The Asian reporter., July 03, 2023, Page 14, Image 14

WORLD CUP
Page 14 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
July 3, 2023
Players announced for the U.S. Women’s World Cup roster
DEFENDING CHAMPS. Alyssa Thompson,
right, of the United States falls out of bounds after col-
liding with Ireland’s Heather Payne during an interna-
tional friendly soccer match held in St. Louis in this
April 11, 2023 file photo. Thompson was selected
alongside veteran Megan Rapinoe and 21 others for
the U.S. roster that will vie to do what no country has
done before — raise a third straight trophy at the
Women’s World Cup. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
By Anne M. Peterson
The Associated Press
ighteen-year-old
Alyssa
Thompson was selected alongside
veteran Megan Rapinoe and 21
others for the U.S. roster that will vie to do
what no country has done before — raise a
third straight trophy at the Women’s
World Cup.
Thompson, who has been impressive
this season as a rookie for Angel City in the
National Women’s Soccer League, is the
youngest on the roster, while the
37-year-old Rapinoe is the oldest.
“I’ve already talked to some of the other
experienced players about how we rally
this group of players from ages 18 through
(Rapinoe),” forward Alex Morgan joked.
“Just how we can all come together and be
incredibly fluid and go through this World
Cup.”
The players were introduced with a
star-studded social media post that
included U.S. President Joe Biden, first
lady Jill Biden, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne,
and Megan Thee Stallion.
Morgan, 33, and Rapinoe will each be
making their fourth World Cup
appearances for the No. 1 ranked U.S.
team. Morgan stopped short of saying the
Americans were the favorites going into
the tournament.
“I think that at the end of the day, we
already have a target on our backs coming
in as reigning World Cup champs. But
there’s some teams that have done
incredibly well over the last four years and
have made a name for themselves to
compete for this trophy,” she said.
Defender Kelley O’Hara, 34, also earned
a spot on her fourth World Cup squad,
lending a veteran presence to shore up the
backline in the absence of team captain
Becky Sauerbrunn, who announced last
month she won’t play in the World Cup
because of a lingering foot injury.
The tournament kicks off on July 20 in
E
Australia and New Zealand. The Ameri-
cans are in Group E with Vietnam, the
Netherlands, and Portugal. The United
States, which has won four total World
Cups, opens with Vietnam on July 22 in
Auckland (July 21, 6:00pm, west coast
time).
“We want to do something that’s never
been done before. We believe in the quality
of the team and the support we have and
we think we have what it takes to make it
possible,” U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski
said about the opportunity to win a third
straight World Cup title.
Rapinoe is currently nursing a calf in-
jury but she should be ready to play in the
U.S. team’s sendoff match against Wales
on July 9 in San Jose, California. Ando-
novski said she will take on a different role
than in 2019, when she scored six goals
including a penalty kick in a 2-0 victory
over the Netherlands in the final.
“She certainly is going to have different
types of minutes. But her role, first from
the leadership standpoint is so important,
but also her performance on the field is
very valuable for us,” Andonovski said.
The team has been hit by injuries in the
run-up to the event. In addition to
Sauerbrunn, the United States will be
without forward Mallory Swanson, who
tore the patella tendon in her left knee.
Swanson had seven goals this year before
she was hurt in an April exhibition match
against Ireland.
Catarina Macario, a talented forward
who tore her ACL last year while playing
for her French club, Lyon, did not recover
in time for a spot on the team. Midfielder
Sam Mewis also has a lingering injury and
wasn’t available for the World Cup.
Some of the youngsters include
22-year-old Sophia Smith, who was named
both the NWSL Most Valuable Player and
the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year for 2022,
and 21-year-old Trinity Rodman, U.S.
Soccer’s Young Player of the Year in 2021.
Thompson is the second-youngest player
ever named to a World Cup roster, behind
U.S. assistant coach Tiffany Roberts
Sahaydak, who played in the 1995 World
Cup. Thompson was called onto the team
in early April for a match against Ireland,
taking the place of Swanson.
A surprise inclusion on the roster was
25-year-old Savannah DeMelo, who has
yet to appear in a match for the United
States. DeMelo plays for Racing Louisville
in the NWSL, and has scored in three of
her last four matches. She has five total
goals this season.
DeMelo is just the third U.S. player to be
named to a World Cup squad without
playing in an international level match.
“Her performance in the league was one
of the biggest reasons why she’s on the
team,” Andonovski said. “And based on the
needs that we have in terms of the
opponents and different situations that we
may face, we see Sav being very important
to us going forward.”
The roster by position with club
affiliation:
Goalkeepers:
Aubrey
Kingsbury
(Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy
(North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher
(Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign),
Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Emily
Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi
Girma (San Diego Wave), Sofia Huerta
(OL Reign), Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC),
Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)
Midfielders: Savannah DeMelo (Racing
Louisville FC), Julie Ertz (Angel City),
Lindsey Horan (Lyon), Rose Lavelle (OL
Reign), Kristie Mewis (Gotham FC),
Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi
Sullivan (Washington Spirit)
Forwards: Alex Morgan (San Diego
Wave), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign),
Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit),
Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Alyssa
Thompson (Angel City), Lynn Williams
(Gotham FC)
Affirmative action for white people? Legacy college admissions come under renewed scrutiny.
Continued from page 10
college in the Northeast found that legacy students were
more likely to make donations, but at a cost to diversity —
the vast majority were white.
Some prestigious colleges have abandoned the policy in
recent years, including Amherst College and Johns
Hopkins University. In the first year after dropping it,
Amherst saw its share of legacy students in the freshman
class fall by about half, while 19% of first-year students
were the first in their families to attend college, the most
in the school’s history.
Some colleges argue that, as their student bodies
become more racially diverse, the benefits of legacy status
will extend to more students of color. Opponents argue
that white families still have an advantage, with
generations of relatives who had access to any college.
Ivory Toldson went to college at Louisiana State
University (LSU), but it wasn’t an option for his parents in
the Jim Crow South.
“My parents couldn’t legally go to LSU. Discrimination
is a lot more recent in our history than a lot of people seem
to understand,” said Toldson, a Howard University
professor and the director of education, innovation, and
research for the NAACP.
Toldson said there’s growing awareness of the irony
that preferences for athletes and legacy students are still
allowed, while race must be ignored.
In May, an AP-NORC poll found that few Americans
think legacy admissions or donations should play much of
a role in college admissions. Just 9% say it should be very
important that a family member attended and 18% say it
should be somewhat important. Likewise, only 10% say
donations to the school should be very important and 17%
say that should be somewhat important.
That same poll found that most Americans support
affirmative action in higher education but think race
should play a small role. Sixty-three percent said the
Supreme Court should not block colleges from considering
race in admissions, but 68% said it should not be a big
factor.
Several colleges declined to say whether they will
continue providing a boost for legacy students next year,
including Cornell and the University of Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, Nguyen said he’s more optimistic than
ever. In the past, colleges have been reluctant to be among
the first to make the change, he said. Now he thinks that’s
changing.
“In the next few months, I think the hesitancy will
actually be who will be the last,” he said. “No university
wants to be the last.”
The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie
Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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