The FIFA Women’s World Cup is under way. The United States will start their journey in the tournament tonight. The United States are coming into this tournament as heavy favorites. They are defending back to back champions. They won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 and in France in 2019. The United States has won the FIFA women’s World Cup four out of eight times. They have finished in the top three every FIFA Women’s World Cup since it was introduced in 1991. In the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) they did finish in third place.
So far in 2023 the United States Women’s National Team are undefeated in official competitions going 8-0-0. They have only allowed one goal so far in 2023. They have only had one loss since 2021. They are ranked number one by FIFA. They come into this tournament with a target on their back but that is no different than any other FIFA women’s competition.
The United States is in Group E. The other teams in Group E are the Netherlands, Portugal, and Vietnam. Overall I Think there is only one team that can challenge the United States in Group E. That being the Netherlands. Vietnam are lucky to be in the tournament. Portugal shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Alyssa Naeher is the the goal keeper for the United States. She has ninety one caps with the team. She has a lot of experience. She has been playing with the United States Women’s National Team since 2014 and prior to that she played with the under twenty team. She has had an amazing career but at the age of thirty five this could be her last FIFA Women’s World Cup. The other big player on the roster is Alex Morgan. With over two hundred caps for the United States Women’s National Team she has been a key player for the team for a long time. She will probably be a key player in this years tournament. The rest of the team is made up of a lot of core players that have been with the team for a while now.
The United States will start the FIFA Women’s World Cup with a game against Vietnam. That game is tonight at 6:00 PM PST. Then the United States will take on the Netherlands. That game will be on Wednesday, July 26th at 6:00 PM PST. The United states will finish up group play on Tuesday, August 1st at 12:00 AM PST against Portugal. If the United States makes it out of the group stage they will play on Sunday, August 6th.
I like the United States schedule. Unless they have a major breakdown they should beat Vietnam. Then the Netherlands game won’t matter. They just have to finish strong with a win over Portugal. I see that as highly likely but it is also likely with how dominate the United States Women’s National Team has been since 2015 that they will win all three of their group stage matches and advance to the semifinals without too many issues.
The United states plays Vietnam on Friday, July 21st (today). That game will be at 6:00 PM PST. The game will take place at 50,000 seat Eden Park in Kingsland, New Zealand. Vietnam are ranked 32nd coming into this tournament. This is their first FIFA Women’s World Cup as well. They have not Qualified for any Olympic Games either. Vietnam and the United States have not played each other before. Vietnam are 0-2 so far in 2023. This match should be a blowout. That will be good for the standings but not having a challenge in the first match could make it harder on the United States as they face more challenging teams later on.
The United States plays the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 26th at 6:00 PM PST. This is a rematch of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 Final. The game will take place at the 34,500 seat Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand. The Netherlands are the second highest rated team in Group E coming in being ranked 9th. They lost to the United States in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019. Prior to that the highest they finished was in the round of 16 and they did not qualify for any FIFA Women’s World Cup prior to 2015. The Netherlands lost in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Olympics. The Netherlands has two wins, one draw, and eight losses against the United States all time. Their record is 3-2 so far in 2023. This will probably be one of the toughest matches the United States will have in the tournament. It will be their first real challenge. It will probably also be their hardest match of the group stage.
The United States takes on Portugal on Tuesday, August 1st at 12:00 AM PST. This will be the final group stage match for the United States. This will be their second game at Eden Park. Portugal come into this tournament ranked at 21st. This is their first time qualifying for a FIFA Women’s World Cup. They never have qualified for the Olympics. The United States has not lost a match to Portugal in ten meetings. They are 2-1-2 so far in 2023. This shouldn’t be a blowout but should still be a win for the United States. Playing Portugal last could be a huge benefit to the United States depending on how the Netherlands game goes.
Zac Electrifly 
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