Vietnam women's team's opponent loses leader at World Cup 2023

The US national team recently announced its 23-player squad for the 2023 World Cup campaign in Australia and New Zealand.

Vietnam's women's team's opponent loses their captain at the 2023 World Cup.

The US women's team are the reigning world champions.

Notably, captain Becky Sauerbrunn was not among the 23 names selected.

According to reports, the 38-year-old defender suffered a serious injury and will not recover in time for the start of the biggest women's football tournament on the planet.

Nevertheless, the names on the US team's roster for this tournament are also formidable.

Most notably, the attacking duo of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe are making their fourth appearance at the World Cup.

As for Alex Morgan, she has represented the US national team 206 times, scoring 121 goals.

The 33-year-old star has won two world championships (2015 and 2019), one Olympic gold medal (2012), and three CONCACAF regional championships in North, Central America and the Caribbean.

In addition, she also won the title of World's Best Female Player in 2019 and the title of Best Female Athlete in the United States in 2019.

Meanwhile, Megan Rapinoe has made 199 appearances for the US national team, scoring 63 goals.

Similar to his teammate Morgan, the 37-year-old striker also has two World Cup titles, one Olympic gold medal, and three CONCACAF titles.

In terms of individual accolades, Megan Rapinoe was chosen as the best player of the 2019 World Cup, the top scorer of the 2019 World Cup, and the winner of the 2019 Women's Ballon d'Or.

Besides the two big stars mentioned above, the US team also brought other outstanding players to the 2023 World Cup such as Kelley O'Hara, Julie Ertz, and Lindsey Horan.

Another notable point in the US women's World Cup 2023 squad is that 22 out of 23 players are currently playing in the domestic league.

In this year's tournament, the reigning world champions are in Group E along with Vietnam, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

List of 23 US players for the 2023 World Cup

Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars).

Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O'Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign).

Midfielders: Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC), Julie Ertz (Angel City FC), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon - France), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit).

Forwards: Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC).

Source