Ranking the top 10 best USA women’s footballers in 2023

With Veterans of the game such as Rapinoe and Morgan, young talents like Smith are among the starring names in the Women's No.1 ranking team.

The USA women had a disappointing FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023. Having triumphed at the 2015 and 2019 Women's World Cup tournaments, the USWNT now gun for an unprecedented threepeat, as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and the rest of the 23-player roster look to defend their No. 1 ranking in the FIFA standings.

Unfortunately, this list is significantly affected by injuries, The USA women's soccer national team missed two of its most important players at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after star attacker Catarina Macario officially bowed out, and influential winger Mallory Swanson suffered a serious injury that many expect will force her to sit out. Swanson would absolutely have been on this list instead, they are both sitting out, placing significant importance on the performance of the other talented individuals along the attacking front.

Let’s take a look at the top players in USA Women's 2023 squad

10. Lynn Williams (Left winger / Right winger / Striker, 30 years old)

Williams is likely the benefactor of Vlatko Andonovski's decision to take so few centre-backs, but she's unquestionably earned this roster spot. She basically is Gotham FC's attack, scoring half the club's goals this season, and she comes with an absolutely massive defensive contribution for a forward as well.

Williams is a versatile player who could be deployed in a spot-start should Andonovski deem her skill set necessary for a particular match, and she could definitely see minutes off the bench.

9. Kristie Mewis (Central midfielder, 32 years old)

Collecting one of the most unheralded 50 caps in USWNT history, Mewis has been in the national team fold for a decade. While she won't be a projected starter at the Women's World Cup should the U.S. be at full strength, her versatility means she can cover for multiple positions, lending to her spot on the roster.

Mewis was once the third overall pick in the 2013 NWSL draft, picked by then-FC Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski himself, and while she began her career at left-back, she's entrenched herself in a midfield role, coming back from a torn ACL in 2018 to her full self.

8. Alyssa Naeher (Goalkeeper, 35 years old)

It is always an uphill task to replace a regular starter talk about replacing a legend of the game but Naeher took over the starting goalkeeper mantle from the legendary Hope Solo in 2017 and has been as steady as they come. She was the starter through the 2019 Women's World Cup title run, conceding just three goals from 15 shots on target the entire tournament and never more than one goal to any single team.

Now, creeping up toward 90 international caps, Naeher hasn't achieved the superstar status that Solo did during her playing days, but Coach Andonovski won't care, because she's exactly what this team needs at the back — a proven winner who can hold down the fort.

7. Megan Rapinoe (Left winger, 37 years old)

If Alex Morgan is the most famous player in the world, then Rapinoe is right behind her. As her playing career winds down, the 37-year-old is known more for her activism than her play on the field these days, and that's just how she likes it.

Rapinoe is a huge champion of equal rights on multiple fronts, but she's not quite ready to give up her on-field contributions quite yet. Regardless of what happens over the next month, as Rapinoe and Co aim to win an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup, the 38-year-old will walk away as one of the all-time greats in a program littered with them.

6. Julie Ertz (Centre Back/Central Midfielder, 31 years old)

While Ertz isn't quite what she used to be from a fitness standpoint, she remains one of the world's most well-known and high-quality defensive midfielders. She’s one of three moms on the USWNT roster this summer, including Alex Morgan (mother to 3-year-old daughter, Charlie) and Crystal Dunn (13-month-old son, Marcel).

Ertz has been twice named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year (2018 & 2019) and has started each of the last two Women's World Cup finals. Though she’s scored 20 goals and recorded six assists in 100-plus appearances with the USWNT, her value is measured far beyond statistics. A bruising, physical midfielder known for dishing out (and receiving) hard tackles, Ertz separates herself with her intensity, high IQ and versatility.

5. Crystal Dunn (Midfielder, 30 years old)

In the run-up to the World Cup, there has been an increase in noise for Dunn to move into midfield, but wherever she plays, she will be an exceptionally vital player to this side. One of the most outspoken and emotional leaders on the team, Dunn isn't just a strong locker room presence, she's also a strong performer on the field and likely to see significant minutes at the World Cup now that she's back from the birth of her child.

