Tag: Women’s World Cup 2023

FIFA bans OneLove armband at 2023 World Cup, offers alternatives

Captains can’t wear the original, but FIFA has made some knockoffs

FIFA has once again dismissed the possibility of wearing “OneLove” armbands, but at least provided some alternatives for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Soccer’s governing body turned down a request from several European national teams to allow the “OneLove” design on captain’s armbands during the 2022 men’s World Cup. That decision extends to this summer’s women’s tournament, but FIFA has come up with eight options for teams “after consultation with 32 participating teams, players and United Nations agencies.”

The eight captain’s armbands available are all connected to a United Nations (UN) branch, save for one linked to the World Health Organization (WHO):

  • Unite for Inclusion (UN Human Rights)
  • Unite for Indigenous Peoples (UN Human Rights)
  • Unite for Gender Equality (UN Women)
  • Unite for Peace (UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency)
  • Unite for Education for All (UNESCO)
  • Unite for Zero Hunger (UN World Food Program)
  • Unite for Ending Violence Against Women (UN Women)
  • Football is Joy, Peace, Love, Hope & Passion (WHO)

“It’s not just about what happens on the pitch,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura in a press release announcing the armband themes. “We are committed to using football’s power as a force for good and leveraging our partnerships with United Nations agencies to achieve our goals. We want to say thank you. Thank you to the players and the teams for sharing your support, for these causes. United, we can make a difference.”

It is also worth noting that FIFA’s “Unite for Inclusion” armband bears more than a passing resemblance to the actual OneLove armband, which several UEFA countries used in Euro 2020 on the men’s side of the coin.

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

England captain Leah Williamson had stated at a February press conference that she would like to wear the OneLove armband whenever possible.

“The statement that was made at the Euros with every team participating was incredible, every picture we have with a trophy lift there’s a rainbow armband in there,” said Williamson. “We’re a squad that promotes inclusivity and equality, we obviously have a number of people that feel very strongly about it. It’s not even a question for us.”

This being FIFA, captains and teams can’t simply choose the armband they feel would be best on a given day. Instead, they have to choose between three options: wearing a “Football Unites the World” armband for the entire tournament; picking one of the eight themed armbands and wearing that in every game; or wearing the armband that corresponds with a specific matchday’s theme.

Captains who don’t follow that edict will be subject to being booked, as FIFA considers wearing an armband without approval a uniform violation.

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Sauerbrunn coped with World Cup heartbreak by ripping shots of Jameson with a stranger

“Some random person came up to us at the bar and was like crying for me. So I was almost crying”

Becky Sauerbrunn has been going through it.

The U.S. women’s national captain announced last week that she would not recover from a foot injury in time to make the World Cup roster, a devastating blow to player and team.

Sauerbrunn’s teammates reacted to the news on Wednesday after the 23-player roster was announced, and all four USWNT players who spoke to the press used the word “heartbroken” to describe the loss of the veteran center back.

Never one to shy away from her commitments, Sauerbrunn still fulfilled a scheduled appearance on the “Snacks” podcast with teammates Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams, and the defender opened up on how she’s been handling the disappointment of not playing in a fourth World Cup.

“It sucks, like, it’s such a bummer,” she said. “I really thought that I was going to get back in time. Had a setback, you know, we gave them timelines where I could feasibly have played minutes at the World Cup. But the variability of it was, they just didn’t want to have to deal with that.

“And you don’t want somebody, a center back in particular, that can only play 15 minutes later on in the tournament. So I totally understood. I kind of hoped I was going to squeak in maybe as just a presence, as a leader that could just keep the locker room hopefully in a really positive good vibe state.”

With her Portland Thorns teammates on a long road trip, Sauerbrunn said she’s been back in Portland spending time with the players who didn’t travel. After the news of her absence dropped, she and her teammates decided they needed to go out and blow off some steam.

