USWNT World Cup depth chart: Starters, backups, and emergency options in Australia/New Zealand

Last week, Vlatko Andonovski announced the 23 players he would be relying on in the United States’ quest to win a third consecutive Women’s World Cup. There were surprise omissions, long-expected injury absences and the odd shock inclusion. Barring an injury in the run-up — players can be replaced on the roster under such conditions until 24 hours before a team’s group stage opener — we know who will be involved this summer.

One trait which Andonovski has long valued in his selections has been positional versatility. As a result, very few places among the 11 starters are set in stone, especially when sorting out who would be called upon from the bench or in place of an injured or suspended first-choice player.

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With an eye on how each player has been deployed for their clubs and the United States alike since the start of 2022, here’s my best guess at what Andonovski’s depth chart (not my own!) may look like heading into his team’s title defense.

This hierarchy appears to be settled heading into the send-off match. Naeher, the program’s No. 1 since the end of the 2016 Olympics, has been tested often as she backstops a poor Chicago Red Stars side. Despite this, she’s kept a clean sheet in 8 of her 12 most recent international caps. 

Murphy figures to be the primary challenger for starts, boasting a similar prowess at shot-stopping and claiming crosses in the box. The main stylistic trade-off would be in their distribution; Naeher is more accurate with her long passing and sends a greater share of her passes into the opposing half than Murphy. Kingsbury had a poor game this weekend against the Portland Thorns, allowing four goals with a -1.87 goals prevented rate which makes for the fourth-worst game any