da poker： After an embarrassing exit from the 2023 tournament, soon attention will turn towards the next four-year cycle – but who will be in the team in 2027?
da bwin： We'll get this out of the way: picking how the United States women's national team should line up at the 2027 World Cup is an almost impossible exercise. So much can change in four years, especially for a team that looks set to usher in a new era. A new coach is surely coming in, as are new players, and projecting what all of that can combine to look like is a fool's errand.
But we'll play the fool and try and project what the USWNT will look like four years from now. The 2023 World Cup is over, but what will the U.S. look like by the time the 2027 tournament rolls around?
We know some key figures will be gone, with Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz having confirmed their retirements. Others like Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher and Crystal Dunn may not be around in four years time as they play into their mid-to-late 30s.
There's also an Olympic tournament just one summer away, which could slow the USWNT's true rebuild. Does the new coach use that tournament to blood young stars or lean on the likes of Morgan, Naeher and Dunn one last time in pursuit of Olympic gold?
Either way, there will be big changes by 2027, but what are they? GOAL breaks down how the U.S. should line up at the next World Cup…
GettyGK: Casey Murphy
Casey Murphy has been with the team for three years now, earning 14 caps, and it seems like it may be her time to fully step up. Naeher will be 39 by the time the next World Cup rolls around and, while she could very well be playing at the goalkeeper position, it seems unlikely.
Murphy, meanwhile, will be 31 and in the prime of her career, giving her a chance to start going forward.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLB: Emily Fox
Emily Fox started as an inverted right-back at this past World Cup to accommodate Dunn, but she will probably switch back to the left at some point soon. Fox, 25, wasn't bad on the right, but she's clearly better on her preferred side.
She'll have this World Cup experience to build on, which will be helpful as she looks to have an even better cycle this time around.
GettyCB: Naomi Girma
Based on this World Cup, write Naomi Girma's name on the teamsheet in Sharpie. The 23-year-old central defender was the USWNT's best player Down Under, putting in several starring performances as the U.S. conceded just one goal. It's frightening to thing that she's still a relative newcomer for club and country, isn't it?
Girma will only get more comfortable as she earns more experience. Look for her to be one of the best in the world by the time 2027 rolls around, if she isn't already.
GettyCB: Alana Cook
Bizarrely, Alana Cook didn't play a minute at this World Cup, but don't sell your stocks in her just yet. Vlatko Andonovski earned plenty of criticism for his unwillingness to trust Cook, as he instead went with Ertz in central defense. Cook was one of two USWNT outfield players not to see the field, which seemed impossible at the start of the tournament due to the lack of depth in her position.
Cook, though, is only 26 and will be right in her prime in four years' time. She isn't going anywhere and, even if she isn't a starter by 2027, she'll certainly be in the mix.