USA

Having qualified thanks to winning the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, hosts USA will be looking to recover from a severely underwhelming World Cup campaign that saw them lose their place at the top of the FIFA world rankings.

What to expect

Under interim coach in Twila Kilgore after waving goodbye to Vlatko Andonovski, fans can expect a new-look USA brimming with young talent that will be eager to make their mark on the continental stage.

Although the squad has been supposedly weakened after talisman Megan Rapinoe hung up her boots in the new year while veteran goalscorer Alex Morgan has not been selected, USWNT are still firm favourites to lift the Gold Cup trophy.

Perhaps with one eye already on the summer Olympics, Kilgore has opted for youth over experience in a bid to get budding stars familiar with tournament conditions so that incoming manager Emma Hayes has the best selection available come the summer.

It is no secret that USA are women’s football royalty amid CONCACAF opposition. With an immaculate record and an exciting squad comprised of proven experience and fresh-faced talent, they are the favourites to lift the title.

Star players

Portland Thorns starlet Sophia Smith is the only CONCACAF player to feature in the EA Sports Women’s Team of the Year – a testament to her efficiency in front of goal and potential threat in the upcoming tournament. An excellent all-round attacker, Smith ranks in the 99th percentile for shots, assists, progressive carries and successful take-ons for players in her position – at just 23 years of age.

Rapid and dangerous, the speedster will be eager to make amends for the World Cup disappointment in 2023 despite her commendable two-goal return against Vietnam in the opening match.

The absence of Alex Morgan has allowed for younger talent to have the opportunity to make their mark, headlined by 2005-born Olivia Moultrie, who impressed in her 21 games for the Portland Thorns in 2023.

Also mongst the young guns ready to fire, the USWNT still holds a wealth of valuable experience personified by Olympique Lyon midfielder Lindsey Horan – a rare bright spark in USWNT’s otherwise bleak World Cup campaign. Horan has been a mainstay in the team that was once the most dominant in world football- a feeling she will be eager to replicate.

Manager

On the 17 August 2023, Twila Kilgore stepped into the interim head coach position for the U.S. Women’s National Team, a role thrust upon her in the wake of Vlatko Andonovski’s departure – a mentor under whom she had served as the assistant coach.

Kilgore’s stewardship is set to be a fleeting affair, a brief tenure until the imminent arrival of the permanent head coach, Emma Hayes, slated for May 2024. Post that juncture, Kilgore will resume her role as the assistant coach, which will add a valuable touch of familiarity to the squad’s young core.

Schedule

USA v Prelims qualifier 3 – February 20th – Dignity Health Sports Park

Argentina v USA – February 23rd – Dignity Health Sports Park

USA v Mexico – February 26th – Dignity Health Sports Park

Squad