And among the 23-player roster, six former North Carolina women’s soccer players will hope that Sunday brings them their first.
In six games, several former Tar Heels have made their mark on the game’s highest stage.
Meghan Klingenberg, who played for UNC from 2007-10, has played every minute of the World Cup for the United States at left back. Klingenberg has been a rock in a defense that has only given up one goal in the tournament thus far and has held opponents scoreless for 513 consecutive minutes.
Another solid contributor for the U.S. has been Tobin Heath, who was a part of three national title teams at UNC from 2006-09.
After making her first appearance in the 68th minute of the squad’s opening game of the tournament against Australia, she has provided quality minutes for the team, becoming a fixture in both the midfield and the attacking third.
Heath’s ability to keep possession of the ball has proved to be a contributing factor to the United States’ World Cup success thus far, and fans hope that this will continue Sunday.
Only two other former Tar Heels have seen action in the team’s first six games. Lori Chalupny and Heather O’Reilly have seen nine minutes apiece in the World Cup, Chalupny’s coming against Columbia in the round of 16 and O’Reilly’s against China in the quarterfinals.
Challenging the United States in the World Cup Final will be Japan, and the matchup will be accompanied by its own unique story line.
