geoff: The U.S. Women's soccer
team is hoping to win its fifth
world cup this summer and its
third straight title.
Something no teen, men's or
women's, has done before.
Despite being the favorite, the
U.S. Squad has a tough road
ahead in the tournament that
kicks off this week in Australia
and New Zealand.
As amna nawaz found out when she
spoke with some of the players,
they are not taking anything for
granted.
>> And the whole world is
wondering, what's it going to
take to stop the U.S. Team?
>> Easy, love.
We mark Alex.
What about rose Camara Trinity
>> Or what about rapinoe?
Amna: The U.S. Is ready, in
forward Megan rapinoe's words,
to show up and show out in the
upcoming women's world cup.
And they know they have a target
on their backs.
>> Always there.
Amna: Before heading to the
other side of the world, rapinoe
and her teammates spoke with us
and other reporters about the
returning to one of the biggest
sporting events on the planet.
>> I can't believe we're back at
the world cup again.
It's kind of crazy.
This is the best moment of our
career.
Alec said it, it never gets old.
There's always something
incredibly special about being
able to compete at the very
highest level against the very
highest level.
Amna: That sentiment was clear
from the players reactions when
they were told they made the
roster.
From Kelley O'Hara's stream of
tears.
>> I don't take it for granted.
I love the sport so much, I love
this team so much.
And you can tell that from my
reaction.
Amna: To a flute celebration by
defender crystal Dunn.
>> It doesn't matter if this is
your second, your third, your
fourth, I think every moment is
that you get this call is
incredible and you embrace it.
Amna: The 23 player roster
includes longtime veterans like
O'Hara, rapinoe, and Alex
Morgan, all playing in their
fourth world cup.
But a number of players who
helped bring the trophy home in
2019 are sitting out because of
injuries, including forward
Mallory Swanson and defender
Becky sauerbrunn.
That combined with a
disappointing bronze medal
finish at the last olympics
prompted head coach vlatko
andonovski to bring in new
blood.
Over half of this year's squad,
14 players, have never played in
a world cup before.
Coach andonovski says he's not
worried about the inexperience.
>> In fact, I'm excited about
the energy and enthusiasm that
the young players bring, the
intensity and the drive as well.
Actually, I think that that will
be one of our advantages.
Amna: It will also be
andonovski's first world cup
after he replaced Jill Ellis
back in October 2019.
The macedonian-american coach is
no stranger to the game and the
pressure that comes with it.
He played for European clubs and
in American indoor leagues
before coaching in the national
women's soccer league.
In the coming weeks, there is
only one goal on his mind.
>> What I be happy with anything
short of a third straight win?
No.
Absolutely not.
Amna: To have the best chances
of earning that coveted prize,
the younger players tell us they
are soaking up all the wisdom
they can from the veterans.
22-year-old Trinity rodman.
>> Cancel the outside noise and
staying in your bubble.
Amna: 18-year-old Alyssa
Thompson, the team's youngest
member.
>> I went to Lindsey for like,
what's it like to have her
travel and stuff because I did
not know and I'm gone for two
months, and I don't know how to
pack for two months.
So she just helped me a lot with
that.
Amna: But 23-year-old Sophia
Smith is not following all of
the advice.
>> Talking to the other girls,
people delete social media in
general going into a world cup,
because everyone is talking
about it, good and bad.
Amna: You went to delete your
social media?
>> I say that now but it is hard
for me to delete social media.
We will see.
Probably Twitter.
Twitter's pad.
I will probably keep Instagram.
>> Is wild there are players on
this team that were not alive in
1999.
I don't think that has sunk in
for me yet.
Amna: 1999 was the year the U.S.
Hosted the world cup and won for
a second time, bringing with it
iconic images and creating a
tradition that players like
O'Hara have built on ever since.
>> We have such a rich history
and just try to convey that to
the younger players.
I think they know it but going
to a world cup really helps you
feel that.
Amna: What is this team up
against?
>> The most competitive world
cup that we're ever going to see
.
Amna: Claire Watkins from the
media company just women's
sports, says even though the
U.S. Has long dominated the
world stage, their opposition is
catching up.
>> We have seen great strides
worldwide just in the sport, in
women's soccer, in support on
the federation level and on the
club level.
In some ways, some of those
advantages have disappeared in a
way for the U.S., but in a way
that I think is very exciting
even for them because they're
they're looking forward to kind
of playing the best of the best.
Amna: Who are some of the
toughest teams the us has to
beat?
>> Brazil is going to be
fantastic.
You've got England trying to do
the back to back with the euros.
Germany is very strong.
Spain has very good players.
But what's really exciting is
it's more like there's no team
that's going to be overall,
there's no team that's going to
be overrun.
Amna: As for injuries on the
U.S. Side, Watkins points out
that all players are putting
more wear and tear on their
bodies with the rise of women's
club teams around the world, so
other nations have also had to
rethink their rosters.
>> No team is perfect.
No team had a perfect run-up.
No team is not dealing with
injuries.
No team has form issues or
positional imbalances.
Every team is like a superpower,
but they also have an Achilles
heel.
Amna: With no team having a lock
on the trophy, this is poised to
be the most-watched women's
world cup ever.
Organizers are hoping to attract
a record 2 billion viewers
worldwide.
And ticket sales already topping
one million could make it the
most attended women sporting
event in history.
It also comes on the heels of
last year's historic equal pay
settlement with U.S. Soccer.
Rapinoe, who was announced she
will retire soon after the world
cup, says that makes this
tournament particularly
particularly -- particularly
important for women's sports.
>> I feel like this is like a
paradigm shift or a moment we'll
look back to and say like
nothing was ever the same after
this women's world cup and what
we're going to be able to do. I
just think it's going to be an
incredible event.
I think everybody is thankfully
pushing in the right direction
and pushing in the same
direction L.
And the sky's the limit from
here.
Amna: The United States's first
game is Friday when they will
square off against Vietnam.
♪♪