The U.S. defeats Vietnam 3-0 to open its 2023 Women’s World Cup

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team claimed a 3-0 victory over Vietnam in the opening match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Game Highlights: Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan scored for the U.S. in a match dominated by the American team.
* In the 14th minute, Sophia Smith scored the first goal after a pass from Alex Morgan.
* Smith scored her second in stoppage time of the first half, while co-captain Lindsey Horan added to the U.S. lead in the 77th minute.
* Despite controlling most of the match, the U.S. struggled to score more than two goals in the first half.

Team Facts: The U.S. team is aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup win and holds a strong tournament record.
* The U.S. team has never lost an opening match in any of the nine Women’s World Cups they’ve participated in.
* The team is currently on a 13-match winning streak in the tournament, a record in the Women’s World Cup.
* Despite this, the Americans have not looked as dominant in the run-up to this tournament due to the narrowing competitive gap with other nations.

The Bigger Picture: The U.S. team faces the challenge of leading newcomers and veterans to work together efficiently, with 14 new comers on the 23-person squad.
* The U.S. starting lineup, six of whom made their WWC debut in this match, had never played together competitively.
* The line-up includes familiar stars like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, and Julie Ertz, alongside newcomers like Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Sofia Huerta.

What’s next: The U.S. team’s next match is against ninth-ranked Netherlands on Wednesday, July 26, a rematch of the 2019 WWC final.
* The 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will see the U.S. play a total of three matches in group play; against Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal.

View original article on NPR

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