The 2023 Women’s World Cup Is Here, And So Is The Latest USWNT Roster

The calendar has shifted to 2023, and just a few months separate us from the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Accordingly, the sights of head coach Vlatko Andonovski have gotten narrower in scope, reflecting the short time left to determine the U.S. women’s national team roster.

“In terms of the pool, obviously, as we get in the World Cup year… the pool is is narrowing down a little bit,” Andonovski told media on a Zoom call Thursday. “And the players that we have on the list right now, together with some of the players that are that are injured, and a few of them that we expect to get back soon — [that’s] basically the group that we are looking a little bit closer at.”

The 24 players named to the roster Thursday will travel to New Zealand for a pair of matches against one of the host countries of the 2023 WWC, and in the two venues the U.S. will play in during the World Cup to boot — January 17 at 10 PM ET at Sky Stadium in Wellington, and then January 20 at 10 PM ET at Eden Park.

And both the presences and absences would indicate a great deal more than, say, a USWNT friendly roster back in 2021.

For instance, Mia Fishel is not on this roster, despite her successful 2022 season with Tigres UANL in Mexico. But her exclusion is not due to injury, and it certainly sounds like she is not a candidate for the final roster heading to the WWC this summer.

“Mia is a very good young player,” Andonovski said. “In fact, I I remember her in October of 2020 in Denver when we had this first camp during COVID… and we’re very familiar with with her qualities. But right now, after looking at everything we decided the players that we have in camp are going to give us the best chance to be successful — or to be more precise, the forwards that we have in camp are going to give us the best chance to be successful.”

One such forward is Lynn Williams, who missed the entire 2022 NWSL season with a hamstring injury, and another returnee is defender Emily Sonnett, who hasn’t played since a foot injury during CONCACAF qualifiers ended her year in July 2022.

But on the roster doesn’t mean ready to play a full 90.

Yeah, so firstly, with with a January camp, not many players are ready to play full games at 100%,” Andonovski said. “So the same thing goes for Sonnett, whether she’s injured or not, but in terms of where she’s at, from the physical standpoint, we’re very happy. If she wasn’t up to speed or physically ready to be in camp, we were not going to call her up.”

But even with a reduced group still in the running, Andonovski is hoping he’ll be able to bring 26, not 23 with him, despite the report late last year that FIFA had rejected the idea of increasing roster sizes to match the decision made for the 2022 men’s World Cup.

“First, this has not been confirmed with us with our Federation and with me personally,” Andonovski. “So I cannot say what is going to be, 23 or 26. But I can tell you in November when we were in New Zealand for for the draw — here was a big discussion with FIFA and the national team head coaches. Martina herself was there as I was myself and we all expressed our wishes as national team head coaches. And I can tell you that most if not all the head coaches on the teams that are in the World Cup would like to see a 26-player roster now. That is FIFA’s decision and if it’s not a final decision, I wish they reconsider it and make it 26.”

That, of course, is out of Andonovski’s control. But what isn’t? Choosing which 23 — or 26 — we see on the field, starting later this month.