USWNT vs. Sweden – 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – Round of 16
Date: August 6, 2023
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium; Melbourne/Naarm
Broadcast: FOX, Telemundo, Universo, Peacock
Official Kickoff Time: 7:00 p.m. AET / 5:00 a.m. ET
Starting XI vs. Sweden: 1-Alyssa Naeher, 4-Naomi Girma, 8-Julie Ertz, 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 11-Sophia Smith, 13-Alex Morgan, 14-Emily Sonnett, 17-Andi Sullivan, 19-Crystal Dunn, 20-Trinity Rodman, 23-Emily Fox
Available Subs: 2-Ashley Sanchez, 3-Sofia Huerta, 5-Kelley O’Hara, 6-Lynn Williams, 7-Alyssa Thompson, 9-Savannah DeMelo, 12-Alana Cook, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 18-Casey Murphy, 21-Aubrey Kingsbury, 22-Kristie Mewis
Suspended: 16-Rose Lavelle
GAME NOTES | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
- USWNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (Including this match): Morgan (211), Dunn (136), Horan (133), Ertz (122), Naeher (95), Sonnett (77), Sullivan (49), Smith (34), Fox (32), Rodman (22) Girma (20).
- The starting lineup to take on Sweden in the Round of 16 features two different players from the lineup that started the group stage finale against Portugal. Emily Sonnett will start in place of Rose Lavelle, who will miss the match due to card accumulation after earning yellow cards against the Netherlands and Portugal, while Trinity Rodman will start in the attack in place of Lynn Williams.
- Four players in today’s starting lineup also started the most recent matchup against Sweden on July 21, 2021, in the first group stage match of the delayed Tokyo Olympics – Naeher, Dunn, Horan and Morgan.
- The same four players started the most recent World Cup matchup between the USA and Sweden, a 2-0 win for the Americans in 2019 behind a third-minute goal from Horan and Sweden own goal in the 50th minute.
- Captaining the side for the fourth time in four games this World Cup, Lindsey Horan will make her 10th career appearance and eighth career start at the World Cup. Horan, who scored against Sweden at the 2019 World Cup, has contributed a goal or an assist in five of her previous seven World Cup starts, including a streak of four straight from the final game of the 2019 group stage through the USA’s 2023 group stage draw against the Netherlands. Horan will earn her 133rd cap for the USA, moving into a tie with Lauren Holiday for 29th on the USWNT’s all-time cap charts.
- Alyssa Naeher will make her 11th career start at the Women’s World Cup, having registered eight wins and six clean sheets in her previous 10 appearances. Naeher has played every minute in each of her 10 World Cup appearances dating back to the start of the 2019 World Cup and has three shutouts in her last four World Cup games.
- Naomi Girma will make her fifth consecutive start for the USA as she earns her 20th cap. One of three outfield players to play every minute so far at this World Cup for the USA, she has now played the full 90 minutes in 14 of her 19 career appearances for the USA and has won 11 of her 12 duels so far this World Cup (92%).
- Julie Ertz will make her 17th start – and 17th appearance overall – for the USA at the World Cup as she earns her 122nd cap. Ertz has the most World Cup starts of any player on this current roster and has gone the full 90 minutes in 14 of her previous 16 career World Cup games. This will be her third start against Sweden in a major tournament, starting against Sweden at the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Ertz did not play in the USA’s 2019 World Cup win over the Swedes and came on at halftime in the meeting between the teams at the 2021 Olympics.
- Sophia Smith will make her fourth start of this World Cup as she earns her 34th cap for the USA. Smith leads the USA with three goal involvements – two goals and one assist – at this World Cup and with her brace against Vietnam, became the youngest player in USWNT history to score a brace in her World Cup debut and the youngest American since 2003 to score multiple goals in a World Cup match.
- Alex Morgan will make her 15th start and 22nd appearance all-time at the Women’s World Cup. Morgan has nine career World Cup goals – tied for fourth in USWNT history - and tallied her fifth career assist at the World Cup on July 22 when she set up Sophia Smith’s opening goal against Vietnam. Morgan is just the seventh player in USWNT history to play in 20 or more games at the Women’s World Cup and will be appearing in her fourth World Cup game against the Swedes.
- Emily Sonnett will make her first career start at the Women’s World Cup as she earns her 77th cap for the USWNT. Sonnett will be making her third appearance all-time at the World Cup after coming on as a substitute in 2019 against Chile and most recently in 2023 against Portugal.
- Andi Sullivan will make her fourth consecutive start at this World Cup and her 10th start overall for the USA in 2023 as she makes her 49th international appearance. Sullivan is one of three outfield players to play every minute for the USA so far this tournament and is tied for the team lead with six chances created so far this tournament.
- Crystal Dunn will earn her 136th cap for the USA as she makes her 10th career appearance – and 10th career start- at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Dunn has now started every World Cup match for the USA since the 2019 group stage finale against Sweden – a streak of nine consecutive World Cup starts – and has helped the USA to four shutouts in that span, two of which have come this tournament.
- Trinity Rodman returns to the starting lineup for the USA for her third start of the World Cup and the eighth start of her international career. The youngest player in today’s starting lineup at 21-years-old, Rodman is set to earn her 22nd cap overall for the USA.
- Emily Fox will make her 33rd international appearance as she makes her fourth consecutive start at this World Cup. Fox is second on the team with 821 total minutes played in 2023 and she has played in all but five of the USWNT’s matches since the conclusion of the 2021 Olympics.
