozie (Nigeria)
• Sophie Schmidt (Canada)
• Nichelle Prince (Canada)
• Allysha Chapman (Canada)
• Havana Solaun (Jamaica)

Kansas City Current

• Debinha (Brazil)
• Note: Desiree Scott was on Canada’s provisional roster, but wasn’t selected to the final World Cup team due to injury

NJ/NY Gotham FC 

• Sinead Farrelly (Ireland)
• Ifeoma Onumonu (Nigeria)
• Kelley O’Hara (USWNT)
• Lynn Williams (USWNT)
• Kristie Mewis (USWNT)
• Bruninha (Brazil)

North Carolina Courage

• Denise O’Sullivan (Ireland)
• Casey Murphy (USWNT)
• Emily Fox (USWNT)
• Kerolin (Brazil)
• Mille Gejl (Denmark)
• Rikki Madsen (Denmark)

OL Reign 

• Quinn (Canada)
• Jordyn Huitema (Canada)
• Sofia Huerta (USWNT)
• Alana Cook (USWNT)
• Emily Sonnett (USWNT)
• Megan Rapinoe (USWNT)
• Rose Lavelle (USWNT)

Orlando Pride

• Marta (Brazil)
• Adriana (Brazil)

Portland Thorns FC 

• Adriana Leon (Canada)
• Christine Sinclair (Canada)
• Hina Sugita (Japan)
• Raquel Rodriquez (Costa Rica)
• Sophia Smith (USWNT)
• Crystal Dunn (USWNT)

Racing Louisville FC 

• Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa)
• Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria)
• Alex Chidiac (Australia)
• Savannah DeMelo (USWNT)
• Ary (Brazil)
• Wang Shuang (China)

San Diego Wave FC 

• Kailen Sheridan (Canada)
• Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden)
• Naomi Girma (USWNT)
• Alex Morgan (USWNT)
• Emily van Egmond (Australia)

Washington Spirit FC 

• Marissa Sheva (Ireland)
• Ashley Sanchez (USWNT)
• Andi Sullivan (USWNT)
• Trinity Rodman (USWNT)
• Aubrey Kingsbury (USWNT)
• Riley Tanner (Panama)
• Gabrielle Carle (Canada)

For the U.S. women’s national team, the 2023 NWSL season provided a perfect runway to the World Cup.

Most members of the team played for their NWSL clubs right up to the national team training camp, which kicked off this week in California.

How have the USWNT stars been performing for their club teams? Just Women’s Sports tracked their playing time ahead of this summer’s tournament.

Matchday #13: June 23-25

• Megan Rapinoe (calf) missed OL Reign’s last two games heading into USWNT training camp, but she called her injury “minor” despite the bad timing. She is not worried about the injury affecting her at the World Cup.
• Sophia Smith scored a hat trick in the Portland Thorns’ 4-2 win over the Washington Spirit. Those three goals pushed her into the lead in the Golden Boot race with 10 on the season. Yet while USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski is glad to see her in form, scoring at the club level “is totally different from doing it at an international level at a World Cup,” he noted.
• Only Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle (leg) and Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais) did not take the pitch in the final match weekend before World Cup training began. Of the 20 who did, most played a full 90 minutes or close to it; only Kelley O’Hara played less than 80 minutes. The 34-year-old defender started for Gotham FC but subbed out after 63 minutes in the 2-1 win against the Chicago Red Stars.

Matchday #12: June 17-18

• Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo scored a goal, continuing her scorching start to the season just after a report emerged that she will have a spot on the World Cup roster. Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith and Washington Spirit midfielder Ashley Sanchez also scored goals for their teams this weekend.
• Neither Rose Lavelle (leg) nor Megan Rapinoe (calf) appeared for OL Reign as they continue to deal with injuries. Lavelle has been out since April but has been training with the team, while Rapinoe’s recovery is only expected to take “a couple of weeks,” OL Reign coach Laura Harvey said.
• Alex Morgan returned for the San Diego Wave, while Kelley O’Hara played 45 minutes for Gotham FC as she works her way back from injury. Julie Ertz played a full 90 minutes for the second straight week for Angel City FC.
• Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) missed her second consecutive game for the Portland Thorns just after confirming that she will miss the World Cup due to the injury.