“I’ve just been with the non-traveling crew and they’ve been unbelievable friends. We went out after the games this weekend for a few drinks and it was like, I needed the outlet, they needed the outlet,” Sauerbrunn said.

“Some random person came up to us at the bar and was like crying for me. So I was almost crying. And then we just wound up taking a couple shots of Jameson. So that’s basically what it’s been like.”

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USWNT injuries: The key players who will miss the 2023 World Cup

The USWNT has admirable depth in its roster, but these are still some major losses

If the U.S. women’s national team wants to win a third straight World Cup, it will have to do so without several of its top players.

Like so many other teams at the 2023 World Cup, the USWNT has been forced to omit some big names from its roster due to injuries.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has a team full of world-class talent to choose from, but the losses his team has suffered will undoubtedly hurt.

These aren’t depth players. They are the team’s top scorer this year, its captain and defensive anchor, and an up-and-coming global star, among others.

There was at least some good news when Andonovski revealed his squad on Wednesday, as Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle — both questionable due to injury — were named to the 23-player roster.

Here are the biggest injury absences for the USWNT at this summer’s World Cup.

Is Julie Ertz heading back to defense for the USWNT? It definitely sounds possible

Ertz became essential at the No. 6 for the USWNT, but she could head back to her old position

Before she stepped away from the U.S. women’s national team in 2021, Julie Ertz had become the linchpin of the team’s midfield.

With Ertz roaming all over the field and destroying plays as the No. 6, the team’s other two central midfielders were free to focus more on attacking.

But Ertz, of course, hasn’t always been a central midfielder. In her World Cup debut, she starred at center back as the USWNT lifted the trophy in 2015.

Now that Ertz has returned after nearly two years away, could she be set to reprise her role as center back? It appears that an injury to Becky Sauerbrunn combined with Vlatko Andonovski’s World Cup roster choices makes that a distinct possibility.

Even with Sauerbrunn out, Andonovski opted to omit center back Tierna Davidson from his 23-player squad. That choice leaves Naomi Girma and Alana Cook as the USWNT’s only two natural center backs. Emily Sonnett has the ability to play in the middle as well, but she hasn’t been used there often for the USWNT, and has played central midfield for OL Reign this season.

When asked on a conference call if Ertz would be an option at center back with Sauerbrunn out, Andonovski didn’t exactly discount the possibility.

“We’re very confident in the team that we have and we’re very confident in the abilities of the players that we have on our team that we’ll be able to overcome the deficiencies that may occur with Becky’s absence,” the coach said.

“Part of it is Julie Ertz. We know that she has the ability to play different positions. We saw her in the 2015 World Cup playing as a center back. We saw her winning a World Cup as well in the U-20s, so it is definitely something that is on our minds, and we will be exploring that option.”

With Ertz away from the team, Andi Sullivan has emerged as a legitimate starting option at the holding midfield position. Andonovski will have plenty of big decisions to make at the World Cup, but one of the most significant will be whether he trusts Sullivan enough to give her sustained minutes at the No. 6, or if Ertz is viewed as too essential in the position and as such, won’t have much time to feature in defense.

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Kerr to Mewis: So proud of you — and the last time I cheer for you is today!

The couple could potentially meet in the World Cup final

Sam Kerr congratulated her girlfriend Kristie Mewis on making the U.S. women’s national team World Cup roster — and then warned her it would be the last time for a while that she’d be cheering her on.

Mewis was named to the 23-player squad on Wednesday, marking the first time in the midfielder’s career she has reached a World Cup roster.

Australia superstar Kerr and Mewis are one of the sport’s power couples, having gone public with their relationship in 2021 after Mewis was seen consoling Kerr on the pitch following the USWNT’s win over Australia in the Olympic bronze medal match.

Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

Kerr, who will be the biggest scoring threat for co-host Australia at the World Cup, posted a message on her Instagram story that read: “Soo proud of you” before adding at the bottom of the screen: “& last time I”ll cheer for you is today.”

In an interview with Gaffer last year, Kerr spoke about the awkward nature of playing in a game against her significant other.

