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The FIFA Women’s World Cup began Thursday morning with both hosting teams, Australia and New Zealand, taking their first wins. The 32-team tournament is the second split host cup since 2002.
Australia defeated Ireland in their opening match despite being without Sam Kerr, their top player. She will most likely not be able to play until the third round after sustaining a calf injury during training.
New Zealand also came out victorious with a over Norway 1-0.
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Defending the Cup
The United States will play their first game Friday against Vietnam. As the team approaches their match, they hope to continue their domination of the tournament and defend their back-to-back World Cup titles. The team has won the last two Women’s World Cups in 2019 and 2015. Despite the United States looking like a brand new squad, with 14 members making their World Cup debuts, the U.S. will go for the three-peat. Veteran Crystal Dunn said that despite the new squad, the legacy of the U.S. team is what makes them a strong competitor in the tournament.
Final Cup
USWNT superstar Megan Rapinoe said she will hang up the cleats after the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League season. With this being her final Women’s World Cup, many fans and players look to her to be the difference. Despite being an all-time great, Rapinoe will take a back seat to the action at this years tournament. She won’t be starting every game, but head coach Vlatko Andonovski thinks that despite her lack of field time compared to her previous World Cup’s, Rapinoe’s leadership abilities will be what the team needs to bring home their third consecutive trophy.
Another Key player for the U.S. is Dunn, wo helped the team to victory playing in the 2019 Cup as a defender. In 132 appearances for the United States, she has scored 24 goals with 19 assists. As excitement in players and fans increase, Dunn hopes that everyone keeps in mind the deeper meaning of playing as a U.S. athlete.
The team’s game against Vietnam will begin at 9 p.m. Friday.
Across the Pond
One team that could threaten the United States chances is England, who are predicted to be a top finisher next to the U.S. for this years tournament. Along with teams like Brazil and Spain, who are also projected to perform well, England is looking to dominate this tournament. The team dominated the 2022 UEFA Women’s EURO Championship. Despite never winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the team hopes to replicate their EURO Championship performance and bring a title back to England for the first time.
