PA Grad On USA Team Seeking 5th Women's World Cup

PENNSYLVANIA — Ready to cheer for the Stars and Stripes? The FIFA Women’s World Cup begins Thursday, and a Pennsylvania graduate is among the team of 23 United States soccer players looking to make history.

Penn State grad Alyssa Naeher has been the first-choice goalkeeper for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) since 2017, according to ussoccer.com. She is traveling for her third World Cup, which is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand this year.

And, Philadelphia Eagles fans will also recognize midfield veteran Julie Ertz, who's also playing in her third World Cup. Ertz's husband is Super Bowl-winning tight end Zach Ertz, whom the Eagles traded to Arizona in 2021.

Both Ertz and Naeher will be counted on for their experience and defensive skills, as the No. 1-ranked United States go for glory yet again.

The United States squad has won the last two World Cups, and four overall. A fifth World Cup would be a women's record, and tie the Brazil men's team for most tournament wins in history.

Naeher is a two-time Olympian as well as a two-time World Cup winner with the squad, and that leadership and experience will help her guide the defensive line. She ranks third all-time for U.S. goalkeepers for wins, shutouts, and caps (international appearances).

After playing second fiddle to her predecessor Hope Solo for the 2015 World Cup, Naeher enters her second tournament as the trusted woman between the goalposts.

"I wanted to be 100 percent ready for my opportunity if and when it came, and I’m glad that I was," she told her home state of Connecticut's Hartford Courant.

Naeher also won the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile along with Alex Morgan, who is playing in her fifth World Cup. During the regular season, she plays for the Chicago Red Stars.

In her time at Penn State, Naeher was named All-American multiple times and was also named Big Ten Player of the Year. She had 74 appearances for the Nittany Lions before she started playing professionally, according to the PSU Collegian.

Ertz recently returned to the U.S. squad after battling a knee injury, and going on maternity leave after giving birth to first son Madden. She is hailed as someone who "is always a player you can count on to rally her teammates and lead by example," according to US Soccer fan site Stars and Stripes FC.

“I don’t want to come back and be the player that I was," Ertz is quoted as saying by the Associated Press. "I want to be better."

Trying for a three-peat

The Americans kick off their title defense on Friday night (Eastern time) with a match against Vietnam, which will be Saturday morning in Auckland, New Zealand.

The USWNT has won the World Cup four times: in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019. If they win this year in Oceania, it will be a fifth World Cup trophy – tying the Brazil men’s national team for the record.

Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski took over the team in 2019. For this year’s roster, Andonovski said he selected a mix of exciting young players, experienced veterans, and other squad members who are tailored to the unique challenges the United States will face.

Other than Ertz, this team has some familiar faces to USA soccer fans: Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Kelley O’Hara, and Lindsey Horan all made the squad.

The USA is in Group E with the Netherlands (whom they knocked out of the World Cup in 2019), and competition debutants Vietnam and Portugal.

There are 8 groups, with four teams in each – the USA will play the other three Group E opponents, and then the top two performers will advance out of the group to the knockout stages. This is the first year the Women’s World Cup has 32 teams.

USA game info, how to watch

Here's some more info about this year's World Cup.

When and where does the World Cup take place?

• The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup takes place from July 20 to Aug. 20, 2023 across nine cities in New Zealand and Australia.

When are the USA group stage games?

• USA vs. Vietnam: July 21 at 9 p.m. Eastern
• USA vs. Netherlands: July 26 at 9 p.m. Eastern
• Portugal vs. USA: Aug. 1 at 3 a.m. Eastern

Where can I tune in?

FOX holds the English-language media rights in the United States for the Women’s World Cup. The network will broadcast 29 games on its main TV channel, and the remainder on FS1. Telemundo holds the Spanish-language rights, and Peacock will also stream matches in Spanish.