When the U.S. takes the field against Vietnam in its first match of the World Cup on Friday, there will be a lot of new faces. Fourteen of the team’s 23 players will be playing in their first World Cup.

The new players are inheriting a lot of pressure and facing high expectations. The U.S. has won the last two World Cups and is in pursuit of becoming the first three-peat champions.

Here are five Americans to watch as the U.S. chases history:

Alex Morgan

Already a household name, Alex Morgan will be playing in her fourth World Cup and has the most World Cup experience on the team, having played in 18 matches. This could also be her last World Cup. Only Kristine Lilly has played in five World Cups for the U.S. women’s national team, according to the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

Morgan is no stranger to big-time goals on big stages like the World Cup. As the youngest player on the team in the 2011 World Cup, a 22-year-old Morgan scored the goal in the final that gave the U.S. the lead before the team ultimately lost to Japan.

In the 2019 World Cup, she tied the U.S.’s single-game scoring record with five goals against Thailand in their first group stage match. She also scored the game-winning goal against England in the 2019 semifinal, which led to her famous tea-sipping goal celebration.

Sophia Smith

Sophia Smith is the NWSL’s leading scorer with 10 goals in 13 games. She is also the first player to make an appearance for the national team who was born after the U.S. won their second World Cup in 1999, according to U.S. Soccer. She has scored 12 goals in 29 appearances for the national team.

This will be Smith’s first World Cup. She could have scored the U.S.’s first goal in its send-off match against Wales on Sunday but unselfishly passed to a wide-open Trinity Rodman to put the U.S. on the board. She also played a role in the second goal of the match, also scored by Rodman. Her blocked shot eventually made its way to Rodman after three other shots were blocked.

Alyssa Thompson

The 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson is the youngest player on the U.S. World Cup roster. In January, she was the youngest No. 1 overall pick and the first high schooler to be picked in the NWSL draft. This should be the first of many World Cups for Thompson.

She earned the start in the send-off match but was subbed out for Lynn Williams in the second half. She has yet to score a goal for the national team in her three appearances, but this tournament is her chance to show the world a glimpse of what’s to come for one of the future faces of U.S. soccer.

Crystal Dunn

This will be Crystal Dunn’s second World Cup but first since becoming a mom. Dunn returned to professional soccer only four months after giving birth to her son, Marcel, in May 2022. She was training with her NWSL team, the Portland Thorns, while nine months pregnant.

Dunn is a versatile player who primarily plays as a defender for the national team but plays as a midfielder for the Thorns. She has 24 goals and 19 assists in 131 appearances for the U.S. The team will rely on her leadership as she is one of only three of the team’s defenders with previous World Cup experience.

Trinity Rodman

Rodman is continuing to make her own legacy of the Rodman name — yes, she’s the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, but he “doesn’t play a big role” in her life, she admitted. In the send-off match, Rodman entered the game as a sub in the second half and scored the only two goals of the match, making her the youngest U.S. women’s national team player to score a brace at 21 years and 50 days old, according to The Athletic.

Her performance on Sunday could earn her a starting role in her first World Cup and slide Thompson back to the bench.

The full World Cup roster

Goalkeepers:

• Alyssa Naeher.
• Aubrey Kingsbury.
• Casey Murphy.

Defenders:

• Alana Cook.
• Crystal Dunn.
• Emily Fox.
• Naomi Girma.
• Sofia Huerta.
• Kelley O’Hara.
• Emily Sonnett.

Midfielders:

• Savannah DeMelo.
• Julie Ertz.
• Lindsey Horan.
• Rose Lavelle.
• Kristie Mewis.
• Ashley Sanchez.
• Andi Sullivan.

Forwards:

• Alex Morgan.
• Megan Rapinoe.
• Trinity Rodman.
• Sophia Smith.
• Alyssa Thompson.
• Lynn Williams.