Megan Rapinoe Gears Up for Final World Cup Appearance: Meet the 9 Returning Members of the USWNT

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Megan Rapinoe Gears Up for Final World Cup Appearance: Meet the 9 Returning Members of the USWNT

The United States women's national soccer team is aiming for a three-peat at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup — and the squad will be led by several super-talented veterans. Megan Rapinoe, who captained the team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan in 2019, will be back for her final World Cup run, having announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2023 season. "It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game," Rapinoe, 38, tweeted on July 8 alongside a throwback photo of herself as a kid. "I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever, but by the look on this little girl’s face, she knew all along." Rapinoe has played for the USWNT since 2006, helping lead the team to Olympic gold in 2012 and World Cup victory in 2015 and 2019. Her latest World Cup appearance marks her and her teammates' first cup since the USWNT settled their equal pay lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, which oversees both the women's and men's teams. In May 2022, U.S. Soccer guaranteed that both national teams will receive the same pay when competing in international matches and competitions. The teams will also pool unequal prize money payments that U.S. Soccer receives from FIFA, the governing body that oversees international soccer and the World Cup. That prize money will be shared equally among members of both the women's and men's teams. “No other country has ever done this,” U.S. Soccer president, Cindy Cone, said at the time. “I think everyone should be really proud of what we’ve accomplished here. It really, truly, is historic.” Ahead of their first game against Vietnam on Friday, July 21, scroll down to meet all nine returning members of the U.S. team's World Cup roster:

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Megan Rapinoe

Fan favorite Rapinoe is returning for her fourth and final World Cup after winning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball trophies in 2019's tournament. The OL Reign winger — the oldest player on the 2023 team — plans to hang up her cleats after she finishes out the season later this year. Ahead of the competition, she told Sports Illustrated she plans to be the team's "fun grandma" for her final bow. Rapinoe had been out earlier this season with a calf injury, but USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski has assured fans that she was medically cleared to play in the World Cup.

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Alex Morgan

Morgan, 34, is one of two captains of the 2023 U.S. team. The San Diego Wave striker previously served as a captain in the 2019 World Cup, including in the 2-1 semifinal win over England — during which she scored the game-winning goal on her 30th birthday. “I try my hardest to be a good mom and I try my hardest to be a great soccer player," she told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published on July 13. "And if that’s good enough for me, that’s good enough for my family.”

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Lindsey Horan

Horan, 29, made her first World Cup appearance in 2019 and scored a goal in the U.S. team's opening game against Thailand. She is the only player on the USWNT who is not competing in the NSWL right now, as she plays for France's Olympique Lyon. “We have a lot of leaders on this team among the young players and the veteran players, and among those, Lindsey and Alex have vast experience in big games, and they understand what it takes to win at the highest levels,” Andonovski, 46, said in a statement announcing Horan and Morgan as captains. “They are ultimate professionals and understand all the factors that go into having a united and motivated team. I know they will represent us well on and off the field at the World Cup.”

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Julie Ertz

Ertz, 31, is a midfielder for Angel City FC, the Los Angeles team co-owned by A-listers Natalie Portman, Serena Williams and America Ferrera. Ertz played for the USWNT during the last two World Cups, winning U.S. Soccer's Female Player of the Year award in 2019.

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Crystal Dunn

Dunn, 31, was cut from the team ahead of the 2015 World Cup but landed a spot on the 2019 roster. Dunn, who plays for the Portland Thorns, skipped most of the 2022 season after giving birth to son Marcel, but she's back and ready to act as an anchor for the 2023 squad's defenders.

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Rose Lavelle

Lavelle, 28, was one of the breakout stars of the 2019 World Cup squad, ultimately winning the Bronze Ball trophy. Like Rapinoe, Lavelle plays for the OL Reign and has been out with an injury. “It’s coming along,” Lavelle told reporters on June 27, referring to her knee situation. “It’s obviously been really frustrating. ... Timeline-wise, it wasn’t ideal.”

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Kelley O'Hara

O'Hara, 34, is a wingback for New York and New Jersey's Gotham FC. She previously competed in the 2011, 2015 and 2019 World Cups, and she was one of three U.S. players that played every minute in the tournament at the 2012 Olympics. (Yes, they won gold.)

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Alyssa Naeher

Naeher, 35, was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. in France at the 2019 World Cup. A player for the Chicago Red Stars, Naeher was also on the roster at the 2015 World Cup. After the team's win that year, the USWNT became the first women's sports team to be honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City.

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Emily Sonnett

Sonnett, 29, plays alongside Rapinoe and Lavelle on the OL Reign, which is based in Seattle. This year marks Sonnett's third appearance at the World Cup. She also played on the squad that went to the 2020 Olympics and played in the final minutes of the match that earned the team the bronze medal.