Predicting what the USWNT will do in 2023

Now that we are in 2023, it’s a huge year for the United States Women’s National Team. The summer is the highlight of the year, with the USWNT seeking to once again defend their title at the Women’s World Cup.

However, there is a lot of uncertainty in the air about the team, from who will be healthy and ready by the World Cup to whether the team can hold off the rest of the world once again. After the World Cup, the cycle continues with preparation for the 2024 Olympics, and with so many players returning from injury or maternity leave, the question will be whether the team will have enough time to gel in order to win the two biggest tournaments on the women’s side.

So, let’s predict what could happen for the USWNT this year...

The USWNT will lose the #1 spot in the World Rankings.

The USWNT currently hold the #1 spot in the FIFA World Rankings, but are less than 5 points ahead of 2nd ranked Sweden. Expect the USWNT to fail to hold that top spot early in 2023, slipping to #2 for the first time since March 2017. 2 is the lowest the team has ever been in the World Rankings since the list started in 2003, and they will come dangerously close to falling even further early this year.

The USWNT will lose SheBelieves Cup despite being unbeaten.

The USWNT have a strong SheBelieves Cup lineup this year, with Canada, Brazil, and Japan joining them in the competition. The USWNT will go unbeaten in the tournament, but with a couple of draws, they will lose the SheBelieves Cup to a team that has a couple victories instead.

Catarina Macario will return to be the USWNT’s leading goalscorer.

Catarina Macario is on the verge of returning to the USWNT from a torn ACL, but when she returns, she will establish herself as the best player on the planet. She will lead the USWNT in goals this year, and it will be a number in the double digits.

Christen Press will return to the USWNT, but will not make the World Cup roster.

Christen Press, like many of the best players on the team, will finally make her return to the USWNT this year, also from an ACL injury. However, despite her destroying the competition for club and country, she will not make Vlatko Andonovski’s final cut for the World Cup roster...and it will be the most glaring omission.

The USWNT will win the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Despite some of the early struggles by the team and some of the best players in the world not making the trip to New Zealand and Australia, the USWNT will enter the tournament as the #2 team in the world and leave it at #1. They will overcome the odds to become the first team to threepeat as World Cup champions, adding a 5th star to their jersey in the process.

Vlatko Andonovski will not be the coach at the end of the year.

Vlatko Andonovski will walk off into the sunset at the end of the World Cup, with his main goal accomplished and leaving another coach to come in and take the team to the 2024 Olympics.

There are some bold predictions for the USWNT for 2023. Hit the comments and give us your predictions for the team as we enter the new year.