photo:commons.wikimedia.org
The 2019 FIFA women's World Cup is underway, with the United States set to open group play on June 11 against Thailand.
Back in 2015, the United States women's national soccer team had one of the greatest defense-minded World Cups of all time. A defensive backline of Becky Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger, Meghan Klingenberg, and Julie Johnston (now Julie Ertz), plus keeper Hope Solo, locked down opponents in a breathtaking manner. After allowing one goal to Australia in the cup opener, the United States women didn't cede another goal until the final, a whopping 539 minutes between goals, a 5-2 victory over Japan.
Don't count on that type of production again.
That is not to say the Americans don't have the talent. Sauerbrunn still locks down the center back position, but the rest of the line has been in flux over the past year with mixed results. Ertz has moved to the midfield and Klingenberg, despite playing every single minute in the last World Cup, is not on the roster. Krieger is, but will likely be on the bench.
Solo is gone as well (and still plenty vocal), with Alyssa Naehar earning the right to handle the duties between the posts (and under the crossbar, natch).
Likely joining Sauerbrunn on the backline will be Kelly O'Hara, who has made a late-career shift to playing left and right back, Crystal Dunn, and Abby Dahlkemper, with Tierna Davidson possibly earning one of the outside back positions.
Defense was certainly the story of the 2015 for Team USA -- until a five-goal explosion in the final. The unit will still be strong in 2019, but it will be the forwards and the offense of Americans that will need to carry this team to victory.
USA front a cohesive bunch
Perceived deficiencies as part of the back four will be made up for the ultra-talented forwards and midfield of the United States team. The leader of this bunch, some say the lifeblood of this team, is forward Megan Rapinoe.
Rapinoe ties this team together and makes the team tick, with teammates finding off of her endless energy. She also has a knack for making a huge play at just the right moment, whether that involves coming up with a key goal or tackle or finding a teammate, like Tobin Heath for example, with the perfect pass in setting up a goal.
Heath has found the back of the net with frequency as of late and might be the player on the hottest of streaks right now. Heath has scored 11 goals in her last 15 matches, including one against Mexico in the team's last tuneup game prior to the cup.
Veteran Alex Morgan is also up front at forward and is still one of the best players in the game. Back in April, she notched her 100th goal as a member of the national team and -- as she has since making her World Cup debut in 2011 -- will be an important factor on the pitch.
The deep squad of the United States women team also sees 2015 World Cup star Carli Lloyd coming off of the bench. She will be playing the role Abby Wambach played in the last World Cup, in which Wambach was a veteran super-sub, providing a spark in the second-half of games.
Lloyd has 14-career national team goals when entering the game as a substitute.
Rose Lavelle and Ertz will be part of the midfield as will Lindsay Horan and Sam Mewis. Forwards Mallory Pugh should also see some action coming off the bench as the women defend their title against a strong field that's only getting better each year.
The favorites
The Americans are ranked number one in the world and are the odds-on favorites to garner their fourth World Cup title. Along with Thailand, Chile and Sweden are also in USA's group F, with the Americans playing the Swedes for the fifth-straight World Cup.
Standing in their way outside of group play are formidable possible opponents like Germany, Japan, Brazil, Norway, England, and the host country, France.
France defeated the Americans back in January, 3-1, handing them their only loss in the last ten games. Group A will likely end up being a battle between France and Norway, both of which won their opening matches.
Norway, even without possibly the world's best player in Ada Hegerberg, still has enough firepower to make noise in the 2019 World Cup. Hegerberg, who at 23 is already scoring goal after goal, isn't playing thanks to a protest very little is known about, outside of the main fact of wanting the national team to be given equal footing as the men's national team.
Brazil will be without top-scorer Marta for the opening game while Japan, the 2011 champion, seems to play their best ball come the World Cup. Germany is currently ranked 2nd overall and England made the semifinals in 2015.
If you're looking for an underdog (if you want to consider a ranking of sixth-overall an underdog) to make the knockout stage and possibly get far, look no further than the team out of Australia. They have played the Americans tough in recent years and could very well be ready to take the next step on a world stage.
Early results
France got things started with a 4-0 win on Friday.
Germany had plenty of opportunities but only one found the back of the net in the second-half as they held on for a 1-0 win over China.
Spain handled South Africa, 3-1, and Norway scored three first-half goals to defeat Nigeria 3-0.
Sunday's games include:
- Australia vs. Italy
- Brazil vs Jamaica
- England vs Scotland
Jamaica is making history in this World Cup. The Reggae Girls are the first team from the Caribbean to be playing in the World Cup.
Make sure to check back here with updates and more over the next month as the World Cup tournament crowns a champion in 2019.
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