I think there’s this part of us where we’re both separate athletes and when we compete against each other there’s this worry that people don’t think we take it seriously because you’re playing your girlfriend.

That’s what I worry about most out of anything is that our coaches or teammates don’t think that we can separate the two. Whereas the fans just support us. I hope people know that when it’s training time or play time, it doesn’t come into it. I remember one time in Newcastle (Australia) she came on, we were playing against each other, and we went in on each other. We’d kill each other. But I worry that people think that we’re not serious about our careers. At the Olympics we were so excited to see each other but I didn’t want people to think that we were just at the Olympics to see each other. I know that people don’t think that but that’s the worry.

Australia has been drawn into Group B of the World Cup, with the USWNT in Group E. With those two groups going to opposite sides of the knockout bracket, the only way Kerr could face Mewis at the World Cup would be in the final.

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‘Gutted’ USWNT players open up on World Cup without Becky Sauerbrunn

USWNT players agree that they’re “heartbroken” over Sauerbrunn’s absence

The U.S. women’s national team may be locked in on next month’s World Cup, but Becky Sauerbrunn’s absence from the roster is still weighing heavily on the group.

Sauerbrunn has battled a nagging foot injury that has persisted since late April. Facing a recovery timeline with too many variables, the USWNT captain announced last week that she would not be on a fourth straight World Cup roster.

The mood around that news understandably tempered the normal positivity surrounding the official start of a USWNT World Cup hype cycle. Sauerbrunn’s absence is clearly on the minds of everyone involved with the team.

U.S. Soccer made four players available to media on Wednesday shortly after the roster was released, and every single one of them used the word “heartbroken” when Sauerbrunn came up. The only person to not do so was head coach Vlatko Andonovski, but only because he used a different synonym.

“First, I want to say we’re all gutted for Becky,” said Andonovski in his very first words to media after the 23-player roster came out. “It’s no question that we’re gonna miss Becky. We’re gonna miss her on the field, we’re gonna miss her off the field. If there is someone that has a relationship, a connection, and someone that wanted Becky on this roster, that’s me.”

Andonovski coached Sauerbrunn for four years with FC Kansas City, winning two NWSL championships in 2014 and 2015, and like his predecessor Jill Ellis, made the defender a foundational element within the team’s structure.

“Becky will always be our captain. That’s how we feel, the staff, that’s how the team feels, that’s how everybody feels. I mean, Becky is U.S. women’s national team captain,” added Andonovski, who said he would reveal the team’s replacement captain publicly once he has a chance to gather the squad together and announce the choice internally.

USWNT ‘heartbroken’ for Sauerbrunn

Andonovski’s opinion was clearly shared by USWNT players, whether they be veterans like Crystal Dunn and Alex Morgan, or World Cup first-timers like Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith.

“Becky is not only just a huge presence on the field, and leader on the field, but she’s a person who holds people accountable. She raises the level of standards on every team she’s on,” explained Morgan, presumably one of the top candidates to captain the team in New Zealand and Australia. “Having played with her now for over 12, 13 years, I just have immense respect for her.”

“I don’t think that there’s a bad thing that has come out of a teammate’s mouth [on] Becky, ever in her career,” added Morgan. “That’s a testament to her as a leader, a person, a player, and it’s just terrible news to have right before a World Cup.”

Crystal Dunn, who plays alongside Sauerbrunn with the Portland Thorns and has spent the last few years positioned next to her on the USWNT back line, made no bones about the news being a blow to the group’s hopes this summer.

“Losing her is bigger than just her play on the field,” said Dunn. “Her ability to gather the group and really lead us in the right direction at all times, I think, is something that we are going to greatly miss.”

“I checked in with her, we’ve had a lot of communication back and forth,” added Dunn, who called Sauerbrunn “one of my really great friends.”

