📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, June 21
🇪🇺 U-21 Euro: Romania vs. Spain, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network

Thursday, June 22
🇪🇺 U-21 Euro: Czech Republic vs. England, 12 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network
🇪🇺 U-21 Euro: Germany vs. Israel, 12 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 U-21 Euro: France vs. Italy, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇦🇷 Argentina: Tigre vs. Velez Sarsfield, 4 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇦🇷 Argentina: Estudiantes vs. San Lorenzo, 6 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇧🇷 Brazil: Bahia vs. Palmeiras, 8 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇧🇷 Brazil: Fluminense vs. Atletico Mineiro, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

There's plenty of World Cup newcomers

Andonovski went with a relatively young squad, with 14 players who have never played in the tournament and an average age of 28. Nine of them know what it's like to win it all, including the familiar faces that have impacted games time and time again en route to back-to-back titles. You've got your Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, but mixed in is the young sensation Sophia Smith as is rising superstar Alyssa Thompson, the impressive Angel City FC rookie and most recent No. 1 draft pick in the NWSL.

The 23-player roster that the reigning World Cup champs will take to New Zealand and Australia is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Casey Murphy, Aubrey Kingsbury.
Defenders: Alana Cook, Crystal Dunn, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Sofia Huerta, Kelley O'Hara, Emily Sonnet.
Midfielders: Savannah DeMelo, Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Andi Sullivan, Kristie Mewis, Ashley Sanchez.
Forwards: Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams.

That's some squad! Loaded with veteran and young talent, it features lots of players who will debuting at a World Cup (more on that below). Julie Ertz is back into the fold after her time off with both her pregnancy and injury, Rose Lavelle makes the team despite having not played a club game since April and some young guns that have gotten off to fast starts in NWSL are also there. DeMelo, Girma, Smith and Thompson are all future superstars for this national team and will likely be the ones leading the squad come 2027, but they've arrived on the scene early and will look to make some noise for the tournament favorites.

Here's what USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski said of the squad:

Andonovski: "We are expecting the level of play at this World Cup to be the best it's ever been, and all the teams must keep up with that growth. For years, we've been able to see first-hand where the game is going and that's exciting. We are proud to have been one of the teams leading the way for women's international soccer and I know the tournament will once again show the world how great these players are across all 32 teams. Our players understand the challenges and the competitive environment we are heading into, and they love it. We have a roster with depth and versatility and that will help us take on all the challenges that will be coming our way."

Noticeable missing names include Becky Sauerbrunn, Sam Mewis, Mallory Swanson, Christen Press and Catarina Macario -- all missing out due to injury. Swanson, Sauerbrunn, Mewis and Press were all on the 2019 title-winning team.

Some numbers on the roster:

The team features 14 players who will make their World Cup debuts.
Nine players have played in a prior World Cup.
18 of the 23 players were part of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship team that qualified for the World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

🔗 Midfield Link Play

What to know about USWNT's opponents

With the roster now set, it's time to look at the schedule of opponents and what to know about them:

July 21: vs. Vietnam, 9 p.m. ET

The Vietnamese have gotten some quality results but against poor competition. They beat the likes of Cambodia and Myanmar in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games but then also couldn't beat the Poland U-23 team. This might not get to the levels of the 13-0 win over Thailand at the last World Cup, but it could be ugly.

July 26: vs. Netherlands, 9 p.m. ET

A tough match. This is a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final which the Americans won 2-0. The Dutch aren't as good as they used to be, and a big reason is because Sarina Wiegman no longer coaches them -- she's the England boss now -- but they are still more than formidable and can cause issues for the Americans.

Aug 1: vs. USWNT, 3 a.m. ET

Our women's soccer expert Sandra Herrera thinks Portugal can be one of the surprise teams of the tournament. Not likely good enough to beat the U.S., but they could show that they truly belong by putting forth a competitive performance. It seems likely that Portugal will compete with the Dutch to advance, and this may be a game where the U.S. have the group wrapped up and play a weaker squad, depending on the scenarios.

Two important things to remember for the USWNT: This is a team looking to three-peat after reaching the summit in both 2015 and 2019, and they are the odds-on favorites to do it again. Behind the U.S. as candidates are Euro winners England, Spain, Germany and France. It's win or failure.

Secondly, make sure you are caffeinated. Things start off all nice and jolly with kind kickoff times, but after the first game, it's going to be rough sailing for those of us on the East Coast for that third game. The first two games at 9 p.m. ET is great but a 3 a.m. kickoff on Matchday 3 is where dedicated fans' love for sleep will be tested.

The good news is that the round of 16 class would be at 10 p.m. ET and the quarterfinal would be at 9 p.m. ET. This is all contingent on the Americans finishing first in their group.

Now let's get to the rest of the links:

🔗 James Benge on West Ham rejecting Arsenal's huge offer for Declan Rice.
🔗 Chelsea are countering their spending by selling players to Saudi Arabia.
🔗 The Blues are also on the verge of offloading Kai Havertz to Arsenal.
🔗 Manchester City's midfield is set to add Mateo Kovacic as Ilkay Gundogan is reportedly on his way to Barcelona
🔗 Juventus sign Arek Milik on a permanent deal.
🔗 Charlie Davies looks ahead to the U-21 Euros airing on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network
🔗 Benge has your players to watch for the U-21 tournament as well.
Felipe Car joins Morning Footy to talk about Luis Suarez possibly joining Messi in Miami.
🔗 One of the names at Inter Miami won't be Angel Di Maria, it seems.
🔗 In Soccer We Trust: Looking at how the USMNT became the kings of Concacaf.
🔗 Attacking Third: World Cup 2023 countdown.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook and all times U.S./Eastern. SportsLine has you covered with cup final bets..

Argentina: Estudiantes vs. San Lorenzo, Thursday, 6 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Under 1.5 goals (+105) -- A battle of top-four teams with big aspirations, expect this to be physical and free-flowing. Because San Lorenzo's defense has conceded just seven goals in 20 games, expect a low-scoring match here as Estudiantes also conceded under a goal per match. Both are too far off the title chance with River Plate running away with it and a low-scoring affair seems likely here.
Brazil: Bahia vs. Palmeiras, Thursday, 8:30 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Palmeiras to score in both halves (+230) -- Palmeiras have been one of the best South America teams for a while now and are one of the favorites to win the Brazilian top flight. They are undefeated to start the campaign with a 6-4-0 record and are averaging over a goal per game. Expect them to find the net in both halves against a defense that is conceded over 1.5 goals per game.