Matchday #11: June 9-11

• Alex Morgan missed the San Diego Wave’s 0-0 draw with Racing Louisville on Friday, but her absence was merely precautionary, head coach Casey Stoney said. “She came off the pitch with a tight calf… It was a long trip here. She’s got a World Cup ahead,” Stoney said. “So it wasn’t a matter of she wasn’t fit to play. It was precautionary. We just didn’t want to push her.” She also called out Louisville’s pitch quality, calling it “notoriously” poor. (Morgan did venture out Saturday to catch Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Detroit.)
• Becky Sauerbrunn returned from a foot injury last week for the Portland Thorns, playing 24 minutes as a substitute in her first action since April 22, but she missed Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Orlando Pride.
• Megan Rapinoe played just six minutes in OL Reign’s 2-1 win against the Kansas City Current before exiting with her own apparent calf injury. While head coach Laura Harvey described Rapinoe as “OK,” she also said she did not know “the severity of it.”
• Rose Lavelle (leg) has missed OL Reign’s last 12 matches across all competitions, and Harvey has said the 28-year-old midfielder likely will not return to NWSL action before the World Cup.
• Kelley O’Hara (ankle) returned for the first time since May 14, coming on as a substitute in the 73rd minute of Gotham FC’s 1-1 draw with the Houston Dash. In true O’Hara fashion, she received a yellow card for a tackle 11 minutes later. Our soccer analyst Claire Watkins has O’Hara on the bubble for a World Cup spot in her latest mock roster.
• In a matchup of the USWNT’s top two goalkeepers, Casey Murphy came out on top, as her North Carolina Courage beat Alyssa Naeher and the Chicago Red Stars 5-0. Yet the score doesn’t tell the whole story. Murphy did not face a single shot on target, while Naeher faced eight shots on target (and made three saves), though she allowed five goals.

Matchday #10: June 3-5

• Christen Press is inching toward a return, as she teased in a photo posted to her Instagram, which showed her in cleats giving two thumbs up. The 34-year-old forward has not played since tearing her ACL last June, but she still wants to join the USWNT at the World Cup, as she told ESPN. “I think that her running form is looking superb and again, we are just making sure that we track the return to play and are able to tick the boxes in a very controlled and methodical manner,” Angel City FC coach Freya Coombe said.
• Becky Sauerbrunn returned from a foot injury for the Portland Thorns, playing 24 minutes as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 win against OL Reign. She had not played since April 22.
• Kelley O’Hara (ankle) has not played since May 14, while Midge Purce (hip) has not played since April 19. Both are close to returning, Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós said after Sunday’s game, though he did not provide a timeline.

Matchday #9: May 26-28

• Julie Ertz returned to the Angel City FC lineup for the first time since May 13, playing 12 minutes in Wednesday’s Challenge Cup match against the Portland Thorns. Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) missed the same match but participated fully in the Thorns’ training the next day.
• Cassie Miller got another start in net over AD Franch for the Kansas City Current. Franch has played in just five matches across the regular season and the Challenge Cup in 2023.
• Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Catarina Macario “won’t be physically ready for selection” to the USWNT as she continues to recover from an ACL tear.

Matchday #8: May 20-21

• Rose Lavelle (leg), Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) and Midge Purce (hip) remain on the injured list. Lavelle has missed OL Reign’s last eight matches across all competitions, while Sauerbrunn has missed the Portland Thorns’ last four matches and Purce has missed Gotham’s last six.
• Kelley O’Hara and Julie Ertz were available as substitutes for Gotham FC and Angel City FC, respectively, but did not play. Taylor Kornieck made her first appearance since April 19 for the San Diego Wave, playing four minutes off the bench.
• Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Catarina Macario has not played yet this season as she recovers from an ACL tear, and just one match remains in the Division 1 Féminine season.
• Alyssa Naeher again struggled in goal for the Chicago Red Stars in a 4-0 loss against the Thorns, while Cassie Miller got the start over AD Franch for the Kansas City Current.
• Alex Morgan, Ashley Hatch, Lynn Williams and Crystal Dunn are tied for the lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race with five each. Dunn plays as an attacking midfielder for the Thorns but as a defender for the USWNT.

