The U.S. women’s national team will begin their quest for a World Cup three-peat when they kick off group play against debutants Vietnam in a match played in New Zealand.
Despite missing key players due to injury, the USA are the No. 1-ranked team in the world and the favorites to win the tournament, and the result of their opening match against No. 32 Vietnam is not really in question. For the Americans, it will be about building momentum ahead of two tougher matches to come.
The USWNT was drawn into Group E, where, in addition to Vietnam, it will face two challenging European foes in the Netherlands and Portugal. Since goal difference (between goals scored and conceded) is the first tiebreaker for teams level on points, the USA will want to pad their goal total against Vietnam.
Only the top two teams in the group advance to the knockout rounds and finishing first is important: It could be the difference between facing No. 3-ranked Sweden or No. 16 Italy.
The Sporting News will be following USA vs Vietnam live and providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
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USA vs Vietnam live score
| 1st Half | Goal scorers | |
| USA | 0 | |
| Vietnam | 0 |
Lineups:
USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Naeher (GK) — 23-Fox, 4-Girma, 8-Ertz 19-Dunn — 9-DeMelo, 17-Sullivan, 10-Horan — 20-Rodman, 13-Morgan, 11-S. Smith.
Vietnam (5-4-1, right to left): 14-Kim Thanh (GK) — 17-Thu Thao, 2-Thu Thuong, 13-Diem My, 4-Tran Thi Thu, 5-Hoang Thi Loan — 23-Bich Thuy, 9-Huynh Nhu, 7-Tuyet Dung, 11-Thi Thao — 10-Hai Linh
USA vs Vietnam live updates, highlights and commentary from Women’s World Cup
1st min.: Vietnam kick off, and Trinity Rodman is down after a few minutes, landing hard on the ground. She needs treatment.
Kickoff
3 minutes from kickoff: Teams are on the field and it’s the U.S. anthem first.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYS AT THE 2023 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FOR THE FIRST TIME 🙌 pic.twitter.com/czqIXr5zBT
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 22, 2023
Tiến Quân Ca 🎶
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, VIETNAM’S NATIONAL ANTHEM IS PLAYED AT THE FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP! 🇻🇳 pic.twitter.com/gflhypkC0r
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 22, 2023
5 minutes from kickoff: Hype video courtesy of Oprah Winfrey.
The @USWNT‘s quest for the three-peat begins tonight ⏳ 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/yZJxguCaBt
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 21, 2023
10 minutes from kickoff: Vietnam also has their supporters in the stadium:
La afición de Vietnam 🇻🇳 apoyando a todo pulmón en las gradas del Eden Park.
Ya se siente la ilusión de ver jugar a sus compatriotas en este emocionante partido de la @FIFAWWC
📺 ¡La #FIFAWWC por @Telemundo y @peacock!#LaCopaEsNuestra #MundialTelemundo pic.twitter.com/MBWKHeMsfg
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 22, 2023
15 minutes from kickoff: Tom Brady’s message to the USWNT earlier in the day:
Get ’em going, @TomBrady! 😤 💪
From one 🐐 to a bunch of 🐐s on the @USWNT 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/RbXJzpGJD7
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 21, 2023
35 minutes from kickoff: Savannah DeMelo’s second cap comes in a World Cup match. Vlatko Andonovski has clearly quickly become a fan.
Andonovski also said that DeMelo will start, in part, because she played well in a closed-door scrimmage against the Philippines before the tournament. #USWNT #FIFAWWC
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) July 22, 2023
35 minutes from kickoff: USWNT players passing the time before warmups:
The road to Team USA’s Women’s World Cup three-peat starts against heavy underdogs Vietnam 🤔
❓USA to Win 6-0, 7-0 or 8-0 (+120)
Odds via (@FDSportsbook)pic.twitter.com/ckztpZ8oDu
— ClutchPoints Betting (@CPBetting) July 22, 2023
50 minutes from kickoff: Here’s what success looks like for Vietnam in this tournament.
“Just a single goal would already be a hallmark for us”
Mai Duc Chung, the Vietnam head coach, and oldest coach in WC history, said last week.
success doesn’t look the same for every nation. Historic night for Vietnam as they make their World Cup debut.
— Theo Lloyd-Hughes (@theolloydhughes) July 21, 2023
1 hour from kickoff: We’ve got the USWNT’s starting lineup for the match. And it looks like Julie Ertz will be at center back, while Andi Sullivan plays at holding midfield.
Our debut 2023 @FIFAWWC XI 🇺🇸 #USWNT x @Visa pic.twitter.com/u5xfcpGXcc
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 22, 2023
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2023
USA VS V VIETNAM
STARTING XI#WWC2023 #FIFAWWC #VFF #GoldenStarWarriors #vsn pic.twitter.com/oz8WHDgdxa— Vietnam sports news (@VNSportsnews) July 22, 2023
1 hour, 45 minutes from kickoff: The scene outside Eden Park with under two hours until kickoff. Reminder it’s already Saturday in New Zealand.
