Sophia Smith Alyssa Thompson USWNT GFXGetty/GOAL

How the USWNT should line up at the 2027 Women's World Cup: Sophia Smith as central striker but still no room for Alyssa Thompson

We'll get this out of the way: picking how the United States women's national team should line up at the 2027 World Cup is an almost impossible exercise. So much can change in four years, especially for a team that looks set to usher in a new era. A new coach is surely coming in, as are new players, and projecting what all of that can combine to look like is a fool's errand.

But we'll play the fool and try and project what the USWNT will look like four years from now. The 2023 World Cup is over, but what will the U.S. look like by the time the 2027 tournament rolls around?

We know some key figures will be gone, with Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz having confirmed their retirements. Others like Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher and Crystal Dunn may not be around in four years time as they play into their mid-to-late 30s.

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There's also an Olympic tournament just one summer away, which could slow the USWNT's true rebuild. Does the new coach use that tournament to blood young stars or lean on the likes of Morgan, Naeher and Dunn one last time in pursuit of Olympic gold?

Either way, there will be big changes by 2027, but what are they? GOAL breaks down how the U.S. should line up at the next World Cup...