The U.S. national team will bring 23 players to Australia and New Zealand this summer, as the American women look to become the first team in FIFA history — men or women — to win three straight World Cup titles.
Yet with roster selections come roster cuts. And while Vlatko Andonovski got to inform 23 players that they would live out their dream as a Women's World Cup player in 2023, he also had to make some extremely tough phone calls to tell players they would not be on the plane across the ocean.
Because of a significant number of injuries suffered by key players in the U.S. squad, Andonovski was forced to dig deeper into the player pool than he likely expected, so the list of snubs is smaller, given that some of the players originally on the bubble ended up making the cut.
Still, as always there were a number of players who will be disappointed not to be on the plane to Australia and New Zealand.
MORE: Projecting the USWNT starting lineup at the 2023 Women's World Cup
Biggest names left off 2023 Women's World Cup roster
These players are the ones whose exclusion from the 2023 World Cup roster most likely raised an eyebrow or two among USWNT fans.
Could these players still make it in case of injury? Andonovski confirmed that he did have a list of reserve players, but he was not about to make it public.
Sam Coffey
Maybe the biggest snub of the USWNT roster for the 2023 Women's World Cup was midfielder Sam Coffey.
Coffey, at 24 years old, has been in exceptional form for the Portland Thorns this season, proving herself an adept box-to-box midfielder with outstanding passing and distribution skills. With an injury to playmaker Rose Lavelle threatening to impact the fitness of one of the team's most important players, Andonovski looked elsewhere to bolster his midfield corps.
Instead of taking an additional No. 8 like Coffey, he decided in favor of the uncapped 25-year-old Savannah DeMelo, who is a more attacking-minded option who will serve as a direct backup to Lavelle. It's extremely harsh on Coffey, who has slightly more experience and is a more versatile player, but the fitness concerns around Lavelle and the crowded No. 8 position on the U.S. roster (starter Lindsey Horan backed up by Ashley Sanchez and Kristie Mewis) swayed Andonovski to pivot away from Coffey.
Tierna Davidson
One of the most controversial decisions that Vlatko Andonovski made with his 23-player roster was to bring only two natural center-backs to the World Cup. An injury to captain Becky Sauerbrunn made it seem like Tierna Davidson would be a lock as the third center-back behind Naomi Girma and Alana Cook.
That would not come to pass. Andonovski made it clear that he would lean on Julie Ertz should he need an emergency center back, leaving the USA exceedingly thin at the position. Emily Sonnett or Sofia Huerta could also fill in if needed, but it looks like Andonovski will go with the Girma-Cook pairing for the entirety of the tournament, which is a heavy workload.
The setback will be a disappointment for the 24-year-old Davidson, who had worked her way back from a torn ACL injury to prove fit for selection.
MORE: The injury that cost Becky Sauerbrunn a spot on the U.S. roster
Ashley Hatch
Another big roster call made by Vlatko Andonovski was to select just a single true striker, which left backup Ashley Hatch without a spot.
While it's a big decision by the head coach, in truth, it's not as harsh a decision as the ones regarding Coffey and Davidson. Hatch has not been impressive in her NWSL appearances this season, and she only has five goals in 19 international appearances.
The No. 9 role now falls solely on Alex Morgan, who is 34 years old. There's some cover behind her, given that most of the natural wingers on the roster (Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Alyssa Thompson) all have experience at the striker spot for their clubs. Andonovski has alternatives, and that left Hatch without a spot.
Taylor Kornieck
Vlatko Andonovski has tried desperately over the past two years to carve out a role on the national team for 24-year-old Taylor Kornieck, but ultimately there just wasn't room for her this time around.
The third overall selection in the 2020 NWSL draft, Kornieck has played all three midfield positions for the national team, and Andonovski spoke at length in previous international breaks about how they're working hard to see which role she fits best.
At the club level, she's thus far proven best suited for the No. 6 job, but Andonovski already had Julie Ertz and Andi Sullivan for that spot. So with too many questions still surrounding where she fits into the roster, Andonovski clearly felt he was best served taking players like Andi Sullivan, Ashley Sanchez, and Kristie Mewis with more defined roles.
There's still plenty of time for Kornieck to develop into a true USWNT regular by the time the 2027 Women's World Cup rolls around, but for now, she's forced to remain on the sidelines and watch the tournament from home.
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Jaelin Howell
Two-time MAC Hermann award winner Jaelin Howell has five caps with the U.S. national team, and is thought to have a bright future ahead of her, but for now, the 23-year-old will have to bide her time.
A true No. 6 in midfield (like Kornieck), there just wasn't room on the roster for yet another midfielder. Howell has been exceptional in her role at Racing Louisville, adept in all defensive responsibilities, but her progression and passing needs work, and she hasn't developed that part of her game enough to warrant a spot at the World Cup.
It's coming, but not quite yet. Expect Howell to be a major player for a spot at the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Vlatko Andonovski: No "harder thing to do" than make cuts
While speaking about the final USWNT roster for the 2023 Women's World Cup on June 21, just 30 minutes after the list was released publicly, manager Vlatko Andonovski was in an excited mood as he discussed his first World Cup.
Yet when he was asked about the experience of informing players they did not make the roster, the energy immediately left his demeanor, and he looked sullen as he tackled the topic. The experience was clearly difficult for the 46-year-old, and he could not hide it.
"As a coach, I've been through a lot of tough moments, a lot of tough things and tough times," Andonovski said during the press conference. "And if there was something that was really tough and really hard, that is telling someone they did not make the World Cup roster.
"If, when I coached a club team," the former NWSL coach said, "I'd tell someone that is not going to start, she has a chance to start the next one. If I tell someone that she's getting released, no problem, she's going to find another team. To tell someone that she is not playing in the World Cup, or that she's not on the World Cup roster, there is not another World Cup tomorrow. It's so hard, you cannot explain that.
"Another thing is, you're not telling players who are not good that they're not going to the World Cup," Andonovski continued, "you're telling some world-class players that they're not going to the World Cup."