Week One of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is in the books, and all three teams with active Angel City players earned wins in their first games, with mixed results in their second games.
As a reminder, all the games are being broadcast in English on Fox networks and on the Fox app; you can find a schedule with broadcast details here (times automatically convert to your time zone). Additionally, all 64 matches will air live in Spanish on Telemundo and Universo, and every match will stream live in Spanish on Peacock.
You can find our complete guide to the tournament here, and information on all of Angel City's watch parties here.
Co-host New Zealand kicked off the tournament in Auckland in historic fashion, recording the team's first-ever World Cup win in their sixth appearance on the sport's biggest stage.
Heavily favored Norway, whose roster includes global stars like Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg, Chelsea forward Guro Reiten, and Barcelona forward Caroline Graham Hansen, had a poor game, putting just two shots on target and looking especially listless in the first half. In the 48th minute, the Football Ferns exploited the visitors' high line, with forward Indiah-Paige Riley sending a well-paced through ball to forward Jacqui Hand, who sprinted up the right wing to send a low cross into the box. Forward Hannah Wilkinson, making a perfectly timed run, took one touch to put the ball in the back of the net.
It was a dream result for Angel City captain Ali Riley, who—looking uncharacteristically at a genuine loss for words—told media, 'I'm so, so proud. We've been fighting for this for so long.' Riley, who has 155 appearances with New Zealand dating back to 2007, has painted her nails in a show of support for the LGBTQ+ community, with one hand a rainbow and the other in the colors of the trans flag. FIFA announced before the tournament that team captains would not be allowed to wear rainbow armbands.
The US started their tournament with a decisive, if unspectacular win against Vietnam. The Golden Star Women Warriors spent most of the game in damage control mode, sitting in a low defensive block to limit the reigning champions' chances.
The match saw Angel City midfielder Julie Ertz return to center back, where she played a critical role in the team's 2015 campaign. Ertz played all 90 minutes, while ACFC forward Alyssa Thompson entered the match—her World Cup debut—in the 75th minute for Trinity Rodman. Two first-half goals by Portland Thorns star Sophia Smith and one in the 77th minute by Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Lindsey Horan made the difference.
Day three saw a dream start for the Nadeshiko, who soundly beat debutants Zambia in a wild match with some heavy influence from VAR.
Japan put the ball in the net seven times, with two waved off for being offside upon review—both goals that likely would have stood in the pre-VAR era. But those calls were no obstacle for ACFC forward Jun Endo's side, which looked dominant against a Copper Queens team with a history of beating higher-ranked opponents.
For her part, Endo assisted forward Mina Tanaka for Japan's second goal, in the 55th minute, sprinting onto a through ball by midfielder Yui Hasegawa to send a one-touch pass to Tanaka, which the forward slid into the six-yard box to bury. Endo notched one of her own in the 71st minute, assisted by Hasegawa, although by that point the Zambia defense looked so demoralized they were providing little difficulty.
Eleven minutes of second-half stoppage time saw more weird VAR-related drama. Japan forward Riko Ueki initially whiffed a well-deserved penalty kick, but upon review, the ref ruled that keeper Eunice Sakala—who had just subbed in following starting keeper Catherine Musonda's ejection—had come off her line a split second too early. Ueki retook the kick and buried it.
After their historic start, New Zealand dropped three points to the lowest-ranked team in their group.
Forward Sarina Bolden put the Philippines ahead in the 24th minute with a header goal off a recycled free kick that Kiwi keeper Victoria Esson got her hands on but fumbled. Despite being the dominant team statistically—posting 68% possession and 16 shots—the Football Ferns couldn't find the back of the net. Wilkinson and Jacqui Hand both came close, with Wilkinson at one point scoring a goal that was controversially called offside after review.
This one was even closer than the Zambia calls, and unlike those, impacted the outcome of the match. Oh well, what can you do!
Japan kept the momentum rolling in their second match, posting a second shutout—the first time the Nadeshiko have ever earned back-to-back clean sheets at a World Cup.
Las Ticas have yet to score in the tournament, likely in part because their all-time leading scorer, Portland Thorns midfielder Rocky Rodríguez, recovered from injury just in time for the World Cup, and didn't get her first minutes until entering this match in the 64th minute.
Caveats aside, this was another strong performance from a young Japan team whose players look to be having the time of their life. The two goals in this game happened two minutes apart, one by Hikaru Naomoto in the 25th minute, a low, hard shot to the far post, and the other in the 27th minute by Aoba Fujino, who squeezed her shot between the near post and keeper Daniela Solera. Both goals were assisted by Tanaka.
Despite a lackluster performance and disappointing result, the US remained in first place in their group following their second match of the tournament.
The reigning champs started the game with some promising combinations in and around the Dutch 18, but a 17th-minute goal by Oranje midfielder Jill Roord—the team's first shot on goal—looked to sap the Americans' confidence, and they failed to find many scoring opportunities for the remainder of the half.
In the 62nd minute, the Netherlands handed their opponents an unlikely gift. Midfielder Danielle van de Donk committed a hard foul against US captain Lindsey Horan, which, along with some trash talk, seemed to fire Horan up, and the Lyon star headed a corner kick into the back of the net on the very next play.
Also of note in this game was that Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski made only one substitution, bringing in midfielder Rose Lavelle for midfielder Savannah DeMelo at halftime; that was only the second time a US coach had made just one sub in a World Cup game.
Currently in first place in Group E on goal differential, US is still likely to come out on top in the group phase, but the team's performance will need to improve come the knockout stage.