Team USA kicks off quest to win Women's World Cup
On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. women's national soccer team begins defending its 2015 World Cup title. Team USA, who will face off against Thailand, wants to lift the cup for a historic fourth time.
Over the past few days, the team has been watching their main competitors -- Germany, England and France -- play and win their games. Now, some players on Team USA say they're ready for their turn.
If they were nervous on Monday, the day before their first World Cup match, they sure didn't show it.
"It feels great, I think this team is ready to go," said forward Alex Morgan. "I feel like we are in peak form."
Since arriving in France on Friday, Team USA has trained, met with fans and waited.
"I feel like we've been waiting forever to get to the first game," said midfielder Allie Long.
The team has actually been waiting four years to defend its trophy. After winning the World Cup in 2015, the team stumbled against Sweden at the Olympics in 2016. After that, coach Jill Ellis experimented with dozens of different players until she settled on the current 23.
Twelve of them are World Cup veterans, including goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. In 2015, she didn't play a single minute -- but this year, she's in the spotlight.
Naeher stepped in when Hope Solo – one of the best female goalkeepers in history -- was suspended from the team after making controversial comments about Sweden's team in 2016.
"For all those people out there who have had to work hard and wait on the sidelines, how do you keep the faith?" asked CBS News correspondent Roxana Saberi.
"You lean on your teammates, you lean on your family, and you just stay focused on what you want," Naeher responded.
With an average age of 29, Team USA is the tournament's oldest and among the most experienced.
Co-captains Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe have together scored 255 goals internationally.
Among the new players to watch is midfielder Lindsey Horan. Horan is the current MVP of the U.S. National Women's Soccer League.
"This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl," Horan said, adding "I'm so honored, and I cannot wait to represent our country."
There's not a lot of doubt about who's going to win Tuesday afternoon: The U.S. has played Thailand only once before and beat them 9-0.
