OPINION: With a record seven Black players, the U.S. team is going for a three-peat with its most diverse squad yet. Plus, a list of other Black players to watch on international teams.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
In case you missed it, the Women’s World Cup begins Thursday in Australia and New Zealand, and the U.S. hopes to win its third consecutive title. Our national team has been good for a minute, but it’s never looked better.
The program has come a long way since the 2019 World Cup when one headline pointed out the obvious and asked a simple question: “Why is the U.S. Women’s World Cup roster so white?” And that squad wasn’t nearly as pale as the 2011 version, which featured just one Black player and one Latina player.
This year’s team has a lot more swirl.
A record-high seven Black women are on the 23-player roster. There are two Mexican Americans, the second- and third-ever to make a U.S. women’s World Cup team. One multicultural teenager is a true American, with a background that embodies diversity while part of the country bans it.
So-called patriots and right-wing zealots longing for the bad ol’ days must swallow their anti-Blackness while rooting for the stars and stripes in this tournament. They’re accustomed to acting colorblind in sports like basketball and track. But women’s soccer traditionally has been a safe space to cheer for their preferred composition of national teams, ones that include scant Black or brown faces.
This many raisins in the flour might upset bigoted fans. But for the players and their long history of being the first-and-only, or the one-and-lonely, this change is refreshing.
“When I was growing up, there wasn’t a lot of Black people playing soccer, let alone on the national team to look up to,” Lynn Williams, a 30-year-old forward from Fresno, Calif., said earlier this month. “It’s just awesome that the national team is starting to look like the nation.”
Defender Crystal Dunn helped launch the Black Women’s Players Collective to support fellow pros and girls who might follow if given an opportunity. Soccer is the world’s most popular sport but the expense of elite play can be prohibitive here, especially for Black youth who subsequently are under-represented at the highest levels. Perhaps a corner is being turned as the next generation emerges in women’s soccer.
“We’re getting there. We’re close,” Dunn told USA Today. “We’ve made so many strides — (but) I’m so passionate about always pushing for even more. I think it starts at the lower levels, introducing the sport and really giving access to it for kids across the board, minorities included.”
Dunn, a 31-year-old from Rockville Centre, N.Y., is comfortable advocating for equity and inclusion while being her authentic self. She caused a small stir in February for sharing some inner feelings about playing for the USWNT. Despite spending the bulk of her decorated career as a midfielder or a forward, she’s versatile and plays defender for her country. “I step into camp and I feel like I lose a part of myself,” she told GQ. “I no longer get to be Crystal who scores goals, assists, is this attacking player.
“I step into an environment where I have to be world-class in a position that I don’t think is my best position,” she said. “But I’ve owned it. I’ve made it my own, and I’ve tried to create it in my most authentic way. But I don’t love it.”
Either way, we’re going to love watching her play. Here are some other sisters – on the U.S. team and international squads – to keep an eye on as the U.S. looks to three-peat in the World Cup, starting Friday:
Sophia Smith, 22, Forward, Windsor, Colo.
The reigning MVP in the National Women’s Soccer League makes her World Cup debut as one of the team’s youngest members. She’ll be counted on for much of the scoring and appears built for the task; ESPN ranks her as the tournament’s third-best player.
Trinity Rodman, 21, Forward, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Rodman has maximized genes she got from her father, NBA great Dennis Rodman while making her own name. “Every time when she gets the ball, it’s almost like there is a little expectation that something will transpire off of it,” USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski said.
Alyssa Thompson, 18, Forward, Studio City, Calif.
Repping Black, Filipina, Peruvian and Italian heritage, the team’s youngest player is the second-youngest to ever represent the U.S. in a Women’s World Cup. Thompson was also a track star in high school last year before going No. 1 overall in the NWSL draft.
Naomi Girma, 23, Defender, San Jose, Calif.
A teammate with Smith on Stanford’s 2019 NCAA championship squad, Girma was born to parents who immigrated from Ethiopia as teenagers. She was the 2022 NWSL Rookie and Defender of the Year after being selected first overall in the 2022 NWSL draft.
Alana Cook, 26, Defender, Far Hills, N.J.
Another Stanford grad making her World Cup debut, Cook began her pro career in France before arriving in the NWSL, where she’s considered a quiet leader. She’s expected to provide most of the team’s defense in the middle of the backline next to Girma.
Asisat Oshoala, 28, Forward (Nigeria)
Widely considered the continent’s best player currently, Oshaola has won five of the last eight awards for African Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Kadidiatou Diani, 28, Forward (France)
The primary scoring threat for France and its new coach, Diani netted 30 goals for Paris Saint-Germain last season.
Ashley Lawrence, 28, Defender (Canada)
Lawrence broke out at the 2015 World Cup and has been a consistent contributor ever since, playing in the back and occasionally as a midfielder.
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, 26, Forward (Jamaica)
The Reggae Girlz aren’t favored to advance out of group play and probably won’t without a stellar performance from their standout striker.
Lauren James, 21, Forward (England)
Exquisite dribbling and explosive finishes helped James light up European opponents for Chelsea during the 2022-23 season.
Wendie Renard, 32, Defender (France)
Playing in her third World Cup – which begins on her 33rd birthday – the French captain remains one of the world’s best players.
Linda Caicedo, 18, Forward (Colombia)
The youngster has dazzled as an attacker and building block for Colombia, playing with an ease that belies her age against more-seasoned competition.
Racheal Kundananji, 23, Forward (Zambia)
Long shots to advance, Zambia boasts a hot player in Kundananji, who scored in both World Cup warmup games after scoring 25 times in 29 appearances for Madrid CFF.
Deron Snyder, from Brooklyn, is an award-winning columnist who lives near D.C. and pledged Alpha at HU-You Know! He’s reaching high, lying low, moving on, pushing off, keeping up, and throwing down. Got it? Get more at blackdoorventures.com/deron.
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