USWNT Big Board – will Dunn or Rodman make World Cup roster?

Nine months from the 2023 World Cup, the U.S. women’s national team is at an inflection point.

A recent trip to Europe produced a 2-1 loss to England followed by a 2-0 loss to a Spain team missing 15 of its best players as part of a wider dispute with the federation. The USWNT was without several starters even beyond the long-term injuries they have dealt with for most of the year, but the loss in Spain especially raised serious questions about the trajectory of this U.S. team.

Individually, poor performances across the board should mean nobody’s place in the starting lineup is a lock. Of equal concern is how England bossed the U.S. midfield, and how a relatively inexperienced Spain team comfortably played out of pressure and restricted the U.S. to just two shots on goal. A pair of home games against Germany loom in early November, and the USWNT absolutely needs to produce more confident performances, at minimum, before the team’s long winter break arrives.

Will there be fresh faces in camp as part of the search for solutions? Will head coach Vlatko Andonovski make bigger changes to the entire system the team plays? Those questions will shape the final roster heading to Australia and New Zealand next summer.

Throughout the build-up to the World Cup, ESPN will look at the USWNT’s depth chart, and the various movement taking place within it. This is the USWNT Big Board, Vol. 2. Since our first Big Board in September, we now have the notable addition of 17-year-old Alyssa Thompson and a search for answers in midfield and defense. Crystal Dunn is also officially back — and she is needed.

How we’re doing this

Just as with the previous Big Board, the 23 players going to the World Cup right now will probably not be the team of 23 going to the World Cup. Of this, I am…