da bwin： After Vlatko Andonokski confirmed his roster on Wednesday, GOAL breaks down the best possible starting XI he could select in New Zealand

da gbg bet： The roster has finally been assembled, 23 players with one mission: return home with yet another World Cup. Those are always the expectations for the United States women's national team, no matter the scenario, but this tournament may just be the toughest yet for a team that is still somewhat in transition.

It's been a grueling cycle for the U.S., one which saw Vlatko Andonovski explore plenty of new players throughout his player pool. The past few years have been about finding new solutions and new faces. Some of those processes worked out, while others certainly didn't.

Because of that, this USWNT squad is a mix of old guard and new blood, with the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan being joined by young stars Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson. It is very much a stacked roster, to be fair, one loaded with players young and old that can contribute and shine at this level.

Still, it isn't the roster it could have been. Injuries to stars such as Becky Sauerbrunn, Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario leave the U.S. somewhat shorthanded and missing several players who could have been starters. Because of that, there are some weak spots in this team, notably center-back, where Andonovski has only selected two players that primarily play the position.

The coach will have some decisions to make throughout this tournament, no doubt, as he looks to balance a somewhat unbalanced squad but, at their best, this USWNT XI basically picks itself.

GOAL has you covered with a look at the USWNT's best XI that we should see deployed by Andonovski at the World Cup:

Getty ImagesGK: Alyssa Naeher

No real doubt about this one, as Naher has been the starting goalkeeper for quite some time. The 35-year-old veteran has 90 caps to her name and has been the No.1 since the 2019 World Cup cycle.

This will be her third World Cup, her second as a starter, so the U.S. should feel plenty confident with Naher between the posts.

AdvertisementLB: Crystal Dunn

She may not particularly like playing the position, but Dunn is likely the USWNT's starter at left-back. Dunn could move into the midfield, especially with the injury issues there and the wealth of depth at full-back, but it seems Andonovski is content to keep her as a dynamic attacking left-back.

Emily Fox could start here if Andonovski does, in fact, move Dunn further upfield, but it would be a surprise to see him do so this late in the cycle.

CB: Alana Cook

Absolutely no debate here, simply because there are only two center-backs in the squad. The 26-year-old Cook has blossomed into a star over the last two years, earning 15 of her 24 career caps in 2022.

She scored her first goal back in April in a friendly win over Ireland, having established herself as a starter well before that big moment.

GettyCB: Naomi Girma

The other half of the only center-back duo available to Andonovski, Girma is a young star ready to break out on the big stage. The 23-year-old central defender made her senior debut in April 2022 and immediately became a solid and reliable piece of the team's defense.

The 2022 NWSL Defender and Rookie of the Year, Girma's adaptation to the international game has been totally smooth, even if this will obviously be her biggest test yet.

In case of emergency, and Andonovski really won't want to do this, Julie Ertz or Emily Sonnett could fill in at center-back if one of the two starters is unable to play.