The USWNT face uphill battle to claim third successive Women's World Cup crown this summer - but never rule them out

The rest of the world is catching up, for sure, but there are few teams in the world that can match the USWNT when it comes to calling upon pure matchwinners.

All over the field, the U.S. is blessed with world-class players who can legitimately take over a match. From striker Alex Morgan all the way back to goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, this is a team loaded with talent worthy of winning the World Cup.

And that's what makes the USNWT so interesting. They're not a team reliant on one or two world-class players, but rather a team full of them.

If Morgan isn't firing, someone like Sophia Smith probably will be. If Rose Lavelle isn't contributing much in the attack, Crystal Dunn probably will when she bombs forward from left-back. And if the U.S. need a pace-setter off the bench, they could turn to the youth of Trinity Rodman or Alyssa Thompson, or the experience of Megan Rapinoe. Imagine that: bringing on Rapinoe, one of the most decorated players in this sport's history, as a 15-minute option off the bench.

This team isn't perfect by any stretch, and there are weak links, but, just on pure talent, the U.S. has more than enough to compete.

Despite all of that talent listed above, this USWNT group could be a hell of a lot better if not for the injury bug.

In the attack, superstar Mallory Swanson is unavailable after suffering an patella injury during a friendly this spring. The winger was the USWNT's most in-form attacker, scoring seven goals in six games this year after contributing to 14 in 15 games in 2022.

Catarino Macario, too, is out of action, and she's even more irreplaceable than Swanson. While the U.S. has other players that can fill in on the wing, no player can truly do what Macario does as an attacking midfielder. It's up to others to step up and fill that attacking void, but that's made even more difficult by the absence of Sam Mewis, who has been out for two years due to her own injury issues.

And then there's the defense, where the U.S. will be missing their captain and leader Becky Sauerbrunn. A foot injury has knocked the center-back out of the tournament, leaving a major void in defense.

That's four potential starters for the USWNT that will all miss the World Cup. Few teams in the world can overcome so many key injuries and the U.S. will quite obviously be a weaker version of itself due to those absences.

Let's go through the numbers, shall we?

A total of nine players from the 2019 World Cup-winning team are back; Morgan, Rapinoe and Kelley O'Hara are playing in their fourth World Cups, while Naeher and Ertz are at their third.

Morgan has played in 18 World Cup matches to headline a group of four players with double-digit World Cup appearances. Six players, meanwhile, have previously scored in a women's World Cup, with this squad totaling 25 World Cup goals between them.

That is a ridiculous amount of World Cup experience. So many key players on this team have been here before; they've played at this level, gone through this routine; they know exactly what this will look and feel like, from the game situations right on down to the quiet moments in the hotel. They also understand exactly what it takes to lift that trophy, and what it feels like the moment they get their hands on it.

That type of experience can't be replicated. Other teams may have players that have thrived at the Euros or in the Champions League, but none can stack up to the U.S. when it comes to pure World Cup success.

For all of the USWNT's talent, it feels like the team has never quite clicked under Vlatko Andonovski.

Even dating back to the Olympics, the U.S. have rarely looked like a team that has hit its stride. Their semi-final loss to Canada in that tournament was far from a surprise, although the hope was that that summer's failure would be an aberration impacted by the pandemic.

In the two years since, though, the U.S. has generally played worse than the sum of its parts. The U.S. lost three games toward the end of 2022, their first three-game losing streak in nearly three decades. Those losses came against England, Spain and Germany - all teams that could be dangerous opponents on the USWNT's path this summer.

The struggles, largely, have come in the attacking end. Andonovski hasn't quite figured out how to get those involved on the same page. He's moved things around and tried different approaches, but, through it all, the U.S. attack has never quite looked like they have the chemistry needed to win a World Cup.

A recent friendly against Wales was another example of that fact. For 75 whole minutes, the U.S. struggled to do much of anything against a clearly overmatched Wales team that is nowhere near the level of teams they'll face this summer. It wasn't until late moments of brilliance from Smith and Rodman that the U.S. got their goals, flattering themselves a bit with a 2-0 scoreline.

Those moments of brilliance are obviously encouraging, but the U.S. will definitely need more than what they've shown in the build-up to the tournament when those big moments roll around.

The experience will help, for sure, but, for much of this cycle, Andonovski has worked hard to integrate a new generation. It's those players, not the veterans, that will likely be the difference between success and failure. Thankfully, those players are more than capable of making that difference.

Smith is one of the brightest young stars in the world and may just be this tournament's breakout player. Just 22 years old, she looks like a player who will be a vital piece for the USWNT for years to come, and this will be her biggest chance to prove that fact on the biggest stage.

It's not just Smith, though. Rodman, too, is an emerging star - one capable of making an impact either as a starter or off the bench. Naomi Girma is one of the world's best young center-backs and will likely start every game this summer. And then there's Thompson, the USWNT's teenage prodigy who could end up taking the world by storm.

All of the players mentioned will be hungry as they head into the biggest moments of their careers so far, and all will have strong veteran leaders next to them to help guide them through those moments. Someday, when they're those veterans, we may just look back at this summer as the one where they ushered in a new era for the USWNT.

There's a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Girma and Alana Cook, that's for sure.

The two are the only primary central defenders in the roster, with Andonovski taking a big risk with his squad composition. Rather than calling in another defender to replace Sauerbrunn, Andonovski has instead decided to roll the dice with Girma and Cook, banking on both to be available for the big moments.

It's a big ask, for sure. Cook has just 25 caps and only really locked down a spot in 2022, while Girma is just 23 and in her second professional season. Both are lockdown defenders, but the U.S. will be in trouble if they aren't at their best, let alone if one picks up an injury or suspension along the way.

If the worse were to happen, the U.S. could turn to Emily Sonnett to play centrally. Andonovski could also move Julie Ertz from a No.6 role into the backline. However, the team has struggled for years to replace Ertz, leading to her return, so moving her out of the midfield would just bring back old problems.

Can the U.S. really survive with such an obvious lack of depth at center-back? It'll be tough as other teams will no doubt look to expose that issue should one of Girma or Cook miss any time.