“You know, it hurts,” said Dunn. “She’s doing okay. The leader that she is, and she’s always thinking about the team first, and I kind of had to tell her, ‘it’s okay to think about your situation and not only care about the team at this moment.'”

Looking ahead, the USWNT’s solution to winning a third straight World Cup without such a pivotal leader is to call on one of its greatest historic strengths: a belief that the group will fill the void through collective strength and individuals stepping up.

“Not having Becky there, it’s going to be different. It’s going to be a challenge,” said Smith. “It’s going to require a lot of players to step up. I think that’s a [task] that we can accomplish if we stick together.”

“We’re ready to take on that role while she’s not there,” added a confident Naomi Girma, who will likely shift over into Sauerbrunn’s left-center back position with the veteran missing out.

For Dunn, Sauerbrunn has left the team a blueprint on how every player in the squad can take on some of the leadership burden.

“I think everything that I’ve learned from Becky is really all about just being the best player showing up possible,” said Dunn. “That means not just on the field, but that means encouraging your teammates. That means giving words of advice when you see fit, and overall, just being the best version of yourself in that environment. So that is something that I’ve always learned from Becky, and I’ll hope to try to do my best obviously in leading the group in this World Cup.”

Andonovski — who has seen so many key players miss crucial time with the USWNT for a variety of reasons — conceded that the situation is “a part of sports,” but added that the group as assembled still has his backing to go accomplish the mission at hand.

“We’re very, very confident in the team that we have,” declared Andonovski. “We’re very confident in the abilities of the players that we have on our team that will be able to overcome the deficiencies that may occur with Becky’s absence.”

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Hatch, Coffey and the biggest snubs from the USWNT World Cup roster

The USWNT roster remains the toughest one to crack

They say having too many worthy players is a “good problem” for a coach, and that is one of the top challenges for any U.S. women’s national team boss.

The USWNT’s World Cup roster dropped on Wednesday, and Vlatko Andonovski had a task that managers both envy and loathe. The national team has so many good players that some big names were bound to miss out on one of the 23 spots on the team.

Even with the USWNT missing stars like Catarina Macario, Sam Mewis, Christen Press, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Mallory Swanson to injury, there’s such a glut of top players that the list of snubs is a long one. Former USWNT standout Ali Krieger once said that if the U.S. could send a second team, that group would be their biggest threat at the World Cup. Those days may be gone as the rest of the world has improved, but a USWNT B side would be a reasonable pick to go to at least the quarterfinals.

For a wide range of reasons, Andonovski ended up having to deliver some bad news to players who did everything in their power, and who all had a really strong case to be on the plane to New Zealand.

In alphabetical order, these are the five biggest USWNT World Cup snubs.

USWNT boss Andonovski has some good injury news on Rapinoe and Lavelle

Both OL Reign players appear close to returning from injury

Heading into Wednesday’s World Cup roster announcement, Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle were two of the biggest question marks for the U.S. women’s national team.

Lavelle has been battling a knee injury that has sidelined her since April, while Rapinoe had to leave OL Reign’s game against Kansas City on June 10 with a calf issue.

Thankfully for the USWNT, both players were included on the World Cup roster as they look to help the team secure an unprecedented third straight title.

Speaking to reporters after naming his roster, USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski offered positive updates on the OL Reign duo, saying he expects both of them to take part in the send-off match against Wales on July 9.

“The situation with Rose Lavelle right now is not something that we’re worried about,” Andonovski said. “We expect Rose to have minutes in our send-off game and then we’ll move on from there and manage the minutes accordingly.”

The coach added that if Lavelle isn’t able to play, he feels comfortable with the other two options on the roster at her position.

“We’re happy with the players that we have in that position, which is Ashley Sanchez and [Savannah] DeMelo. If needed at certain points of a game or in certain games, we feel comfortable with them stepping in.”

The coach said Rapinoe will play a different role this year than during her Golden Ball-winning 2019 World Cup, but he expects her to be healthy for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

“Megan Rapinoe is probably going to have a different role than the previous two World Cups,” Andonovski said. “She certainly is going to have different types of minutes, but her role first from a leadership standpoint is so important, but also her performance on the field. When she is on the field she is very valuable for us.

