USWNT World Cup roster 2023: Final list of USA players, squad to play in FIFA women's tournament

The United States, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA, will embark on a historic trip Down Under as they begin play at the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Having triumphed in both 2015 and 2019, the United States are seeking to become the first team on either the men's or women's side to win three straight World Cup tournaments.

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, jointly-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, begins on July 20, with the final scheduled for August 20. The United States play their first match against Vietnam on July 22, with group stage games against the Netherlands and Portugal to follow.

The task to emerge as three-time champions will be extremely difficult. First, the sport of women's soccer has seen a wealth of talent developed across the global game, and there are many top challengers such as Germany, England, Japan, and others from around Europe and the world who wish to place themselves atop the mountain.

Additionally, a number of injuries to important, talented players has tested the depth of the U.S. squad, and Vlatko Andonovski will have to work around a few significant losses for this tournament.

MORE: Projecting the USWNT starting lineup at the 2023 Women's World Cup

USA roster, squad for Women's World Cup 2023

The following 23 players were called into the United States squad for the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

MORE: USWNT schedule at the 2023 World Cup

Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Kelley O'Hara provide veteran presence

The USWNT squad for the 2023 Women's World Cup features a host of recognizable names who will look to make history in Australia and New Zealand.

Leading the way is Alex Morgan, who boasts 121 international goals for the United States in 206 caps, and is one of the world's most recognizable players in the global game. Morgan, now 33 years old, could possibly be playing in her final Women's World Cup, and will be of renewed importance to a depleted U.S. attack.

Almost surely in her World Cup swansong is Megan Rapinoe, who wasn't exactly a certainty to make the roster until a few attacking players went down with injuries. Now, at 37 years old and quite clearly on the tail end of her career, the 2019 Golden Ball winner gets one last shot at global glory.

Finally, defender Kelley O'Hara is now one of the the elder stateswomen on a back line that does not include the veteran presence of Becky Sauerbrunn. O'Hara is 34 years old and was away from the national team for most of 2022 due to injuries, but she returned to the fold in April and has been a consistent presence for her club Gotham FC, mixing in starts and substitute appearances.

Sauerbrunn, Swanson, Macario, Press left out due to injury

Four enormous losses suffered by the U.S. will leave manager Vlatko Andonovski with the tall task of replacing a host critical players.

The biggest and most devastating loss was to 25-year-old  Mallory Swanson, who began to reach her peak earlier in the year, bagging goals in sensational form before succumbing to a torn patella tendon in an April friendly against the Republic of Ireland. The injury leaves the U.S. attack extremely thin, and will test a number of youngsters hoping to make up for her incredible goal scoring presence.

Additionally, Catarina Macario was unable to recover from her torn ACL in time to make the World Cup roster, another tough blow to the U.S. attack. Macario suffered her injury last year in the final club match of the season with Lyon, and could not rebuild her fitness in time for the Women's World Cup.

The veteran ranks suffered an equally destructive blow as team captain Becky Sauerbrunn suffered a foot injury on club duty in April, and the Portland Thorns defender could not recover in time. While it wasn't clear whether she would be a starter at the World Cup, she still likely would have played a role and her spot on the roster was secure if healthy. At the very least, her leadership would have been critical.

Finally, star striker Christen Press who has 155 caps for the national team, suffered a similar fate to Macario, tearing her ACL in June of 2022 and unable to recover in time. She has yet to see the field for Angel City FC this NWSL season and wasn't an option for Andonovski.

#USWNT's 23 players include nine holdovers and 14 newcomers, representing the largest turnover from one World Cup to the next in program's history. https://t.co/Cn9kl9GX51

— Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) June 21, 2023

Rose Lavelle called in despite injury concerns

While there are a number of important USWNT players who are missing this year's tournament due to injury, one player who did appear on the roster is Rose Lavelle.

That will give U.S. fans cause to breathe a huge sigh of relief, as there were serious questions around Lavelle's health. Additionally, when The Athletic broke the news that Savannah DeMelo would be on the roster, there were even more questions asked about whether Lavelle would be healthy enough to make the cut.

In the same mid-April friendly in which Swanson was injured, Lavelle suffered a knee problem that at the time, Vlatko Andonovski played down, calling a "knock" and saying she was held out from the second Ireland friendly as a "precaution."

Instead, the injury lingered, keeping her out of NWSL action, and questions began to surface about her fitness for the Women's World Cup. Lavelle has not returned to the field for OL Reign, so there are still hurdles to overcome, but her appearance on the roster suggests that U.S. Soccer believe she will be fit in time for the tournament.

Lavelle's importance to this squad cannot be overstated. While Megan Rapinoe won the Golden Ball for the 2019 Women's World Cup, Lavelle finished with the award for the third-best player (the Bronze Ball), and an argument could easily have been made that Lavelle should have actually won the top prize. Her health is paramount to any chances the U.S. have of defending their title. 

Savannah DeMelo leads list of surprise inclusions

The biggest surprise on the roster is 25-year-old midfielder Savannah DeMelo who stands out as the only uncapped player on the U.S. Women's World Cup roster. She beat out the likes of Taylor Kornieck, Jaelin Howell, and the in-form Sam Coffey for selection.

DeMelo was a five-year player for USC, making 75 appearances for the Trojans and earning All-American honors in 2018 during her sophomore year.

She was selected by Racing Louisville in 2022 with the fourth overall pick in the NWSL draft, and her first professional goal in May of that year, coming off a direct free-kick, was a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight.

Bang 💥

Leading off @SportsCenter's Top 10: @Savannah_DeMelo's set piece goal. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dTN2Jr7nnZ

— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) May 19, 2022

Another surprise selection on the roster is goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury who has just one international cap. The Washington Spirit netminder will likely play third fiddle behind starter Alyssa Naeher and backup Casey Murphy, both of whom have been in those roles for a number of years. Kingsbury was taken over KC Current goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who was with the U.S. squad for the April international window.

A young, budding star on the roster is 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, who likely gets her shot at the World Cup thanks to injuries to Cat Macario and Mallory Swanson. The youngster decided to forego a commitment to play at Stanford to instead go straight to the NWSL this year, selected first overall by Angel City FC. She's had a mediocre first professional year, but is widely considered one of the future greats for this generation of players.