11 a.m. local time. #USWNT fans are in the building. One person with a “Champions 99” kit says “Thank you FIFA gods for allowing me entry.” We’ve got hot dogs, fried chicken and slaw, mussels, merchandise… and, soon, some soccer. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/ob99MiUfIe
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) July 21, 2023
2 hours from kickoff: The USWNT players are showing up in style to Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
Not a single crumb left behind. https://t.co/7qPClQ8Xb8 pic.twitter.com/amE9UVoZ6U
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 21, 2023
Business attire only 👔 pic.twitter.com/5uaXpvKfCc
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 21, 2023
Giving secret service ✨ https://t.co/FLXjvXrzvL
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) July 22, 2023
3 hours from kickoff: Here’s the latest on the availability of the three U.S. players that had fitness concerns coming into the tournament. Managing minutes is not synonymous with not playing. So we could see Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle in this game, especially if the USA are having issues breaking down Vietnam.
Good news for #USWNT fans – Vlatko Andonovski says that Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe will have their minutes managed, while Julie Ertz is 100% ready to go. All are medically cleared to play via @caitlin #FIFAWWC https://t.co/6ExdrOqQHR
— Julie Stewart-Binks (@JSB_TV) July 21, 2023
4 hours from kickoff: The betting market is on the same page as U.S. fans: It’s not about whether the USA are beating Vietnam. It’s about how many goals they can score and how good they look doing it.
USA moneyline odds vs. Vietnam are the same as Victor Wembanyama was to go No. 1 (-20000) pic.twitter.com/PNOtSLbdL4
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) July 21, 2023
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USA vs Vietnam lineups
Starters Alana Cook and Rose Lavelle are on the bench to start the match. Cook is a surprise, with Julie Ertz taking her place at center back, while Lavelle’s situation was clear from the outset given manager Vlatko Andonovski indicated he’d be managing her minutes. Savannah DeMelo gets the nod over Ashley Sanchez to replace Lavelle in this one.
A reminder that this U.S. team is without injured starters Becky Sauerbrunn, Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario, who did not make the final roster.
MORE: A full breakdown of the USWNT roster for the 2023 Women’s World Cup
USA starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Naeher (GK) — 23-Fox, 4-Girma, 8-Ertz 19-Dunn — 9-DeMelo, 17-Sullivan, 10-Horan — 20-Rodman, 13-Morgan, 11-S. Smith.
USA subs (12): Kingsbury (GK), Murphy (GK), Huerta, Cook, O’Hara, Sonnett, K. Mewis, Lavelle, A. Sanchez, Rapinoe, L. Williams, A. Thompson
According to The Sporting News’ Vietnam chief editor Thien Liu, this Vietnamese team will be about defending first and counterattacking, but the lack of physicality and experience will present challenges for them against the USA.
They’ll rely on captain Huynh Nhu, the only player plying their trade overseas (Portugal), set-piece specialist Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung (look out for Olimpico attempts on corners), and 21-year-old up-and-coming winger Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha, who has explosive pace out left and starts the game on the bench.
Vietnam starting lineup (5-4-1, right to left): 14-Kim Thanh (GK) — 17-Thu Thao, 2-Thu Thuong, 13-Diem My, 4-Tran Thi Thu, 5-Hoang Thi Loan — 23-Bich Thuy, 9-Huynh Nhu, 7-Tuyet Dung, 11-Thi Thao — 10-Hai Linh
MORE: More on the Vietnamese team from the Sporting News Vietnam desk
USA vs Vietnam live stream, TV channel
Here are the details for the live stream and TV channel to watch USA vs Vietnam in the 2023 FIFA World Cup:
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| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Fox, Telemundo, Universo |
Fubo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes site/app, Universo NOW, Fox Sports site/app |
| UK | BBC One | BBC iPlayer, BBC website |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS | TSN+, TSN site/app RDS site/app |
| India | DD Sports | Fancode |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport 1 NZ | Sky Sport NOW, Sky Go |
| Singapore | — | StarHub TV+ |
| Hong Kong | Now TV | Viu |
USA: The USA vs Vietnam match will be televised on Fox in English and on Telemundo and Universo in Spanish, with all three channels streaming on Fubo, which is available to new users on a free trial.
Subscribers to cable, satellite or telco packages can use their authenticated credentials to access a live stream on the Fox Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes site/app, and Universo NOW. A Spanish-language stream will be available to subscribers of NBC streaming platform Peacock.
Canada: The USA vs. Vietnam match will be available to watch on TSN1, TSN4 and TSN5 in English and on RDS in French. Streams will be available on TSN+, the TSN site/app, and the RDS site/app.