In what is surely the most surprising news ahead of the upcoming USWNT World Cup roster release, defender and team captain Becky Sauerbrunn has been ruled out due to a lingering foot injury. On Friday, Sauerbrunn issued a statement that cited “too much variability” in her timeline for a return to the field. With less than a month left until the team boards their flight to Auckland following the send-off match in San Jose, she’ll remain in Portland continuing her recovery process.
In that same statement, Sauerbrunn also exemplified her role as a leader, hyping up her teammates ahead of their quest for the World Cup threepeat.
“They have my unwavering support,” she wrote. “And, more importantly, they have my unyielding belief. This program has always been about the collective and I have no doubt that the players on the final roster have everything they need—in their feet, their heads and their hearts—to bring our fifth trophy home,” she wrote.
— Becky Sauerbrunn (@beckysauerbrunn) June 17, 2023
While we still don’t have the full, official World Cup roster for the USWNT, it’s worth taking the time to consider how the team will have to adapt without their captain this summer, an undertaking that has to be accomplished both in the…
