USWNT puts Julie Ertz, Savannah DeMelo in starting lineup for World Cup opener

Doug McIntyre

Soccer Journalist

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Julie Ertz and Savannah DeMelo are in the United States‘ starting lineup for the two-time defending champions’ 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup opener against Vietnam, while 2019 standout Rose Lavelle begins on the bench.

On the eve of the United States’ first match (9 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX and the FOX Sports app), national team coach Vlatko Andonovski said the Americans are “certainly going to want to come out with the team that will give us the best chance to win every game.”

Yet Andonovski surprised many by including Ertz and DeMelo in his lineup against the tournament debutants.

Ertz, who was away from the national team for almost two years after giving birth to her first child before returning to the fold this spring, will start at center back in place of injured captain Becky Sauerbrunn. It’s a familiar role for Ertz; while the 31-year-old was deployed as a defensive midfielder at France 2019, she anchored the back line as a World Cup rookie when the Americans won it all in Canada four years before. Andi Sullivan will serve as the midfield anchor.

Andonovski said during his pre-match news conference that all 23 members of the U.S. roster were available for selection Friday, but also indicated midfielder Lavelle and veteran forward Megan Rapinoe – both key players when the Americans repeated as champs four years ago – were still not fit to go 90 minutes despite recently overcoming injuries.

In Lavelle’s place in central midfield is DeMelo, who is making just her second international appearance. Lavelle and the 38-year-old Rapinoe, who is expected to occupy a role as a substitute this summer even at 100 percent, are both on the bench.

Forward Trinity Rodman is also included. The 21-year-old scored both goals in the USWNT’s final World Cup tune-up, a 2-0 victory over Wales earlier this month.

While the coach insisted he and his squad wouldn’t “look past the first game” of the group stage, Andonovski’s choices make it clear the U.S. has at least one eye on the second group stage contest against the Netherlands — a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final that the U.S. won to claim its second straight title and fourth overall.

The outcome of that game could determine whether the Dutch or the Americans finish atop Group E.

No team — men’s or women’s — has ever won three consecutive World Cups.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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