AUCKLAND, New Zealand — It has been discussed repeatedly and likely will be a hot topic until the World Cup ends. The U.S. women’s national team has a chance to make more history this summer if it wins a record fifth title and third in a row.
Only four teams have gone back-to-back: Italy‘s men’s team (1934, 1938), Brazil‘s men’s team (1958, 1962), Germany‘s women’s team (2003, 2007), and the USWNT (2015, 2019). No nation has completed the three-peat.
And so while the Americans have always had a target on their backs, it’s magnified here in New Zealand as the tournament approaches. The USWNT’s first match against Vietnam is Friday (9 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
“I think there are probably people who are thinking about, ‘Oh my gosh, can we do three?'” defender Kelley O’Hara said this week. “And there are people who are thinking, ‘We can only do three if we win [this] one.’ That’s how I’m kind of looking at it. If we three-peat, it will be because we won this one tournament. So, the past is the past.
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“We have in front of ourselves the opportunity to win a World Cup, and that’s what happens every four years,” O’Hara continued. “To me, it’s just focusing on winning this tournament. That’s the most important thing, and then you get the three-peat.”
That’s maybe easier said and done for a player like O’Hara, who is playing in her fourth World Cup with two championships on her résumé. She knows what to expect, has relished the target-on-your-back narrative and has come out victorious.
But of the 23 players on this roster, 14 are playing in their first World Cups and don’t have that kind of wisdom yet.
They are open to leaning on veterans such as O’Hara, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe to tell it like it is and learn what it really means to be under this kind of unique pressure, though.
“I have a lot of confidence that this team can win a World Cup”
U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher spoke with Jenny Taft to discuss the team’s expectations heading into the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“They’re just such big personalities and any time, if something is hard or if a younger player is like, ‘Oh, you know today [is hard],’ they remind us that’s what it takes. This is what the environment is,” said forward Sophia Smith, who is playing in her first World Cup.
“They’ve been there. They’ve done it. They’ve gone through everything to do it. And just them sharing their experiences with us from past World Cups – what it took to win, the hard days, the miserable days, the days when you’re not getting along, all of those things. All those stories, I think, have helped us younger players who don’t have experience in world tournaments know what to expect and know to embrace it.”
O’Hara said one of the major themes in the build up here has been ensuring that everyone’s mindset is on the same page.
“I think the word ‘belief’ is a great word to bring up to talk about this team and this group,” she said. “I think it’s a word that has defined this team from not just right now, but for years and years past. And it’s something that has been passed down through generations, and it’s something that we’ve held strong to. It’s something that has allowed us to be as successful as we have been, and I think it’s gotten us through those moments when a lot of people would have been backed down, or started to doubt or question things.
“I think that belief is extremely powerful, and I’ve seen it be that way with this group. And if there’s one second left on the clock, we believe that’s enough time to make a difference and do what we need to do to win a game.”
Even the 14 newbies have a thorough understanding of that, as well as the high stakes and expectations the world has for them at this moment being on the brink of more history.
“One of the biggest messages has been, it’s not gonna always be pretty, it’s not gonna always be fun,” said defender Emily Fox, who is also playing in her first World Cup. “It’s gonna be hard. Getting the win and doing what it takes to move on is the most important thing.”
Added Smith: “It’s obviously incredible what this team has done, and all we hope to do is continue on that legacy and push the boundaries and be even better and make history. … It’s an honor to be on this team, wear this crest and represent our country, and we all take a lot of pride in that.
“So the pressure that comes with it, we all kind of have accepted that. It’s just kind of what life has become now. And I think it’s fun. I love it.”
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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