2023 FIFA Women's World Cup: USWNT vs. Portugal - Lineup, TV Channels & Start Time

USWNT vs. Portugal – 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – Group E
Date: August 1, 2023
Venue: Eden Park; Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau
Broadcast: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock
Official Kickoff Time: 7:00 p.m. NZT / 3:00 a.m. ET

 

Starting XI vs. Portugal: 1-Alyssa Naeher, 4-Naomi Girma, 6-Lynn Williams,  8-Julie Ertz, 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 11-Sophia Smith, 13-Alex Morgan, 16-Rose Lavelle, 17-Andi Sullivan, 19-Crystal Dunn, 23-Emily Fox

Available Subs: 2-Ashley Sanchez, 3-Sofia Huerta, 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Alyssa Thompson, 9-Savannah DeMelo, 12-Alana Cook, 14-Emily Sonnett, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 18-Casey Murphy, 20-Trinity Rodman, 21-Aubrey Kingsbury, 22-Kristie Mewis

GAME NOTES | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

• USWNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (Including this match): Morgan (210), Dunn (135),  Horan (132), Ertz (121), Naeher (94), Lavelle (91), Williams (54), Sullivan (48), Smith (33), Fox (32), Girma (19).

• The starting lineup to take on Portugal features two different players from the lineup deployed against Vietnam and the Netherlands. Rose Lavelle gets the start in the midfield in place of Savannah DeMelo and Lynn Williams will start up top in place of Trinity Rodman.

• Today’s starting lineup averages 87 caps per player with seven of the 11 starts with 50 or more career caps.

• Just five players in today’s starting lineup started the most recent matchup against Portugal on June 10, in Houston, Texas – Naeher, Dunn, Horan, Lavelle and Morgan.

• Lynn Williams will make her FIFA Women’s World Cup debut as she earns her 24^th career start and 54^th cap overall for the USA. Williams becomes the ninth player to make her debut for the USWNT at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She has two goals and four assists in her last four starts for the USA, dating back to the quarterfinals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

• Lindsey Horan, who has scored in both games for the USA so far this World Cup, will captain the USA once again as she makes her ninth career appearance and seventh start at the World Cup. Horan, who is set to earn her 132^nd cap overall for the USA, has contributed a goal or an assist in five of her six previous World Cup starts, including each of the last four. She is just the third USWNT player to contribute a goal in at least four start FIFA Women’s World Cup starts after Carli Lloyd (5 straight from 2015-2019) and Abby Wambach (4 straight in both 2007 and 2011).

• Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher will make her 10^th career start at the Women’s World Cup, having registered eight wins and five clean sheets in her previous nine appearances. Naeher has played every minute in each of her nine World Cup appearances and has two shutouts in her last three World Cup games, keeping clean sheets against Vietnam to open the 2023 tournament and in the 2019 Final against the Netherlands.

• Naomi Girma will make her fourth consecutive start for the USA as she earns her 19^th cap. One of six players to play every minute so far at this World Cup for the USA, Girma has won 100% of her tackles and duels so far this tournament. She has now played the full 90 minutes in 13 of her 18 career appearances for the USA.

• Julie Ertz will earn her 121^st  cap for the USA as she makes her 16^th start – and 16^th appearance overall – for the USA at the World Cup. Ertz has the most World Cup starts of any player on this current roster and has gone the full 90 minutes in 13 of her 15 career World Cup games.

• Leading the USA in goal involvement with two scores and an assist at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Sophia Smith will make her third consecutive World Cup appearance as she earns her 33^rd cap for the USWNT. With her brace against Vietnam, Smith 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. The 22-year-old led the USA in scoring in 2022 with 11 goals and is one of six players to play every minute for the USA this World Cup.

• Alex Morgan is set to appear in her 21^st Women’s World Cup match, making her 14^th start all-time at the 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.

• Rose Lavelle will make her third appearance and first start of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, marking her first start in a World Cup match since the 2019 Women’s World Cup Final. Lavelle, who will earn her 91^st cap overall with the U.S., will be making her first start for the USA since April 8, 2023, and leads the U.S. with four assists in 2023. Lavelle had two goals and an assist in the USA’ 5-0 win over New Zealand this January at Eden Park.  

• Andi Sullivan will make her third consecutive start at this World Cup and her ninth start overall of the year as she earns her 48^th cap for the USA.  One of six players to play every minute so far at this World Cup for the USA, Sullivan is tied for the team lead with five chances created so far this tournament.

• Crystal Dunn will make her ninth start – and ninth appearance all-time – at the World Cup as she earns her 135^th cap, moving into sole possession of 26^th on the USWNT’s all-time cap charts. Dunn has played all but seven minutes in her previous eight World Cup matches and has now started every World Cup match for the USA since the 2019 group stage finale against Sweden, helping the USA to three shutouts in that span.

• Emily Fox will make her 32^nd international appearance as she makes her third consecutive start for the USA. Fox, who made her international debut against Portugal in November of 2018, is second on the team with 731 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.