“She’s progressing well from her injury and she’s another one that is expected to have minutes in the send-off game.”

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Morgan, Dunn react as USWNT roster spots revealed by Taylor Swift and Lil Wayne

The USWNT brought out some big names to reveal its 2023 World Cup roster

U.S. Soccer brought out some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and politics to announce the 2023 U.S. women’s national team World Cup roster.

The video posted on social media began with none other than U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and continued with each of the 23 players being introduced by a different celebrity.

Alex Morgan was given the honor of being introduced by her friend Taylor Swift, and the striker told reporters afterwards that she felt the pairing was ideal.

“I was really surprised to see Taylor announce me but all the other amazing celebrities, influencers and people so influential in the soccer world announcing the roster was pretty cool,” Morgan said. “I give U.S. Soccer props for that. I think they nailed it with Taylor announcing me. I was very happy about that. She had some really nice things to say and I feel like we’ve supported each other a lot, so it was really great to see that.”

Lil Wayne was charged with introducing Crystal Dunn, who said that it was “incredible” seeing the rap star reveal her spot on the roster.

“I will say getting that announcement from Lil Wayne was incredible,” Dunn said. “I mean, everybody was hitting my line like, ‘Do you know him? Do you know him?’ I’m like no, but listen, the man said my name already so I feel like we kind of know each other now.”

Swift and Lil Wayne were far from the only big names in the video, which also included the likes of Megan Thee Stallion (who seems to have taken up a newfound interest in soccer), Shaquille O’Neal, Issa Rae, Blake Lively, Mia Hamm, Jalen Hurts and many more.

Watch the USWNT roster reveal video

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Rapinoe, Morgan headline USWNT World Cup roster

Vlatko Andonovski has named a 23-player squad looking to win a third consecutive World Cup

U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has revealed his 23-player roster for the 2023 World Cup, which kicks off next month in Australia and New Zealand.

Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O’Hara each earned a spot on their fourth World Cup roster, with Rapinoe overcoming a late injury concern to return after winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2019 World Cup.

Rapinoe, who turns 38 in early July, is the oldest player on the roster. The youngest is 18-year-old forward Alyssa Thompson, who is one of 14 players who were named to their first World Cup squad.

As the USWNT aims to win a third straight World Cup and fifth overall, nine players will return from the 2019 roster that lifted the trophy in France.

Rose Lavelle scored the clincher in the 2019 final against the Netherlands and she returns after overcoming a knee injury that has sidelined her since April.

Lavelle and Rapinoe were the positive stories on the injury front for the USWNT, but the likes of captain Becky Sauerbrunn, 2023 leading scorer Mallory Swanson and rising star Catarina Macario are all missing due to injury.

Julie Ertz completes her return to the USWNT by being named to her third World Cup squad. The midfielder played her first game in April after nearly two years away from the game following the birth of her son.

Racing Louisville star Savannah DeMelo is on the roster, becoming just the third uncapped player in history to make a USWNT World Cup squad.

After a send-off match against Wales on July 9 in San Jose, Calif., the USWNT will head to New Zealand where it kicks off the World Cup against Vietnam on July 21. Andonovski’s team will complete Group E play with matches against the Netherlands on July 26 and Portugal on August 1.

USWNT World Cup roster (club; caps/goals)

Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit; 1), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 14), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 90)

Defenders (7): Alana Cook (OL Reign; 24/1), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 131/24), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage; 28/1), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 15/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 29/0), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 157/3), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign; 74/1)

Midfielders (7): Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC; 0/0), Julie Ertz (Angel City FC; 118/20), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon; 128/27), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 88/24), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 51/7), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 24/3), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 44/3)

Forwards (6): Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC; 206/121), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 199/63), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 17/2), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 29/12), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 3/0), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 52/15)

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