Matchday #7: May 12-14

• Rose Lavelle has missed OL Reign’s last five regular-season matches and their last seven in a row across all competitions with a knee injury. While she is training with the team and she is “on the mend,” she is still working her way back to game form, head coach Laura Harvey said.
• Becky Sauerbrunn (foot), Taylor Kornieck (abdomen) and Midge Purce (hip) all remain sidelined with their own injuries, as they have for the last several weeks.
• The USWNT goalkeeping corps did not have a stellar week, with Alyssa Naeher and AD Franch each responsible for own goals. Naeher allowed three goals total in a loss to Racing Louisville, which leaves the Chicago Red Stars alone at the bottom of the league table, while Franch allowed two goals in her first appearance for the Kansas City Current in a month.

Matchday #6: May 6-7

• Rose Lavelle has missed OL Reign’s last four regular-season matches and their last six in a row across all competitions with a knee injury, one which head coach Laura Harvey admitted has turned out to be more serious than initially thought. The injury will keep Lavelle out for “a couple more weeks,” Harvey said last Wednesday.
• AD Franch sat out her fourth match in a row across all competitions for the Kansas City Current. But while fellow goalkeeper Cassie Miller had the hot hand entering Sunday, she allowed three goals in a loss to Angel City, which could open the door for Franch to reclaim the starting spot.
• Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) has missed two weeks in a row. Still, the USWNT captain and Portland Thorns defender should have her name inked on the World Cup roster.
• Taylor Kornieck (abdomen) and Midge Purce (hip) each have been sidelined for the last three weeks. While neither should remain out for long, they’re losing out on opportunities to prove themselves to Andonovski.
• Julie Ertz missed Angel’s City’s Challenge Cup match Wednesday and its regular-season match Sunday with excused absences related to a charity project in Philadelphia, but she will return to training this week, head coach Freya Coombe said.

Matchday #5: April 28-30

• AD Franch has not played in the Current’s last three matches across all competitions, sitting in favor of Cassie Miller, who has not allowed a goal in that span. While Franch has been supportive of Miller, the time on the bench could hurt her standing in the USWNT goalkeeper pool.
• Rose Lavelle (leg) missed her third game in a row with a lingering injury, but head coach Laura Harvey was unconcerned after her team’s 2-2 draw with Racing Louisville. “A couple more weeks and then she’ll be OK,” Harvey said.
• Taylor Kornieck (abdomen) and Midge Purce (hip) each have missed the last two weeks of competition, and Becky Sauerbrunn was sidelined with a foot injury for the Thorns’ 3-3 draw with Angel City FC.
• San Diego Wave striker Alex Morgan missed her team’s 3-1 loss against the Orlando Pride with a thigh injury. When asked if Morgan would be available for the upcoming week, head coach Casey Stoney said: “We’ll have to take our time this week and see how she recovers, but I hope so.”
• Lindsey Horan and Catarina Macario play for Lyon in France’s Division 1 Féminine, which has not taken the pitch since April 16. The only two players on this list not in the NWSL, Horan is a regular starter for Lyon, but Macario has missed the entire season with an ACL tear.

Matchday #4: April 22-23

• Alyssa Naeher has started all four matches for the Chicago Red Stars so far this season, but the 35-year-old goalkeeper gave up five goals in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to OL Reign.
• AD Franch did not appear for the Kansas City Current in Sunday’s 2-0 win against the Orlando Pride; instead, Cassie Miller got the start (and the shutout). Franch had started the first three matches of the season for the Current, all losses.
• Kelley O’Hara played a full 90 minutes for Gotham FC for the first time this season. O’Hara joined Gotham in free agency in the offseason but has been recovering from a nagging hip injury.
• Julie Ertz returned to the NWSL for the first time since 2021, playing 71 minutes for Angel City FC.
• Rose Lavelle (leg), Taylor Kornieck (illness) and Midge Purce (hip) missed their team’s matches with short-term ailments.

U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski on Wednesday named his 23-player roster for the 2023 World Cup beginning next month in Australia and New Zealand.

The team features three players competing in their fourth World Cups (Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O’Hara) and 14 World Cup debutantes. The players will be released from their club teams for World Cup duty on June 26 and will play a send-off match against Wales on July 9 before traveling to New Zealand for their group-stage opener against Vietnam on July 21.

Get to know the 23 players representing the USWNT in their World Cup title defense.