Why Team USA is not the favorite in Women's World Cup

The United States women's national team may be the best international soccer team of all time, for one reason: the winning.

Unlike other great international teams, like Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s, or the Total Football Dutch teams, or Spain's tiki-taka in the early part of last decade, the U.S. women have never been known for a particular style of play or an iconic on-field look. It's their record that defines them, even more than legendary players like Mia Hamm or Michelle Akers or Christie Rampone.

The USWNT has four World Cups. It has four Olympic gold medals. And if you, like many official records, treat penalty shootout losses as draws, then the U.S. has lost four matches — ever — at both the World Cup and at the Olympics.

When you can match up every loss for the last 32 years with a trophy or a gold medal, that's quite the résumé.

This also means that there's as much pressure on the Americans coming into the World Cup — they open play Friday night against Vietnam — as there is on any other team in the tournament. When the trophy case is already full to bursting, there's only one way to succeed: adding another trophy.

It's pressure that completely ignores the facts, because if it wasn't for the weight of history, there's no way the U.S. would be considered one of the favorites this year, thanks to its injury list and recent results.

Becky Sauerbrunn, the team's captain, spiritual leader and rock at center back, is out. Mallory Swanson, the breakout star of 2022 and 2023 at forward, is out. Catarina Macario, the hope to be the next superlative U.S. player, is out. Christen Press, who played every game at the 2019 World Cup, and Sam Mewis, who played all but one, are out.

The U.S. women even suffered the indignity of losing three consecutive games, in October, on the road against England and Spain and at home to Germany. It was the first time they had lost at home since 2017, and the first time they had lost three in a row anywhere since 2001.

The Women's World Cup begins Thursday, and the key questions about the U.S. team are likely to focus on defense, especially the likely center back pairing of Alana Cook and Naomi Girma. For all the talk about how calm and collected they are, Cook is 26 and Girma is 23, both are at the World Cup for the first time. They've played together only a handful of times — including in two of the three U.S. losses in October.

Playing center back for the Americans can put any player on an island, given the all-engines-go nature of the lineup. The probable starting left back, Crystal Dunn, is an attacking midfielder for Portland. The probable starting right back, Sofia Huerta, used to be an attacking midfielder.

The team isn't sure who'll play as a defensive midfielder, but it might well be veteran Julie Ertz, who missed all of 2022, only returned in April, and has played only 652 total minutes in 2023 — perhaps not the rock-solid midfield help that the new center back pairing would want.

They do still have Alyssa Naeher in goal, and she seems like she's been the accepted starter for about two decades, not the six years she's been the team's first-choice keeper. She'll likely be dependable for Cook and Girma, who have looked capable — but it's one thing to look capable in friendlies, and another to deliver at the World Cup.

Up front, meanwhile, the U.S. still has firepower in reserve. Alex Morgan may be 34, but with 121 goals and 207 appearances for the Americans, she'll still likely start at center forward. Flanking her will be Sophia Smith, the 2022 NWSL MVP, who has 24 goals in 26 starts over the past two seasons for Portland.

Throw in Lynn Williams, who has 53 goals all time for the U.S., and Trinity Rodman, who is just 21 but may be the most complete forward on the team, and the Americans shouldn't have trouble finding the net.

And we haven't even mentioned Megan Rapinoe, the team's best-known and most popular player, who at age 38 — and with injury trouble of her own — might be mostly on the team for short appearances, leadership and general good vibes.

Questions abound regarding this edition of the U.S. women's team. When it's the USWNT, though, nobody remembers who was injured, or who was new to the squad. The only thing anyone remembers is whether the team came home with the trophy.