Five OL Reign Players Named to USWNT Roster for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

Five OL Reign players have been named to the United States Women’s National Team 23-player roster for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the most selections for any team in the National Women’s Soccer League. Defenders Alana Cook, Sofia Huerta and Emily Sonnett, midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Megan Rapinoe were all selected to make the trip to Australia and New Zealand in July. All five selections have recorded either a goal or an assist in the 2023 NWSL regular season.

The No. 1 ranked United States Women’s National Team is set to play one final match against Wales before departing for New Zealand. The USA’s Women’s World Cup Send-Off Match presented by Visa will take place on July 9 at PayPal Park in San Jose, California at 1:00 p.m. PT. Following the match, the team will depart for New Zealand.

This summer the USA will face World Cup debutantes Vietnam and Portugal in the group stage, along with 2019 Women’s World Cup runners-up Netherlands. The USA will play the entirety of the group stage in New Zealand. Group stage play begins on July 21 for the USWNT and runs through August 1.

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup runs from July 20-Aug. 20 in 10 stadiums and nine host cities, five in Australia and four in New Zealand. This will be the first Women’s World Cup featuring 32 nations, up from 24 in the previous two tournaments, and all 64 games will be broadcast across the U.S. live in English on FOX (29 matches) and FOX Sports 1 (35 matches) and on tablets and mobile devices through the FOX Sports App. All games will also be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo (33 matches) and the Universo cable network (31 matches). All matches will also be streamed in Spanish on Peacock.

Defender Alana Cook has 24 caps with the United States since making her first appearance on October 31, 2019. This will be her first trip to the World Cup. In her 24 appearances, she has notched two assists and added one goal for her country, which was scored against the Republic of Ireland on April 12, 2023. This year, the defender has appeared in five of seven games for the U.S. and earned starts in the four of the games.

The Far Hills, New Jersey native amassed the bulk of her caps during 2022, starting in all 15 appearances for the Stars and Stripes. Her 1,286 minutes played in 2022 was more than any other player on the United States Women’s National Team. She served both of her career assists during 2022. In 2021, Cook tallied three caps for the U.S., playing 90 minutes in all three appearances.

Defender Sofia Huerta has 29 caps with the U.S. since she debuted with the team on September 16, 2017, after using her one-time switch to play for the team. This will be Huerta’s first World Cup, and she will be the first player from Idaho to make a U.S. Women’s World Cup roster. In her 29 appearances, she has earned four assists, including one in her debut game for the United States.

This year, Huerta has appeared in four of five of the United States’ matches and has earned one assist. In 2022, the 30-year-old became a regular call up for the USWNT, making 11 starts in 16 total appearances and added two assists to her stats sheet. 2021 saw Huerta earn two appearances with the squad. In 2018, the Boise native amassed four caps, starting once across those four matches. Her first year in a United States jersey, she made three appearances and one start, tallying one assist.

Defender Emily Sonnett has one World Cup under her belt. After earning her first cap on October 25, 2015, Sonnett has made a total of 74 appearances for the United States. She has scored one goal and tallied five assists.

In her first year with the team, she saw the field four times and made one start. In 2016, she continued to appear for the team, making four starts in eight caps. In 2018, she returned to the squad, earning 14 caps. She also recorded her first assist for the team. In 2019, the defender tallied two assists and eight starts across 14 caps and 2020 brought and additional four starts and six caps.

Sonnett’s success continued to 2021, where she totaled 17 caps, seven starts and two assists. She made two caps during the United States’ bronze medal run in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In 2022, she scored her first goal for the United States, registering 365 minutes of playing time in six matches. This year, she has appeared in five matches for the United States.

Midfielder Rose Lavelle is set to play in her second World Cup after having a breakout performance in the 2019 World Cup. Her long list of feats includes 88 caps, 24 goals and 20 assists for the United States. After spending time in the United States youth system, Lavelle earned her first cap with the senior national team on March 4, 2017, during the SheBelieves Cup.

In her debut year with the team, she started in all seven games played, adding two goals and an assist in that time. The following year, Lavelle played 687 minutes across 13 matches. She tallied 4 goals and notched one assist. Continuing to appear regularly for the U.S., the Cincinnati native accumulated 18 caps in 2019, recording four goals for the second consecutive year and matching that stat for assists. She started and appeared in all six games for the U.S. at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, scored three goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball at the FIFA Women's World Cup award. She also scored the second goal for the U.S. in the final against the Netherlands, helping the team secure a 2-0 victory.

Through 2020, the creative midfielder made eight appearances and seven starts and got on the scoreboard three times. 2021 was a fruitful year for Lavelle, as she went to the Olympic Games in Tokyo with the U.S. and made a total of 22 appearances for the team. The star added five goals and five assists, including one goal during the Olympics. In 2022, Lavelle earned four goals and six assists across 16 matches. This year, the midfielder has earned two goals and three assists in just four appearances.

Forward Megan Rapinoe, a USWNT veteran, is set to appear in her fourth World Cup. The Redding, California native will reach 200 caps for the U.S. in her next game played. Rapinoe has been playing with the USWNT since July 23, 2006, when she made her debut in a match against Ireland. In total, Rapinoe has scored 63 goals and added 73 assists in her career with the national team.

Rapinoe made her first World Cup appearance in 2011, where she played in all six matches for USWNT, scoring one goal, adding three assists and taking home the second-place title. The forward was called up once again for the 2015 World Cup and scored two goals for the team. This time, the United States won the World Cup, marking Rapinoe’s first World Cup win.

Back for her third consecutive World Cup in 2019, Rapinoe scored five goals in the USWNT’s second World Cup win in a row. Notably, Rapinoe scored her 50th international goal on a penalty kick in the 61st minute of the championship match. After the tournament, the then-34-year-old was awarded the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals) – 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

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, FRA; 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)

Match Schedule:

Sunday, July 9 – 1:00 p.m. PT – USWNT vs. Wales – PayPal Park in San Jose, California (World Cup Send-Off)

Friday, July 21 – 6:00 p.m. PT – USWNT vs. Vietnam – Eden Park in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau (World Cup Group Stage)

Wednesday, July 26 – 6:00 p.m. PT – USWNT vs. Netherlands – Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara (World Cup Group Stage)

Tuesday, August 1 – 12:00 a.m. PT – USWNT vs. Portugal – Eden Park in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau (World Cup Group Stage)