USWNT World Cup Media Day 2023

CARSON, C.A. - All 23 Member of the U.S. Women’s National Team and their Head Coach Vlatko Adonovsky came together as a team for the first time at Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, California on Tuesday, June 27th for World Cup Media Day.  

With seasoned veterans like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan on the roster, combined with new faces like teenager Alyssa Thompson and future star Sophia Smith playing in their first Women’s World Cup, the goal is still the same for the U.S., to win … but there is still something different about this World Cup. 

Midfielder, Megan Rapinoe, playing in her fourth World Cup says this tournament is different because "It feels like a real opportunity to blow the lid off just in terms of fanfare and media and sponsorships and the larger business around this sport. … This is not just: ‘Oh, we should cheer for the Women’s World Cup because that’s the right thing to do.’ This is actually terrible business move if you’re not getting in on it, if you’re not investing, if you’re not putting resources to it, and if you’re not tuning in, sort of, missing out on a massive cultural moment in so many ways."

"There are so many examples like this. It feels like this is a paradigm shift or a moment we’ll look back to and say ‘Nothing was ever the same after this women’s World Cup,’ and what we’re going to be able to do. All bets on the women’s World Cup - I just think it’s going to be an incredible event."

Compared to when the U.S. Women’s National Team won in 2015 and 2019, there are three mothers on this roster, and the team is getting equal or 50/50 pay with the Men’s National Team. But what is still the same is the pressure. This time around there is pressure to make history as the first soccer team - of any federation in the World Cup for that matter … to "three-peat" as champions, as the U.S. is vying for their third straight World Cup Title. 

Head Coach Vlatko Adonovsky says he would "absolutely be upset" if the U.S. women do anything short of winning their third straight World Cup.

Striker Alex Morgan, also playing in her fourth World Cup says, "Winning three straight World Cups is hard, that’s why it’s never been done before, but it’s not impossible." 

Clearly Rapinoe and Morgan have the experience … a big difference from new team members, 18-year-old forward Alyssa Thompson who just finished high school, and forward Sophia Smith, who is being touted as the next big star striker, like the retired Carli Lloyd or even her own teammate Alex Morgan.  

When Thompson stepped up to the media breakaway group waiting to interview her, she said with a smile she was very nervous and had never been in front of so many cameras. 

While Smith gushed about what she learned from Lloyd.

The Women’s National team is holding their World Cup training camp in Santa Barbara, they will play one last friendly against Wales on July 9th in San Jose, and they will fly to New Zealand to prepare for their first match of the group stage which is on July 21st against Vietnam.