There are questions about whether Dunn will play at full-back (her usual USWNT spot) or in midfield (her natural position, which she plays at Portland), but either way expect her to be a critical player in this tournament. As long as she's returned to her old fitness levels, Dunn can carry a huge workload for the U.S., having done so two years ago as the only player to start all six matches at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

4. Lindsey Horan (Midfielder, 29 years old)

Through all the chopping and changing in the USWNT midfield over the last World Cup cycle, Lindsey Horan continually maintained her place, and there's a reason why. Progression is the name of the game for the 29-year-old PSG star, excelling in every phase of the game. She can pass at the highest level, delivering a vertical ball for forwards to feast upon, and she can carry the ball forward herself on the dribble, beating opponents who step to her in the middle of the field.

With the absence of Catarina Macario, Horan's ability to build the attacking possession forward and start dangerous moves both in transition and in the half-court will be of critical importance, and she remains one of the most vital pieces of this team. Her best talents are on the pass, as she can create chances through windows very few players in the world can even recognize let alone execute. Yet that's far from her only talent; she also has very solid dribbling skills and will crop up in the box latching onto loose balls and cutbacks. Horan is one of the most important players for the U.S. at this tournament, full-stop.

3. Alex Morgan (Forward, 33 years old)

While she's not the goal hawk she may be used to be, Alex Morgan's presence on this roster is for far more than just veteran know-how. Regardless, Morgan is a dominant force and one of the brightest stars in the women's game. Her upbeat attitude, top leadership skills, and relentless drive for success have made her a global key figure in the sport.

Morgan has been forced to refine her game a bit as the goals begin to slow, and she has become a force with her hold-up play, bringing the electric U.S. wingers into dangerous positions as she involves herself in the buildup even more than in the past. It's a key part of Andonovski's team makeup and will be essential at the World Cup.

Morgan retains plenty of mobility and a nose for goal, as evidenced by the fact that she led the NWSL in scoring last season with 15 goals in 17 games. In fact, she's been so effective that players such as Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Lynn Williams, who have played in central positions at club level, are shunted to the wing. If the U.S. is to claim its third straight World Cup title, you can bet Morgan will be at the centre of the action.

2. Sophia Smith (Forward, 22 years old)

Smith will now play an enormous role at the 2023 Women's World Cup, hoping to profit off Morgan's excellent hold-up play and fill spaces that Morgan vacates by drawing defenders her way. If Smith can get in form, the United States has its best chance to get a third straight FIFA title. Leading a generational shift within the U.S. women's national team is Sophia Smith, the young forward who will likely score the bulk of the USWNT's goals.

As a striker in club play and primarily a winger for the U.S., Smith's strength is in her confidence and audacity to go at goal. She's not afraid to take on defenders, and she's emerged as a ruthlessly incisive finisher as she has come into form for this World Cup. As she heads to New Zealand, she puts a pause on a club season where she is the NWSL's Golden Boot leader with 10 goals in 13 games.

The injuries to U.S. attackers Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario only put more pressure on Smith to step up and take on the goal-scoring burden, but her recent form suggests she's more than ready for it.

1. Rose Lavelle (Midfielder, 28 years old)

Nobody is more important to this USWNT roster than midfielder Rose Lavelle, which made her current knee injury incredibly worrying, before her subsequent recovery. Lavelle won the Bronze Ball at the 2019 Women's World Cup, with Megan Rapinoe winning the Golden Ball, but in truth, it was Lavelle who probably should have been handed the top award. She was the best player at the tournament and was unplayable in midfield as the U.S. cruised to a dominant victory.

Still just 28 years old, Lavelle is easily one of the most underrated players in the world, if not the most underrated. USWNT fans often overlook her for the flashy stars, but her ball-carrying and passing abilities are unquestionably the most critical skills of any player on this team.

Lavelle injured her knee in an April 8 friendly against the Republic of Ireland, and while it was thought to be minor at the time, it's kept her out of action for a long time. She reportedly suffered a "setback" in her recovery, but has regained fitness in time for the USA's World Cup opener against Vietnam.